[virtue]

Well... on the topic of commoditized HiFi...

I just got an SMSC DAR83 (STS/Kleernet used by Klipsch and many others) equipped "HP Wireless Audio" uncompressed streamer. Like the I-20, it was $89 and seems farily compact and well-done.  This thing comes with a USB dongle and with SPDIF output on the receiver, looks to me to be no better and now worse electrically than you could build for five times the money... 

It streams uncompressed CD quality and is comparable to many much higher priced streamers out there (albeit the onboard DAC is weaker, CS43L22 DAC (98db)).

Anyone have experiences to share?

[HiFlight]

You nailed this right on the money, Seth.  Many is the time I have spent far more trying to re-invent the wheel than it would have cost to just buy it in the first place.   I guess the only thing I wouldn't have had by buying it rather than trying to build it is the burned, broken and otherwise rendered unusable pile of now useless parts!   

[JohnR]

So these devices use their own wireless band and not the 802.11 network? Is there a significant advantage?

[virtue]

John,

Implementations vary.  Kleernet (STS) is a Triband system (2.4, 5.8 etc) and frequency hops on each channel.  Avnera (RocketFish) has another scheme for avoiding interference.  And there are others.  The bottom line is that all of these smarts are on commercial silicon that is heavily discounted by volume.  Many (but not all) of these devices are interoperable although nobody advertises that... they give the impression that the ecosystems are closed, proprietary, and voodoo unique.  By contrast, Airplay and Bluetooth are openly open...

Seth