Improving sound quality of streaming setup

With a reclocker like Synchro-Mesh, you could use a stock Sonos, squeezebox or AppleTV. The Sonos ZP-90 is very popular and fun to use. I like it better than Apple iTunes, and it does not change the stream to apple losseless first. The reclocker will lower the jitter to improve audio quality over the Zardoz. The best thing is to eliminate the AirPort Express and replace with a good stock WiFi device and the reclocker. The AE is a bad device. Even extensive mods and reclocking dont make it great.

Once you have a good device and reclocker, the system can be further improved by upgrading the reclocker power supply and your S/PDIF cable. These can elevate the quality to world-class, beating all transports and music servers.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Def need a DAC. I've not tried a reclocker so I can't comment on that but taking the optical signal from the airport express into a good DAC would make a big improvement the airport express sounds horrible via analog out in my opinion.

What Steve (Audioengr) suggests is certainly a valid route. Then he also manufactures the product he's recommending. Just be aware of that.

Another option that would be very simple too is getting a laptop to be used for music only, and a DAC with asynchronous USB input. You would have a USB cable between laptop and DAC, and analog IC between DAC and pre, and that's it. The laptop does not need to be powerful. You could use iTunes since you are familiar with it. Then, choose a DAC within your budget, and with the output connectors that match your pre.

Later, if you feel like it, you can get an iPad or iPod to use as a remote. You would probably love this!

This should be rather simple to implement and not expensive, and will get your toe in the water.

My two cents.