[Mike Nomad]

Experiencing the following:

Random drop-outs when pushing audio over an Airport Express, and using the optical out to connect to my DAC. Troubleshooting:

* Tried two different Airport Express. Both new, out of the box.
* One of them (current) has fewer drop-outs than the other (purchased 6 months ago).
* Used the same optical cable to go from a MacBook Pro to the DAC. No problems.
* Analog out on the Airport Express works fine.

Has anybody else experienced this sort of problem?

[srb]

The latest Airport Express (A1264 Wireless N) apparently has extremely high jitter (higher than the previous version).  This so far seems to only have been a problem with ESS Sabre DACs.
 
Peachtree had a firmware update which allowed one of its digital inputs an increased jitter aperature at a slight decrease in sound quality to acommodate the latest Airport Express.  The newer Nova units supposedly have this update.
 
The older Airport Express (A1084 Wireless G) did not have the dropout problem when used with ESS Sabre DACs.
 
Steve

[Mike Nomad]

The latest Airport Express (A1264 Wireless N) apparently has extremely high jitter (higher than the previous version).  This so far seems to only have been a problem with ESS Sabre DACs.
 
Peachtree had a firmware update which allowed one of its digital inputs an increased jitter aperature at a slight decrease in sound quality to acommodate the latest Airport Express.  The newer Nova units supposedly have this update.
 
The older Airport Express (A1084 Wireless G) did not have the dropout problem when used with ESS Sabre DACs.
 
Steve

Both of the Airport Express giving me problems are Wireless N. I'll hit the Peachtree site, etc.

Much Thanks, Steve!

[srb]

Mike,
 
Here is a post from David Solomon from SignalPath at AVS Forum about this problem.
 
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=2c8062cb418d3bee202498dd3fd8c42f&p=16835917#post16835917
 
He talks about the modification to Input 2 and states that "the 2nd input will not sound quite as good.....but it will still sound very good....."
 
If this is for critical listening vs casual listening, you might want to seek out a used Airport Express A1084 (Wireless G) for ~$30 - $40.
 
Steve

[Mike Nomad]

Mike,
 
Here is a post from David Solomon from SignalPath at AVS Forum about this problem.
 
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=2c8062cb418d3bee202498dd3fd8c42f&p=16835917#post16835917
 
He talks about the modification to Input 2 and states that "the 2nd input will not sound quite as good.....but it will still sound very good....."
 
If this is for critical listening vs casual listening, you might want to seek out a used Airport Express A1084 (Wireless G) for ~$30 - $40.
 
Steve

Steve,

Thanks for the link. I'm going to pass: I'm not willing to nuke both Optical 2 _and_ Coax 2. I'll just stay on the analog side of the AE.

This isn't for critical listening, just convenience. However, with the new Mac Mini Server (lower profile & no external power supply), my AE's days are numbered.

[Jason Brent]

I've had this problem as well, but I'm using a TADAC.

I've tried several different airport expresses, all exhibit this problem.  From what I can tell, it seems to be very sensitive to signal quality from my time capsule to the express.  I've tried several different configurations from within the airport utility with little changes.  If everybody is home and we have several wireless connections, the problem is worse.  Right now I'm the only person here, and have been listening for over 3 hours with no dropouts.

[Mike Nomad]

Steve,

Thanks for the link. I'm going to pass: I'm not willing to nuke both Optical 2 _and_ Coax 2. I'll just stay on the analog side of the AE.

This isn't for critical listening, just convenience. However, with the new Mac Mini Server (lower profile & no external power supply), my AE's days are numbered.

An update: I swapped phone messages with someone at Signal Path International. They told me that only the early Nova units don't have have the firmware mod, and that I should try the Optical 2 input to see if the problem lessens, or goes away. Intrigued, I tried the suggestion. Sure enough, the drop-outs decreased by 90%.

And the sound quality was worse than running the analog cable. Going further, I went back and forth between the two optical inputs. Yep, the difference between the two was noticeable.

Ugh. At some point, I'll look into getting my Nova _unmodded_.

[srb]

And the sound quality was worse than running the analog cable. Going further, I went back and forth between the two optical inputs. Yep, the difference between the two was noticeable.

Ugh. At some point, I'll look into getting my Nova unmodded.

I had poked around the Peachtree site and also looked at the downloadable Nova Owner's Manual and found nothing relating to this.  How would an owner be aware of the "crippled" lowered quality #2 digital inputs if they have not stumbled across discussions in several forums?
 
Steve