Mac vs. PC differences to Airport Express?

Do yourself a big favor and take the Airport Express out of the equation. Yes, either get a USB converter, or get a USB DAC (which essentially puts the converter in the box). I've tried getting good sound from an AE but could not (flat, narrow soundstage, and not very engaging). I did not like the HagUSB device I tried out. I liked the Waveterminal U24 very much, but their not available anymore. Check out the offerings at Empirical Audio. He also does some mods to the Benchmark that may interest you.

Love your light bulb idea...and the movie projector thing, well you rock dude! Keep up the great work!

Marco

The MAC mini has an optical output that is fantastic and plugged into a good DAC is all you need.

Personally, I would not allow the S/PDIF conversion to be done inside a computer. If you use the Toslink on the MacMini or their towers or laptops then the conversion is being done in noisy electronic environment of the computer. I would bet you'd get an audible improvement by taking that conversion outside of the computer, as it would be with a USB DAC, USB Converter, or better still, a device like Empirical offers that goes direct to I2S which is the native language of the DAC chip.

Marco

Marco and Jax2: I know the Mac platform is solid for USB out. I have an old Mac iBook I could use for that config, or I could buy Windows Vista and stick with my PC. I want to stick with iTunes. I've read that Foobar and ASIO are too much of a headache. Would iTunes for PC w/ Vista equal iTunes on a Mac for USB out?

Marco and Jax2 are one and the same. I know, it seems magical, but they're both just me. I did not mean to imply in any way that the Mac platform was inadequate. I use Macs exclusively for over ten years now. I only meant I would use the USB rather than the internal toslink option given the choice. As far as an inexpensive converter for your Benchmark, if you can find a used Waveterminal U24 that'd be a nice option...My friends Edirol seems to do a decent job...I think it's a UA25. As far as the two platforms, I just know Mac works: OSX hasn't given me any major headaches, is almost impervious to viruses, worms and other evil attachments, works brilliantly in all the graphics software I rely upon for my work, and streams music just fine with nary a hiccup.It has a very instinctual interface, which seems to get better all the time. I've used an iBook and that works perfectly well for streaming music, as I'm sure a MacMini would. Either way, if you plan on using the new Mac operating system, Leopard (10.5.X), make sure you have at least a gig of RAM in whatever box you choose, and that your hard disk is a large one (the newer MacMinis are a bit more versatile in that regard I guess - someone correct me if I'm wrong there). Like Vista, or so I'm told (I steer clear of PC's if I have a choice), Leopard is a memory hog requiring 512mb of RAM just to run the OS. OSX also runs smoother and faster if you leave about a third of the boot disk free (hence larger drives are better for Leopard).

Marco

If you can swing the coin, I'd go with one of Steve's routes over the simple converters. A good friend whose ears I respect heard a demo of the PaceCar at a show and was very impressed. If you have to go with a less expensive option for now, most definitely do not use the Airport express if you want decent sound for sitting down and listening. I've tried to make the AE sound good with several different DACs, but alas, you are limited by the unit itself and the conversion circuitry within the unit that gives you the S/PDIF (toslink mini) assuming you're going for the best sound from the stock unit. I have never been able to get sound I wanted to sit down and listen to from the AE (stock) - if it's background music you are after, it's as good a solution as any and you probably don't have to spend any more. In any case, if you are looking for the best sound from a $200 investment in what you already have go with a decent converter and your Benchmark. Just my opinion.

Marco

Toslink is a digital interface and is not audio it is pure digital read off the disk converted to "light pipe" and shipped out, thats it, only data ready to be read by a down stream device.

I did not say it was an audio signal, did I? I'm not sure what you're trying to say. The signal has to carry timing and content, and you are converting it from one language to another, and then back to yet another when it reaches the DAC. I don't know that much about this stuff, but my experiences suggest to me that every stage of the road from one point to the next may effect the outcome, and that it's best to do as few conversions as possible. Are you suggesting that because it is not an audio signal that it is not vulnerable to any degradation/errors in transport and conversions?

Marco