AirPlay Multi-room Setup Questions

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Level 1

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AirPlay Multi-room Setup Questions

Hi all,

I am looking to utilize Apple AirPlay to create a multi-room audio setup for my home. The setup will consist of several sources, including a receiver and home theater system, a Bose SoundDock speaker, and other speakers that I intend to connect to AirPlay via 3.5mm cable and an Airport Express. I would like the ability to control each room independently or play through all speakers at once. I've looked into Sonos, and was not impressed with sound quality and reliability. Most other systems only allow certain inputs (Spotify, Pandora, etc.), while AirPlay allows any content to be played via third party software like AirFoil. Also, AirPlay allows me to utilize my existing equipment and is relatively inexpensive compared to other options.

I have a few questions:

Does it matter which type of AirPort product I use? I have experienced lag in the past while using AirPlay audio. My concern is that the speakers would be asynchronous when playing music depending on their distance from the router or other factors. Does it matter if I use the same type of AirPort for all of them, or if I mix them together (for example: would using an older and a newer AirPort express together result in an audio delay between the two, perhaps due to the newer one being "faster?")
Along those lines, is there any reason to choose the newer AirPort express over the older one? I could probably get the older one for about half the price of the newer one. (A1264 vs A1392)
Is there any third-party option to play through multiple Air-Port devices via an iPhone? I know that iTunes can be utilized in conjunction with iTunes remote app to achieve this, but I use Apple music and it would be nice to send the audio directly from my iPhone. Otherwise, I can just use iTunes on my PC.
Are there other alternatives I should look into? I am concerned that Apple will not continue to support AirPlay in the future, as it appears that they are shifting focus away from that product line.

Thank you in advance for your advice and expertise.

null-OTHER

Posted on May 20, 2017 2:38 PM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

159,166 points

May 21, 2017 10:05 AM in response to esiedell

Does it matter which type of AirPort product I use? I have experienced lag in the past while using AirPlay audio. My concern is that the speakers would be asynchronous when playing music depending on their distance from the router or other factors. Does it matter if I use the same type of AirPort for all of them, or if I mix them together (for example: would using an older and a newer AirPort express together result in an audio delay between the two, perhaps due to the newer one being "faster?")

Let's first take a look at the "journey" AirPlay takes between an AirPlay "server" (aka, an iTunes host) and an AirPlay "speaker" (aka, AirPort Express, Apple TV, or a third-party AirPlay-Ready device).

AirPlay can stream audio/video over Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Optimally, you will want the connection between the server and the speaker to be a wired one ... where possible.

Back to the journey's path. We will assume two things here: 1) You are using all wireless connections in your network, and 2) You are using multiple routers, with one be your "main" router, i.e., the one connected to the Internet.

AirPlay will first travel from the server to the "main" wireless router, and then, to the speaker. If they are in separate rooms or floors, AirPlay over Wi-Fi must traverse through walls, ceilings, floors, etc. multiple times. This will definitely affect the signal quality and, in turn, AirPlay's ability to stream efficiently when it comes to audio/video performance.

Now back to your questions. If your network will be all wireless, you will want one that will provide the best bandwidth possible for AirPlay to stream over. Except for using an AirPort Express for an AirPlay speaker, you can use any manufacturers' networking hardware to provide that wireless network. If you do use Apple for your routers, use the latest 802.11ac versions of the AirPort Extreme in addition to the latest version of the AirPort Express. If you don't already have the base stations, I would strongly suggest that you go with the latest offerings from Apple ... albeit, they are all use an over 3+ years design and other manufacturers have easily "outclassed" them ... except, so far, no one has come up with an Express replacement that I know of.

Along those lines, is there any reason to choose the newer AirPort express over the older one? I could probably get the older one for about half the price of the newer one. (A1264 vs A1392)

Yes. The newer Express has better sonic capability over the earlier model.

Ref: Apple AirPort Express Audio Performance - Ken Rockwell

Is there any third-party option to play through multiple Air-Port devices via an iPhone? I know that iTunes can be utilized in conjunction with iTunes remote app to achieve this, but I use Apple music and it would be nice to send the audio directly from my iPhone. Otherwise, I can just use iTunes on my PC.

Yes.

Ref: How to stream iOS audio to multiple AirPlay destinations - Macworld

Are there other alternatives I should look into? I am concerned that Apple will not continue to support AirPlay in the future, as it appears that they are shifting focus away from that product line.

There are, and just performing an Internet search, you can come up with dozens of comparisons to review. AirPlay uses a number of IP protocols, centered around RTSP. I don't see Apple abandoning it any time soon, even if they decide to get out of the networking hardware line.

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