Uniti and Airport Express - downsides?

Posted by: goldfish on 12 December 2009

Hi there,

First post - hope I'm doing everything right.

I'm looking at buying a Uniti. Everything was looking great until I realised that it didn't link with iTunes as effectively as I'd hoped.

I wanted to check with those of you here with more experience than I that there's no major downsides to using the Airport Express to send a digital signal to the Uniti, rather than streaming via UPnP directly.

Using iTunes as my front-end is non-negotiable for me, and it's a shame I can't ditch the Airport Express and send music straight to the Uniti - hopefully that will come in the future (?).

I'm using OSX on an iMac.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Simon

Posted on: 14 December 2009 by winkyincanada

Not sure about the Uniti end but AE is limited to CD (44khz 16bit?) quality. No HiRes for you! (say it like the "Soup Nazi").

Dropouts from network load and interference are also potentially problems. My microwave used to hammer the AE signal. I'm hard-wired (optical) now.

Posted on: 14 December 2009 by james n

Hi Simon - welcome to the forum - The uniti streaming will be better than the AE - as Winky says its limited to 16/44.1 and then you have a rather jittery toslink connection into the uniti. The AE isnt a bad source (and a great print server) but i'd put money on a file streamed via the uniti sounding better than one from the AE.

James

Posted on: 14 December 2009 by Bach_Man

I don't understand. Why can't you just hook up your mac directly to the Uniti with an optical cable. That would allow you to play hirez files too.

Posted on: 14 December 2009 by pcstockton

exactly

Posted on: 14 December 2009 by pcstockton

or use a USB to spdif converter.

Posted on: 19 December 2009 by Simon Jones

quote:
Originally posted by Bach_Man:
I don't understand. Why can't you just hook up your mac directly to the Uniti with an optical cable. That would allow you to play hirez files too.

Thanks for all the comments. I'm using the Airport Express because the amp will be a way away from the computer, and on the opposite side of the room; I'd need a monster (not a Monster… ;-) ) optical cable. I do most of my listening whilst working on the computer; that's also why iTunes is really important.

Thanks again; food for thought.

Simon

Posted on: 20 December 2009 by ferenc

quote:
Originally posted by pcstockton:
or use a USB to spdif converter.

This is exactly what I am doing. If you need length, you can use an A-A USB extension cable then put the USB2 - SPDIF converter close to the Unity. This way you can connect the computer to the Uniti even without SPDIF cable, using only USB

Using 5m long active USB extension cables, you can take it to roughly 25 meter (5 of the 5m active cable).

Posted on: 21 December 2009 by bowiecokemirror

hi, sorry to hijack the thread, but where can i get an optical cable that will allow me to connect my laptop directly to the uniti. I have been using a wireless bt homehub router but the signal sometimes drops out and this is annoying me.
I have just bought this laptop :
http://www.sony.co.uk/product/...-series/vgn-aw31zj-b
Is an optical cable the best way to connect the laptop to the uniti. Thanks in advance for any advice. Also what exactly is an optical cable? How much does it cost? What does it look like?

Posted on: 21 December 2009 by winkyincanada

Optical cables are relatively inexpensive and are a good way to transfer SPDIF. They look just like a regular cable and you buy them at any big electronics store or from the internet. Your laptop does have SPDIF optical output from what I read on the specs so you should be fine.

There are other alternatives that are being discussed on this (and other) thread(s), though.

I use optical SPDIF from my Mac Mini to my SuperNait and it works a treat.

The "ever-shit" BT home-hub makes another appearance, and is again found lacking.

Posted on: 21 December 2009 by BigH47

quote:
The "ever-shit" BT home-hub makes another appearance, and is again found lacking.

That's helpful.
In what way lacking?

Posted on: 21 December 2009 by winkyincanada

quote:
Originally posted by BigH47:
quote:
The "ever-shit" BT home-hub makes another appearance, and is again found lacking.

That's helpful.
In what way lacking?

It's a reference to a funny comment someone else made in another thread. You had to be there.

The bit where bowiecokemirror says "but the signal sometimes drops out" was what I was referring to. If you want objective evidence of the lack-of-shittieness of the BTHH, you probably won't find it on a forum like this.

Posted on: 26 December 2009 by MrPlanner

i would have suggested getting a UPnP server for the mac, says allegro media server (http://www.allegrosoft.com/ams.html). This can make your iTunes library visible on the Uniti as a UPnP server.

works well for me at low and hi-res.

other option to AMS would be eye-connect TV. this is free
http://www.elgato.com/elgato/n...e/EyeConnect.en.html