Small Stereo Speakers

How to build your own AirPlay audio system

Once you’ve configured the AirPort Express or Apple TV to receive AirPlay streaming (see the Enable AirPlay section, below), setup is simple. If your existing speakers use an analog-audio connection, only the AirPort Express will work. You just run a standard analog cable—with a 1/8-inch stereo miniplug on the AirPort Express end, and either a miniplug or left/right RCA plugs on the other, depending on your stereo’s audio-input jack(s)—from the AirPort Express’s audio-out jack to that audio input.

If you’ve got a speaker system—or, more likely, a home-theater receiver or a dedicated digital-to-analog converter (DAC)—with an optical-digital audio input, you can use either an AirPort Express or an Apple TV. You simply run an optical cable from the audio-output jack on the Apple TV or AirPort Express to an optical input on your audio system. The Apple TV requires a standard TosLink connector; the AirPort Express uses a Mini-TosLink plug. If you don’t have the cable you need, you can pick one up from most electronics stores or—for a lot less money—online from a site such as Monoprice .

You can control volume using the audio system’s own volume control, or you can set your stereo at a comfortable level and then instead use iTunes or your iOS device to adjust the volume level.

If you don’t already have a good audio system, or you’ve been thinking about buying a new one for AirPlay use, you’ve got plenty of options, including buying a full-size stereo or a bookshelf/mini stereo system. But if you’ll be using this system mainly for AirPlay—in other words, you don’t need all the bells and whistles of a multi-function stereo—you might consider, in the spirit of my older article on building your own iPod stereo , putting together your own compact AirPlay-audio system.

To stream audio to an AirPort Express or Apple TV, you must first connect the device to your network, then you must enable AirPlay on it. On an Apple TV (second-generation only), go to the Settings menu, choose AirPlay, and then make sure the AirPlay option is set to On. If you’d like to give the Apple TV a more-descriptive name—the name that will appear in the AirPlay menu in iTunes and iOS apps—you can do that in the General screen of Settings.

For an AirPort Express, you must launch AirPort Utility (in ), choose the AirPort Express, and then click Manual Setup. Click the Music icon in the toolbar, and then check the box next to Enable AirTunes. You can also rename the AirPort Express here.

REVIEWS : BOSE 201-V Stereo Loudspeakers (Pair) – Black | BEST ...

Bose speaker : BOSE 201-V Stereo Loudspeakers (Pair) – Black Features Each 201 speaker includes a long excursion 6-1/2 woofer and a highly sensitive 2 Stereo Targeting tweeter Proprietary Stereo Everywhere technology combines direct and reflected sound to deluge the room with beautiful sound Unique port geometry for clean bass Compact size and horizontal for flexible placement options Perfect as front or rear home theater speakers, along with a BOSE VCS-10 center channel & BOSE 161 surrounds ? or a second pair of 201s

Moving from a large home into a smaller one it seemed the right time to set the huge twenty-six year old quasi-wood enclosures in the car, take them to Goodwill and buy something of current technology yet in a smaller package. After researching big and small and a dozen brand names we went off in search of the right speakers for us in our smaller setting. Most we listened to were terrible. Inaudible, booming with no clarity or tinny, even the names of note. Then we met Dr. Bose’s collection of speakers. We were used to our 12″ woofer, a couple of tweeters and a bass that boomed until our chest vibrated. Though we didn’t get the booming chest, we got clarity and sound that was true to the instruments and the voices. My receiver is twenty-six years old too and is screaming to be replaced but even with it and it’s limited ability to equalize, the true sound we hear from the set of Bose speakers quickly grew on us and proved satisfying. I do miss the ability to go for the booming subwoofer sound when we wish and may buy a small unit to fill the gap. But….if we don’t add to this set, we are well satisfied with the Bose speakers and feel fine about spending a few dollars more for a quality sound. So far I haven’t found a way to distort the sound and am also happy that we reach a nice volume level without pushing the slider.

I have read mixed reviews from “uch” to “the absolute best” and wonder how so many mixed expectations can precede the purchase of a set of speakers. We, as life long lovers of music and musicans ourselves, are seriously pleased with the Bose speakers even with the slightly less “boom” to which we are accustomed.

I recently decided to set up a small, but decent quality stereo system in my office so that I can listen to CDs and the radio when I feel like it. I had a Sony STR-DE197 stereo receiver, which worked fine…but the tiny Yamaha speakers I had hooked up to it didn’t do my music justice.

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