[audioengr]

I tried this yesterday and the light just stays yellow. The laptop indicates an active network...

 

[robzr]

I'm guessing you have yet to configure it ? You can try resetting it; I think to do a "reset-to-factory-defaults" you can hold down the reset pin while plugging it in or something; then you can run the wizard to get it going, or the admin tool if you are tech savvy.

They work great tho, I'm running two of them in WDS (range extending) mode with a Linksys WRT54G. They just released a firmware upgrade for the AX's the other day FYI, when you get it up try that, it has some bug fixes.

Yer gonna love it when you get it running.

Rob

 

[audioengr]

I am able to interface with it now if I connect my router to it and use it as a base-station. However, when I disconnect the ethernet cable, the green light goes out. I tried just "adding it to existing network", but it seems to just dissappear and my laptop cannot find it.

Even when it is connected and green-light on, I am not able to get the optical digital signal out. I am using the standard downloadable iTunes player, which supposedly looks for the "external speakers" of the wireless connection, but there is no indication that it found anything. It also asks you to name the speakers in the utility menus, so I did this. Nowhere does this name seem to pop-up in iTunes player.....really confusing..

 

[robzr]

In iTunes (there is no special version, they all support the AX), when it detects an AX on your network, it will appear in a drop-down list next to the EQ button on the lower right hand side.

What is your end purpose for the AX? Are you going to use it just as a wireless node? As a Base station connected to you router?

Rob

 

[audioengr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robzr In iTunes (there is no special version, they all support the AX), when it detects an AX on your network, it will appear in a drop-down list next to the EQ button on the lower right hand side. What is your end purpose for the AX? Are you going to use it just as a wireless node? As a Base station connected to you router? Rob

The only way that I have been able to get it to keep transmitting is to use it as a base station. I just unplug it from the router and leave the toslink attached to the DAC.

I did figure-out how to get music playing on it. The "speaker -selector" at the bottom of the iTunes player. Just select wireless and it works. A small "pop" at the start of a new tune however.

I am planning to evaluate the sound quality of the wireless iTunes compared to my modified Transit with wired USB. First blush, it seems a bit hollow sounding, but has good dynamics and extension etc.. Not shabby for Toslink though.

 

[robzr]

I'd be curious to see how ya do in a blind a-b test! (or anyone for that matter). Coming from a computer background were cheap ass 100 mbps ethernet cards usually show 0 ethernet level errors over relatively long links on cheap cable, I'm a little skeptical how a 1.5 mbps digital connection can be oh SO prone to "jitter"...

Rob

 

[audioengr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robzr I'd be curious to see how ya do in a blind a-b test! (or anyone for that matter). Coming from a computer background were cheap ass 100 mbps ethernet cards usually show 0 ethernet level errors over relatively long links on cheap cable, I'm a little skeptical how a 1.5 mbps digital connection can be oh SO prone to "jitter"... Rob

It's not the digital connection that is prone to jitter. It how the clock is generated in the converter from ethernet to S/PDIF and how the S/PDIF output is implemented. This can add audible jitter. Just changing one voltage regulator inside the Transit converter for instance has an audible effect. Changing the clock has a big effect also.

 

[audioengr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robzr I'd be curious to see how ya do in a blind a-b test! (or anyone for that matter).

I did a series of blind A/B tests with my wife and I agree with her findings, ordered from best to worst:

___Player___Format__________Hardware
1) Foobar___24/96___________USB Off-Ramp (modified Transit)
2) iTunes___Apple lossless_____USB Off-Ramp
3) iTunes___Apple lossless_____Unmodified AirPort Express
4) iTunes___Apple compressed__USB Off-Ramp
5) Foobar___16/44.1__________USB Off-Ramp
6) iTunes___Apple compressed__Unmodified AirPort Express

From this I learned a few things, namely:

1) Airport Express will likely benefit from mods that add a S/PDIF coaxial output
2) Apple lossless is still not quite as good as 24/96 .wav uncompressed, but very close

I could listen to either 24/96 .wav or Apple Lossless. They are both excellent