upgrade Apple Airport Express

Posted by: av in bc on 09 January 2018

i know this is ancient but that's what i still use to stream with as i've moved-all-in to vinyl about 5 years ago.

i'm pretty confused with all the Naim boxes that offer this these days and all i really would like
is a simple player that i can attach a hard drive to or that has an internal one i guess and that
hopefully can be controlled from my laptop a bit like iTunes (maybe too much to ask there but).

no amp needed, no dac even as it's going to a supernait, i don't even need it to stream really.
there was i think the Unitiserve or something but this had a cd drive which i wouldn't really need either

Posted on: 09 January 2018 by ChrisSU

All the current Naim streamers have a DAC built in, so you would have a bit of redundancy there. They are controlled by an app which works on iPhone, iPad and Android devices, not laptops. They are really designed to play from a NAS/UPnP server. Having said that, Naim have released a completely new streaming platform, currently only seen in the Uniti all-in-one range, although new separates using this newer tech are presumably on the horizon.  There are plenty of non-Naim alternatives around too, at any price you care to think of.

If all you want to do is store and play music from a hard drive, the Unitiserve may not be such a bad idea - or its replacement, the Uniti Core, which probably gives better sound quality over the SPDIF output you would be using. Control of the Unitiserve is via a different app, on on iPhone/iPad or Mac.   

Posted on: 09 January 2018 by cdboy

IF the the AE does what you want just get a new one

Upgrade the control (selection of track etc) using Roon if you want to. 

 

Posted on: 09 January 2018 by NickSeattle

If automating with computers and/or Naim’s offerings is “confusing”, do what you like that does not confuse.  All this computer audio has an appeal, and can be quite satisfying, if you have a passion for it — a bit like model-rocketry.  I happen to love it all, from vinyl to streaming; but I do not know very many others, personally, who do likewise.

In short, I think you are in the majority (in your aversion to tech, if not in your love of vinyl); and you have my support FWIW for sticking with the AE — I still use one.

Best,

Nick

Posted on: 10 January 2018 by av in bc

thanks to all. maybe the AE is fine since i don't use it that much anyway. 
i thought that a better sounding solution might increase the usage.
even with a decent record collection i miss out on a lot of new music.
or as mentioned look outside of Naim.

 

Posted on: 10 January 2018 by ChrisSU

I'm told that the newer generation of AE have better sound quality than the old wall-wart type that I use, although that may not be relevant if you're using it into the Supernait DAC. I presume you are using an optical cable? 

If you move on from the AE, there are a huge number of options to choose from. A lot depends on your budget.