How to connect PC wirelessly to stereo amp?

[Drjh68]

I have an Arcam A85 Integrated stereo amp. I am researching ways of connecting it to my computer, which itself is connected to broadband by a BT Home Hub. The object would be to send on-line music - e.g. Radio 3 - to my Hi-Fi system (Harbeth monitors). The computer has its own separate Hi-Fi Sound Card, though that is irrelevant to the problem I am looking into, I believe.

I have not had much success. Arcam's advice is:

"You would need to speak to an I.T. or networking person on how to get the signal routed wirelessly down to the amp. As I say, the amp needs an analogue audio signal, it cannot receive or decode RF (radio frequency)so cannot receive the wireless signal directly."

So I am hoping someone has successfully done this, and if so, how?

Many thanks.

James
Suffolk UK

 

[Labarum]

You need a streaming device. Two common ones are the Apple Airport Express and the Squeezebox.

The Airport Express works with Windows PCs as well as Macs. A PC on the home WiFi and running iTunes will send what iTunes is playing to the Airport Express which you plug into your HiFi. You need to use an iPhone or iTouch as a remote control, so if you have neither that cost has to be added.

The Squeezebox is a more expensive solution and comes with a remote control. You have to install some server software onto the home computer, and again the Squeezebox connects wirelessly to the computer and by cable to the HiFi.

Quality can be improved by routing the output from the streamer through an external DAC. The Airport Express's internal DAC is no more that OK. It's £80. The latest Squeezebox Touch has a very decent internal DAC (so I am told) but it costs £240.

There are even more expensive options

http://www.ripcaster.co.uk/

Look on the Apple Site for the Airport Express.

And, of course all of these solutions allow you to rip your CDs to the computer and play them from the hard drive with the click of a button.

Edit: Re-read you post. Those Harbeth monitors deserve the clarity of a decent DAC. The Airport Express by itself will probably disappoint, but with an external DAC would be fine. A`Squeezebox touch would be a good start and you can still upgrade by adding an external DAC if you need to. A`Squeezebox will pull in high quality music radio stations from around the world, and will better the FM signal of R3 and Classic FM.

Squeezebox forum here http://forums.slimdevices.com/

 

[technobear]

Streaming Radio 3 from the Internet is going to come a very distant second place behind spending £20 - £40 on a decent secondhand FM tuner.

 

[Labarum]

Streaming Radio 3 from the Internet is going to come a very distant second place behind spending £20 - £40 on a decent secondhand FM tuner.

I beg to differ - if run the stream that iPlayer provides or even the WMA (I think it's 192kb/s) through my Caiman and it betters my Quad 77 tuner.

The link to the FM transmitters is digital theses days, anyway, so there is no avoiding it.