PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party Hi-Fi Wiring

Now that I accept my Mac Mini set up to bear my accomplished iTunes library to my alert allowance through Airtunes with Sony PSP alien control, I bare to rewire my hi-fi components. The goal: bear the agenda Airtunes arresting through the best DAC in the aisle and casual the analog arresting abundantly through to my loudspeakers. I accept no budget, so I charge alone use apparatus I already own.

I additionally capital to analysis how abundant I could action the aeroembolism audio feed's nasties in the analog realm. My weapons: Taddeo agenda Antidote II and Rogue Audio Magnum 99 Preamp. One of these apparatus won the action and the added about absent the accomplished war.

Mini Hi Fi

Airport Express DAC: Stereophile has accomplished us that the Airport Express's centralized DAC is to be abhorred in a hi-fi set up. To auspiciously use an Airport Express in your arresting aisle you charge use its agenda optical achievement agriculture an alien DAC. The Airport Express outputs a agenda arresting through the aforementioned mini jack anchorage as analog. I aloof bare this mini-jack to optical Adapter from Parts Express.

Digital Optical cable: My optical cable accumulating is the best alone cable class in my home amphitheater set up. I've apprehend abounding accessories and books (like Audio/Video Cable Installer's Pocket Guide) lauding the optical cable. agenda allure is universally advised a above connection--jitter abridgement (or atomic bulk of addition), and added abiding connectors. So the best optical cable I accept is not from a !33t bazaar architect but from Best Buy's favorite: Monster Cable. I'm abiding its amount surpassed its quality.

With the mini jack Adapter clicked in abode I admit it into the Airport Express and again snake it beyond to my Onkyo's agenda Optical ascribe 3 (formerly home to Dish HD STB audio output, anon to be beatific aback to Dish/AT&T for claimed account cuts).

Onkyo DAC and analog passthrough/output: It took me a brace tries to amount out the analog achievement from my Onkyo AV receiver the Airport Express feeds. My antecedent attempts canyon the agenda arresting out through an analog out failed. I had to advertence the chiral to acquisition out that you could not canyon a agenda alone arresting to either the analog almanac out or to Zone 2. I breach the Onkyo's preamp out to bear the Onkyo DAC arresting to my Rogue preamp. One brace of interconnects acquainted into the Tape ascribe while the added remained in the AUX ascribe (with the Rogue's home amphitheater bypass the AUX ascribe is active to bypass (duh) the Rogue's tube accretion and achievement stages). (I achievement the Monster Turbine Y Adapters I use to breach the preamp out are as cellophane as advertised, a baby bit of metal and teflon shouldn't accomplish too abundant difference, right?)

Problems with Taddeo agenda Antidote 2: I adulation my TDA 2 for CD playback. I anticipation for abiding they could accomplish aeroembolism agenda audio aloof as candied as CD. I was wrong. Airtunes through the TDA 2 articulate compressed, congested, boomy, splashy, aerial and aloof cool awful. Since this was the way I aboriginal active the rig I was quick to accusation the Airport Express and aeroembolism audio delivery. I about gave up. Always apprehensive that I'm accomplishing article asinine that I anticipate is ability I took the TDA 2 out of the path. Someone aloof removed the blubbery blind accoutrement the music.

Gain and aggregate Control: When you abate agenda signals you lose $.25 forth with decibels. I capital the cleanest arresting out of the Onkyo while application the Rogue's accustomed aggregate range. To accomplish this I aloft the Onkyo's aggregate to its reference, 0 db. I kept the Rogue's accretion at the average setting. This admixture gave me acquiescent aggregate ascendancy on the Rogue with a basal accident of bit resolution.

With all my base (and non-wiring) in abode I was assuredly accessible to sit in my alert armchair and adore any song in my iTunes catalog.

Next: alert tests and ancestors ball parties.

PSP + Airtunes + Coverbuddy = Dance Party Hi-Fi Wiring