Good Airplay dongle with analog audio out?

[Superdad]

On 11/10/2018 at 9:09 AM, rodrigaj said:

If you are happy with the AE why not pick one up on ebay?

 

Decent A1264 models are going for less than $25. Careful reading of ads and feedback is needed of course.

 

And you can mod the Airport Express to run from an external DC power supply (at 3.3V). Greatly improves the SQ of its DAC.  I run one that way out in our workshop.  

 

I too am sad to see not only the demise of the AE, but the near total absence of Airplay device choices on the market. I won’t launch into my rant about how and why Apple blew it hugely—starting many years ago—by keeping Airplay so closed and expensive to license...

[Superdad]

BTW, the discontinued Arcam AirDAC with AirPlay can be readily found on the used market.  Not as inexpensive as an AE, and I have never heard one myself. 

[Superdad]

18 hours ago, feelingears said:

Without getting into the future of digital streaming, it seems the path of least resistance (not least expenditure!) is to boost the SQ of my AEx path by replacing my LPS-1 with a 1.2 (given the strong reports of others), and maybe ponying up for the Transparent cable.

 

Well given how much you enjoy your Airport Express units, and that you already have an original UltraCap LPS-1 and are thinking about the LPS-1.2 for your Remedy S/PDIF reclocker, let me share this again:

Unlike the 5/7/9/12V LPS-1.2, the original LPS-1 has 3.3V as its lowest output setting.  When I modded my workshop AE to accept an external 3.3V supply (see above: https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/54724-good-airplay-dongle-with-analog-audio-out/?do=findComment&comment=896800), it really enhanced it as a DAC (even my assistant noticed it; she commented on the bass and the ease).

I have no idea what that would do for it's Toslink output, but it might be something fun to consider, and a reason to hold onto you LPS-1 even if you do get the LPS-1.2. 

 

Cheers,

--Alex C.