Airport Express & Music

I have an Airport Express and I currently have my printer and cable modem hooked up to it. To connect to my stereo receiver, I use an optical cable hard wired into my Macbook Pro. So basically, I am not wireless when it comes to listening to music on my home stereo. I have opted to not hook up my receiver to the Express because I assumed the direct optical connection would provide better sound.

What kind of sound quality would I get if I hooked up the receiver to the Express? Would it be comparable to a regular RCA connection? or optical connection? or better than either? or worse than either?

I would really love to go completely wireless, but I also LOVE my music and want optimum sound quality coming out of my Bose speakers.

Any thoughts?

Hmmm...I am going wired optical cable like you are currently. I am also a big sound buff as yourself, except I don't have Bose speakers (which I am jealous btw :mac, I'm using the Logitech Z-5500.

Personally if it were up to me, I would stay wired. I have never experienced wireless though with audio. If it were me I would stay wired as much as possible, but when I would want to get comfortable and lay in bed or something instead of sitting wired at a desk, I would then go wireless. Just my personal preference.

well, I am absolutely LOVING being wireless as far as internet connection...
The optical cable is so darn short!! I have to sit at the very edge of my couch. I would love to be able to relax and sit anywhere.

I'm so spoiled

You shouldn't be able to notice a quality difference. The bandwidth that audio uses is nowhere near the amount that the Airport has

Seeing as the Airport express has the same digital optical output as your Macbook pro, there should be no difference in sound quality as both deliver the exact same information to your stereo.

So cut the cable!

Man, now I'm jealous, and I thought I had a nice audio setup :mac:

Aptmunich said:

Seeing as the Airport express has the same digital optical output as your Macbook pro, there should be no difference in sound quality as both deliver the exact same information to your stereo.

So cut the cable!

Click to expand...

Makes sense...I guess for some reason, I was thinking that the Express would not hook up optically...well, I AM gonna cut that cable!!! Thanks!

Oh, and Todd...ya know, Bose does have free 12 month financing

I'm running my iTunes library to my Airport Express to a set of Klipsch Pro Media speakers and it sounds better than my old component stereo ever did (JBL, Bose). The Klipsch system is really, really good and absolutely fills the room with the volume at 4 or so. Klipsch Pro Media

Basically, I figure if you're listening to mp3's of almost any quality that's your weak link quality-wise, so why worry.