apple airplay 2 and jamcast

I'm not familiar with Jamcast, but the Uniti 2 doesn't support Airplay, which is probably why you don't see it listed with the Muso as an iTunes speaker. Only the new Uniti range support Airplay (and Airplay 2)

Trevshan

Airplay 2 is not yet up and running but will likely be with new products/macOS versions in the Autumn especially Apple's upcoming new Siri based HomePod speaker system.

I'm still unclear what the plan for Airplay 2 is other than 'multi-room' by which I'm assuming they mean audio on multiple HomePods, AppleTV 4 or newer and licensed 3rd party devices/speakers.

Will Airplay 2 support HD audio beyond CD quality?  Even if they do I suspect it'd be compressed and lossy (ATV 4 also annoyingly up-samples 44.1 kHz feeds to 48 kHz without any way to prevent this). 

If the Uniti 2 doesn't support Airplay it won't support Airplay 2 unless Naim offer a firmware upgrade incorporating the licensed protocol.

Also will Apple offer Airplay 2 on Windows or just their own ecosystem?

The current AppleTV 4 (and any newer) should support Airplay 2 but older ATVs won't.

I have a current Airport express which I use as a portable router and for wi-fi duties at home - these have line/optical out but with a max of CD quality with Airplay - I hope this functionality is not deprecated requiring a new device for Airplay 2 (they did this before - my older Express supported AirTunes, but it won;t handle the newer Airplay, and ITunes from memory no longer recognises it).

Sorry to ramble on but not convinced Airplay 2 even if available on Windows iTunes will offer you much without additional components for your Uniti 2.

Thanks for the info. With Naim signing up to the new airplay perhaps an upgrade for Uniti 2 might be considered. The airport express was something I was looking at so might to a bit more research!

I think it's a pretty safe bet that the Uniti 2 will not support Airplay - if Naim were considering it, they'd have done it by now. An Airport Express with an optical cable is a tried and tested way to add Airplay connectivity to a Naim streamer - as long as you don't need more than 16/44, which you probably don't if you use iTunes?

If your objective is to stream an iTunes music library you have stored on your computer, a better solution might be to put a UPnP server package (such as Minimserver) on your computer, and use that to stream music to the Uniti over your network.

The only thing I'd say about the current Airport range is that its days may be numbered.

Apple formally disbanded the Airport development team sometime last year though devices are still available last time I checked, though had a post-Brexit vote 'exchange rate normalisation' price hike (as did most Apple products).

So assuming the Express will still be able to playback audio via standard Airplay once Airplay 2 is out (i.e. Apple don't stop supporting it with new iTunes/macOS/iOS versions) it might be worth picking one up - keep a backup of current iTunes installer in case you'd need to go back.

The Express does work very effectively for me if I'm away from home and need to extend an existing wi-fi network (which it can relay over ethernet - old non wi-fi Mac Pro), but in practice these days I'd probably use a mi-fi device with only wi-fi connected items when travelling/on holiday.

At home my ISP provided modem/router was not up to the job so I use it in bridged mode as a modem, to a dedicated router running to a central switch having recently done some refurbishment and run ethernet to most rooms.  The Express currently handles wi-fi duties hooked to the switch downstairs but I suspect there are better devices for that alone.

What Apple have really needed since their original AppleTV is an Apple branded iTunes server which allows a user to stream local protected Apple video content to one or more AppleTVs/other Apple devices on the LAN.  Currently that can be done using a computer running iTunes but naturally it has to be on to do so.

I've wondered if Apple may be considering incorporating some of the Airport functionality into a 'master/server' HomePod type device which could provide wi-fi/routing/Time Capsule/media server duties, but given their obsession with all things in the cloud and a push to internet streaming over the years, I suspect not.