Musical nirvana at home

Chris
Sep 15, 2016
2 min read

I love music.

Music at the right time, in the right place, can enhance the experience for everyone present and create a powerful memory to be recalled every time that “special” song is heard.

Here’s a recent story as an example; my kids and I were playing in the pool, and they wanted me to play a specific song on my outdoor speakers. They didn’t know the name or even the lyrics, but started going, “stomp, stomp, STOMP…, stomp, stomp, STOMP…” it took me a few minutes to figure out they were describing the beginning of “We Will Rock You” by Queen. I immediately accessed it on Apple Music, and had it cranking on repeat for about 45 minutes while we did crazy jumps into the pool (at least they did crazy jumps…).

It’s now a timeless & wonderful memory every time I hear that song.

I’ve had many “home audio/home theater” set-ups over the years, always with the goals of:

Superior Audio Quality
Audio available throughout the house
The ability to limit music to certain areas, or to play simultaneously throughout the whole house
Few or no visible wires or unsightly components
Control from an iPhone!
A user-interface that the whole family can use – even guests

Well, I’m finally there! By using iTunes & Apple AirPort Express(s) (AE), you can achieve music nirvana that the whole family can use and enjoy!

The key is to have an AirPort Express and some form of basic music player in each location (recommendations below).

This configuration will allow you to play your music in all locations simultaneously, or only in specified locations, and you can control from your iPhone / iPod / Macbook.

For you audiophiles, rest assured that the Digital-Audio Converter (DAC) built into the current version of the AirPort Express rivals the most expensive DAC’s on the market. However, you also have the option of taking the digital signal directly from the AE and sending to your choice of DAC. Make the connection using a Toslink to Mini Toslink Digital Optical S/PDIF Audio Cable.

You need to place some type of audio player in each location you want music, and connect an Airport Express (AE) to it. Whether you using an ultra-high-end Marantz amplifier with Electrostatic speakers, or an old boom-box you found in the garage, you connect the AirPort Express to the audio input on your device via a 3.5mm to dual RCA cable. The only decision you need to make is how expensive (or inexpensive) you want the audio player in each room to be.

For mid-range audiophiles who don’t want to go crazy, I recommend the: