I guess if it was just for me, I'd connect the AE and forget about it. But, I also have other people in the house who can not quite go to the computer in another room, turn itunes on and then head to the amp in the living room and play. Due to that issue I invested in a Azur 640H Music Server. It is kind of an old hat, but I'll try it out. I guess an appletv with a screen could have done the same thing.
Newbie G4 laptop to NAD 320 BEE setup
I am trying to figure out my options for the optimum laptop setup. I have a G4 17" 1.3 Ghz running Itunes with Apple Lossless audio files. I am going to connect the laptop to an NAD320 BEE integraded amp driving a pair of Klipsch Forte speakers. I am currently trying to figure out the connection to the amp. Do I really need a DAC with 24/192khz sampling, or can I use something simpler like a Behringer UCA202 U-Control Audio Interface, or Behringer FCA202 - FireWire Audio Interface. I evetually want to add a tube pre-amp to the setup. I have looked through the forum and there seems to be issues of jitter etc with the laptop setup, but technically with lossless files, shouldn't I be able to get CD quality audio? Any suggestions on the setup will be greatly appreciated.