I agree with AudioBear - the Airport Express's output offers both analog and digital outputs. It looks like it can only connect to an analog stereo input, but there's actually an optical output hiding in there.

I was just using Gonk's term of "stereo input" (the ol' "red and white" cables), but I guess I should have said analog input.
Right now my receiver is a 10 year old Sony low-end model, but I'm impatiently waiting for my RR2150.
Thanks for the info, AudioBear.

Interesting--the RR2150 doesn't have a digital input , but it does have a USB in for streaming audio players. I wonder if somebody makes a Toslink to USB converter so you can use that port. In any case by all accounts that is great receiver and it should do fine with airport analog outputs. Enjoy! Let us know how it sounds.

The digital output on Airport Express is the mini jack output - it requires a mini-to-toslink adapter (or mini to toslink cable), which to my knowledge are hard to come by unless you buy the Apple/Monster cable. A mini-to-stereo RCA would work for the RR2150.

Unfortunately, the USB port on the AE doesn't support anything other than USB Printers, but [it is rumored that] Apple is working to change this so any USB device can be connected. I'm not a tech expert so the reasons it's so difficult are beyond me. It would be nice to hook up USB devices (ie RR2150) to the network, though.sss

It should be possible to convert the minijack toslink output to a uSB stream. See Xitel.

http://www.xitel.com/product_mdpio_02.htm

I hope somebody more technically inclined can tell us if it works as it looks like it would.

If you already have a wireless g network a more flexible alternative to the Airport Express may be the Linksys Music Bridge. I have been using the Music Bridge ($90 to $100) for a month or so with great sucess. The MB has both toslink and coax digital output (plus analog too) and can receive the signal from music played with any PC music software.

Most of my music has been stored in mp3 format, but I may convert my library to FLAC depending upon storage requirments. As AudioBear noted, my wireless router would send a lossless digital signal to my 990 where the respectable DAC in the 990 would convert it to analog. What software is available to play FLAC files?

In my travels I've come across many threads (pissing matches) about which compression software and/or techniques are better. Most of the discussions were way over-my-head technically. Maybe the whole discussion was bunk? That's when I decided to forget compression, even lossless. Nothing worse than ripping/compressing 200+ CDs only to find out something better exists and you're back at square one.

avlis

if you aren't converned about disk space then archive without compression. The long history of audiophilia is full of people who are sure that they can hear differences. I would love to be able to do well degisned double blind tests on what they can hear. I have even heard audiophile reject such testing saying that one must listen repeatedly for an extended period of time to fully evaluate a format--you can't win with them. FLAC and ALC, like Meridian LC on DVD-As, have been shown to render bit perfect copies. To the objective mind this means that they ought to sound alike. I'm pretty sure even some errors could be tolerated. Try an A-B comparison for yourself and see if you can hear a difference. If you can't, why worry about it?

The really humerous irony here with regard to audiophiles demanding bit-perfect copying of CDs, is that most true aduiophiles deplore CDs and had hoped that DVD-A or SACD would give them sound they could live with--well neither have been a great commercial success athough there are some outstanding recordings available.

For lossless codecs, the only difference is the amount of compression they give and the speed at which they compress. Lossless means just that, there is no loss, no changing of bits (other than where errors on the disc are found from scratches, etc).

So as long as you retain software that will burn from your chosen lossless codec to CD, it doesnt matter which lossless codec you use.

The biggest question when ripping with a lossless codec is will your music player (iPod, Rio, whatever) play back your chosen codec.

While disks are relatively cheap, it doesn't make much sense to me to store songs in raw format as there really is no need with the lossless codecs.

You gain nothing and lose diskspace by keeping songs in raw audio format.

But BloggingITGuy, you're being sensible and logical!!! Audiophilia is an emotional disorder. )