FROM COMPUTER SPEAKERS TO STEREO SPEAKERS

Tinny. That’s the word for music delivered through computer speakers off an Internet stream or an MP3 file. The sound quality is just not up to the sophisticated sounds most people want to hear when they download MP3s or play CDs.

There was a time not too long ago when people strove for high-fidelity perfection, or something close to it, and invested loads of money in sophisticated equipment. Speakers, amplifiers, fancy bass and treble enhancers – there was a time when stereo was not even considered enough, and the industry pushed “quadraphonic” sound systems.

I remember those days. I’d be humiliated if visiting friends saw the speakers attached to my computer today. I no longer have a real stereo system.

It seems we’ve come full circle – 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 MP3 player.

It certainly beats listening via computer speakers, which, no matter how sophisticated, cannot deliver the quality you get in stereo headphones.

I don’t know about you, but headphones give me a headache. 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 for most people, headphones 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.

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! You may have seen the Airport system listed on Apple’s Web site or in a retail store, and been a bit confused as to what it was good for.

Before you start worrying, Apple AirPort Express has a version for Windows. I was first introduced to it by a neighbor who showed it to me, beaming with pride over the superiority of Apple over Microsoft.

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 notebook will automatically find a WiFi connection.

The price differential between the Apple base station and a “regular” wireless router by NetGear, for example, is significant. Most wireless routers allow you to connect up to four LAN cables to wired networks, as well as allowing wireless connections.

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 10 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. And if you already have an existing wireless network, you can use the AirPort Express as a “bridge” to extend the range. 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 $129 or so that the AirPort Express costs (as opposed to the under $100 price tag – with many under $50 – for a traditional wireless router). 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.

And despite the fact that AirPort Express is an Apple product, the system works just as smoothly and easily on PCs with Windows XP (for which there is also a free version of iTunes, available at http://www.apple.com).

And installation on both Macs and PCs is a snap – XP recognizes the AirPort Express connection immediately. But… how does iTunes (or any other seller of music) 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 within your network. You can have as many connections as you want from as many AirPort Express modules as you can afford to buy (remember, they’re $129 a pop) – but you can only stream to one connection at 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 those another time.

Note: I’m just experimenting with this myself. As I learn, I’ll pass the information onto you. I’m sick of listening to lousy sounding music.

Dennis Turner