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Airport Express - Digital audio output - and Jitter

I purchsed the newest version of the Airport Express. I use it with AirPlay to stream music. I use a digital Toslink cable connected to a high quality DAC which converts the signal to analogue and then outputs to the speakers in the bedroom. All was well until I switeched to a newer, more expensive DAC (with a 'Sabre' chip).

The Toslink output would not 'lock' and the readout on the new DAC kept switching from 44.1k to ------ and back. When I called the DAC company the tech said he knew of the problem because the first AEx's had too much jitter for the signal to lock -- but that the problem seems to have abated with the next generation (the 'N' version). When I said I had the newest one he wasn't familiar with it. But told me it has to be a jitter problem.

I experimented. In the living room I have a different AirPlay Airport Express setup. This one contains the 'N' 'plug in the wall directly' version of the Airport Express. Guess what? It plays perfectly. He was right. The signal locks and the new fancy and expensive DAC works just fine.

So -- does anyone else have any experience with changing to the newest version of the Airport Express (the ATV size white square) and experiencing digital playback difficulties?

The real question is -- is there inherently better audio quality coming from version 2 of the Airport Express than version 3.

Posted on Sep 8, 2012 5:35 AM

16 replies

Jan 13, 2015 10:58 PM in response to Eddie Strauss

I had been using my AEx 1st Gen with my Arcam irDAC, without any problems for the past year, earlier had them connected to my AVR for almost 4 years. It worked without any problems.

Recently I upgraded my Hifi system to a NAIM - B&W setup and found the sound dull when compared to what I had auditioned it, so I decided to take the AEx out of the equation and connected my computer directly to the DAC, it made a huge difference.

From my observation, AEx is good if you have lot of wireless devices streaming to it, its easy to setup, but if your looking for sound quality its not the option to go for.

My connections

Earlier = PC -> Wifi Router -> Wired connection to AEx -> Optical input to DAC -> Hifi System (Sounded dull, pros - no wires running around, could stream from my iPhone, iPad or computer was a boon for connectivity)

changed to = PC -> Wired connection, SPDIF to DAC -> Hifi System (Sounds excellent, my computer has a Zonar Essence STX card, cons - 10 mtr wire running around my house)

Regards

Airport Express - Digital audio output - and Jitter