Dusting Off Those Old Speakers
Tinny. That’s the word that seems to apply to music as it is delivered through computer speakers off an Internet stream or an MP3 file. And I’m not talking Tin Pan Alley, either. What I mean is that the sound quality of most speakers are just not up to the sophisticated sounds most people want to hear when they download high quality MP3s or play CDs on their computers.
There was a time not too long ago when people strived for high fidelity perfection, or something close to it, and invested loads of money into sophisticated music delivery equipment. Speakers, amplifiers, fancy bass and treble enhancers – there was a time that two speakers were not even considered enough, and the stereo industry pushed “quadraphonic” sound systems, with moderate success.
But it seems we’ve come full circle when it comes to the way we hear music – all the way back to a 1930s Victrola or vacuum tube radio! If you want to listen to high quality MP3s, you’ll most likely don a pair of headphones and shlep around your iPod or other MP3 player. It certainly beats listening via computer speakers, which, no matter how sophisticated, cannot deliver the quality you get in a pair of stereo headphones.
I don’t know about you, but headphones give me a headache. Oh, they’re okay when you go jogging or need to ride the bus, but who wants to walk around with them at home? And yet headphones, for most people, are the only way to appreciate the full mellifluousness of music. It’s either that, or (ugh!) computer speakers.
There is another way, though – one that will let you use your sophisticated stereo speakers and save you the effort and expense of having to burn CDs you want to hear in stereo, playing on your stereo. With an Apple AirPort Express you can, among other things, stream music from your computer directly to a stereo anywhere in your home. It's sort of like having your own private radio station!
The AirPort system is, in essence, Apple’s version of a wireless network. You can buy an Airport base station for use as a wireless router, called AirPort Extreme – connect it your ADSL wire and your Apple notebook will automatically find a WiFi connection. You can also use it as a wireless router for PCs, of course. But the price differential between the Apple base station and a “regular” wireless router by NetGear, for example, is significant. Most wireless routers, for example, allow you to connect up to four LAN cables to connect to wired networks, as well as allowing wireless connections. The Apple base station allows only one wired connection on its own (you can buy an extra expansion module). The extra layout may be worthwhile for Mac users who want a no-brainer setup, but if you are willing to put a little work into setting up your wireless router, even if you have a Mac on your network, you can save a good amount of money.
The confusing part is that the Airport Express device, which Apple recommends as a “client” component, can be used as a base station for a wireless network (but NOT a wired LAN) for up to ten users (Mac or PC). As a wireless router, the AirPort Express is ideal for travelers who want to set up an instant wireless network in an ADSL-equipped office easily. And if you already have an existing wireless network, you can use the AirPort Express as a “bridge” to extend the range of your network. Connect a printer to the USB port on the AirPort Express, and everyone on the network can share a single printer wirelessly.
But you probably wouldn't fork over the $99 or so that the AirPort Express costs (down from its original $129 price). The reason you buy an AirPort Express is to use its coolest feature - AirTunes, which lets you wirelessly stream music from iTunes on your computer to your home stereo or powered speakers. And despite the fact that AirPort Express is an Apple product, the system works just as smoothly and easily on PCs with Windows. And installation on both Macs and PCs is a snap – XP and Vista recognize the AirPort Express connection immediately.
How does iTunes know where to send the music? Obviously, a remote connection that hooks into the network is necessary, and that connection is provided by a second AirPort Express module you hook up to your stereo. The AirPort Express's trick is that it has an audio input port. You connect a second AirPort Express module to the stereo, and open iTunes on your computer. At the bottom of the window you'll see a new drop-down menu. This menu lets you choose where you want to send the iTunes audio signal. The default is "Computer," which sends the audio to the computer's internal speakers; but you can send the iTunes audio to any AirPort Express unit that you have set up within your network. You can have as many connections as you want from as many AirPort Express modules as you can afford to buy – but you can only stream to one connection as a time.
And that's all there is to it! Although pricey (but what great innovation isn't?), AirPort Express is a great idea if you love music and want to hear it the way it was meant to be heard – through real stereo speakers. As it happens, though, there are other solutions out there with other, perhaps more advanced features – as well as a couple of problems with AirPort Express. More on that next time.
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uodated June 1, 2009
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