Hello,

Apple AirPort Express 802.11n (2nd Gen) is AirPlay 2 compliant, just make sure it is updated to the latest firmware.

I haven’t been able to find a clear statement but AirPlay 2 should be able to handle higher quality streams than the previous AirPlay protocol.

Maybe some audiophile of the forum should be able to clarify this item.

Regards.

Olivier

Hi Oliver

I Wonder if it does can’t seem to find a specification as yet.

 

The BeoSystem (you mean BeoSound, right?) was make in the age, where the highest possible resolution was what is on a CD.

This means that the 2300 is able to play 44.1/16, which is the standart CD resolution.

Feeding more/higher than that into that system won’t give you any benefits.

Also when you look at the specs of the BeoLab Penta, you may notice the 96 db value - which is equivalent to the 16 bits of the CD.

And the highest possible frequency is described at 20 khz - which does not exceed the possible values of the CD specs.

This all means that you won’t benefit in any way from feeding more than 44.1/16 into your setup.

Also notice that this is way beyond what humans normally can hear.

 

I can’t deny that you may have heard differences.

But you also must ask from where these differences come.

Compairing files in 44.1/16 and in higher values is extremely different.

Not only could the files origin in different source material, also a slight difference in the SPL (= how loud they are and are played back) could make you believe, that one is ‘better’ than the other.

Besides the human memory often plays tricks on us, when comparing.

No serious testing with (ABX) has showed any difference in CD-spec’ed and higher resolution files, when exact the same files with exact the same SPL were used, has shown that the higher resolution is ‘better’.

Generally speaking higher bitrates and higher resolution is good for the recording, mixing and mastering process as well as for the processing of the audio in modern digital equipment/active speakers.

For feeding ones own system the 16/44.1 specs is more than enough.

When you hear a difference it also might be the result of different DAC’s or rather the filtering used in the DACs (e.g. the APE and your MAC).

 

The short version:

I’d say you are good to go with the APE, if you want to stream wirelessly from your MAC to your current setup.

Using the cable from the MAC won’t give you any benefits - it might sound different in a way that suits you better........but it certainly is not very convenient

 

MM

Hi MM

Thank you for your very concise and informative reply. Just to confirm mine is the Beosound 2300 (vertical with twin sliding doors).

So as suspected its an outdated system, incorporating a new Cambridge streamer is really a waste of time with my Pentas as they can not handle a higher bit rate. 

I did think differences I can hear although very slight usually a voice can sound richer or a note sounds crisper (on acoustic music) could well be down to the Dac within my MacBook as these are supposed to be very good unit and maybe AE dac not being quite upto the same standard. 

This brings me full circle with my original idea of removing my 2300 from the loop and incorporating a wifi dac wired direct to my Pentas. 

Is there anything out there that offers better sound quality over the Apple express I wonder?

I really do want to avoid running a cable direct from my MacBook.

If Tidal offered a remote app running on an iPhone capable of controlling their MacBook app it would all be much easier... but they don't of course!

Before ditching the lovely and still working BS2300, you may think of how many real highres files/tracks/album exist?

 

Being true highres would presume, that the entire chain from the recording (including the mics), through the mixing and mastering to the delievered file is highres.

Even today - although it is possible - there are very, very few examples of this....it is a very small persentage of what is produced, that should be called highres.

As for recordings from yesteryears - in the analog age with tape recording - none should be called true highres, simply none.

As for signal to noice ratio (S/N ratio) none will exceed 16 bit - usually that could be similar to what we call 10-12 bits.

It is possible to capture frequenzies higher that the CD specs with a well maintained and adjusted analog tape machine.

However 99.9 % of what is digitized from back then draws on second or third generation of the master tapes. It is veeeery seldom that the recording companies have access to the original tapes and even then these tapes were mostly played back, re-used several times.

Please don’t think that what is offered as highres from the recording/streaming companies can be true highres.

 

They may make very good remasterings of older material, which can sound wonderfull.

But that has nothing to do with real highres and a well done 44.1/16 copy will easily cover anything, that has ever been in these older recordings.

One may understand that the recording companies (and the streaming services) are eager to sell all new copies to us (for more money)....after all that is what they do for a living.

But putting a good bottle of red in another bottle with a Grand Cry label on it does not make it better!

 

Not telling you what to do - but thinking about these things might make one searching for well recorded and mastered music instead of searching (and paying more) for socalled highres music.

Enjoy the music the way you choose - the Penta’s are nice speakers.

 

MM

MM is right in the pure sense - there is very little actual Hi res music.

And by Hi res, I mean what the audiophile community refer to as super hi bit rates and DSD formats etc etc.

I wouldn't go down that rabbit hole, here or in practice.

Tidal Masters can sound a tad better than Tidal Hi-fi ( I know, I know, MM and others will say they dont), but using over the ear cans connect with USB two my MBP, there is a non-trivial difference on some of the albums I have tried.

That all said, I wouldn't obsess over getting Tidal Masters out of your Pentas.

Tidal Hi-fi sounds very good and plenty good enough.

If this is what you want out of your Pentas, and just to cut out the MBP, then B&O dont offer an integrated solution - in that there is no Tidal compliment audio master that B&O produce. Airplay will not do the first unpack of Tidal Masters, but is fine for Tidal HiFi.

While the DAC in the MBP is pretty good for a laptop, you dont have to spend much to do better, before you even get to the DACs, or DAC/ Streamer combos that cost 1-2k or higher.

The issue with most of these is that you''ll need to use their control app or a third party app to browse / control your music selection, and most seem to me to be pretty average as an experience. The alternative is to use Roon - but that requires a server (be it your Mac / standalone unit) and an annual subscription, though most Roon users and many reviewers have it as the unquestioned gold standard for the music browsing experience.

 

CraigMcleod wrote:

Hi MM

Thank you for your very concise and informative reply. Just to confirm mine is the Beosound 2300 (vertical with twin sliding doors).

So as suspected its an outdated system, incorporating a new Cambridge streamer is really a waste of time with my Pentas as they can not handle a higher bit rate. 

I did think differences I can hear although very slight usually a voice can sound richer or a note sounds crisper (on acoustic music) could well be down to the Dac within my MacBook as these are supposed to be very good unit and maybe AE dac not being quite upto the same standard. 

This brings me full circle with my original idea of removing my 2300 from the loop and incorporating a wifi dac wired direct to my Pentas. 

Is there anything out there that offers better sound quality over the Apple express I wonder?

I really do want to avoid running a cable direct from my MacBook.

If Tidal offered a remote app running on an iPhone capable of controlling their MacBook app it would all be much easier... but they don't of course!

 

I think I will make the most of what I have and use it for what it is. I'm by no means an audiophile as you have probably guessed end of the day the Pentas still produce a lovely rich sound to my ears anyway.

As you say many providers use their own apps Cambridge being one, to be fair it is easy to use and navigate but can become laggy to the point it displays previous song artwork and no response to screen inputs. 

Maybe a separate Mac with Roon could be the answer.

CraigMcleod wrote:

Maybe a separate Mac with Roon could be the answer.

Seems that for your use case the Roon solution could be something.

How about using the money you save using Tidal Hifi instead of the Tidal ‘socalled’ Master for the Roon subscribtion!

You don’t need another MAC for this, but you’ll need an endpoint (something to play to) connected to your 2300.

I am not sure that the APE can do the job, but a simple Chrome Audio dongle surely would, if you can get one (watch out for the right audio settings there).

For controlling, choosing and exploring the music there is an app for the iPad:

Roon Remote from Roon Labs   

CraigMcleod wrote:

how do I connect my macbook wirelessly to my Beo 2300 and play true high res music?

Appart from the topic on "is hires, true hires and will it makes a difference?" the short answer is Airport Express. You could try this for close to nothing because they're very cheap second hand. You can use the first gen ones (Anything except A1088). If you're streaming from a computer you dont even need second gen AE to enjoy multi room. I've got the scattered all over the house feeding all kinds of old to even more old B&O things. Amongst them BS2300 and BS Ouverture. At the same time it helps the wifi coverage of the house… To me, the sound is good enough as for as my senses can tell, to very good as far as guests can say.

I have often considered the B&O Playmaker as an upgrade in sound quality, but reading on that forum told me it may not worth it as it seems to have wifi reception reliability issue. Maybe that would work for you – better DAC than AE – and they also can be found for cheap.

Anyway, the only two reasons to keep the BS2300 (to me) are easiest volume control if you have a remote and keeping a beautiful object in the room. Appart from that I can't see the point of keeping it.

Hope it helps.