[X4U] Which format for Music?

[Jim Warthman]

Björn,
I suppose I was a bit defensive.  :-)  Even so, I felt that people might
like to know that the analog audio deficiencies of the Airport Express can
be removed from the equation, so to speak.

Honestly, I don't think of myself as an audiophile, and my ears are
certainly not "golden".  I don't "invest in" hundred-dollar interconnect
cables or tweaking the electronics by upgrading capacitors, etc.  :-)  I
just enjoy my music, and want to keep my options open for the future.

Yes, DZ-Jay makes interesting points regarding the proprietary-ness of ALE.I
think I won't worry about it, though. If I ever experience problems with
ALE's proprietary-ness, I'll figure out what to do. Heck, I haven't
discarded my CDs, so I suppose I could rip then again if absolutely
necessary.

Yes, the optical connection was, for me, very much plug-and-play. I have an
otherwise unused  optical input on my A/V receiver for mini-disc or DAT, and
that's where I connected my Airport Express.

I should add that I had some difficulties getting the networking side of the
Airport Express working, but that's a topic for a different thread.  :-)

Some Macs have digital optical outputs, and these could be directly
connected to an A/V receiver with suitable inputs. This arrangement could
totally remove the Airport Express from the loop.

I haven't shopped for A/V receivers for a while, but a quick google search
revealed the YAMAHA HTR5730 for $150. This entry-level A/V receiver has one
optical input, which should suffice. I'm sure other popular receiver brands
have optical inputs at similar prices.

Despite all the above, I agree that, for many people - maybe most - the
benefits of lossless encoding and keeping the digital music in its original
quality all the way to an A/V receiver is a bit extreme. But for those few
who want to retain every bit of the music on their present system or in a
future upgrade (and you know who you are! :-) I feel my solution has merit.

Enjoy!

-- Jim


On 2005-08-14 7:59 AM, "B. Kuestner" <kuestner at macnews.de> wrote:

> Hi Jim,
> 
> I hope you didn't feel like you have to defend yourself.
> 
> In any way, yes, that sounds much like the audiophile who would
> perceive and value the advantages of lossless encoding. I have
> noticed that most other people who ask these questions overestimate
> their hearing skills and expectations.
> 
> DZ-Jay pointed out that this is an Apple proprietary encoder. So
> should you ever move, you will have to encode again. But then, iTunes
> can transcode between supported codecs, and the conversion between
> Apple Lossless and AIFF should be painless, fast and, ahem, lossless.
> So not a big problem, no more hours, days and weeks of playing disk
> jockey once you have everything in iTunes.
> 
> FLAC is the open source alternative, but it's not supported in
> iTunes, although a plug-in project is underway. Even if it works in
> iTunes, FLAC would still not be supported on the iPod if that is
> important for you.
> 
> One question: Is the digital output as plug-and-play as the analog
> connection? I have never thought about this option, and it makes the
> AE much more interesting for me, although I haven't yet checked at
> what price range amplifiers with a built-in D/A-converter start. Any
> recommendations? (Similar to my preference for Apple I like to keep
> things simple in the audio area as well: Not a whole lot of buttons
> and lamps, just play that music and play it well.)
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Björn