Ok, relax. So, your real issue is Airplay.
Everybody's "reasonable price" is different, and I couldn't verify yours from the first post, I think I have a better idea, now. And the power rating on speakers is not how you judge them, sound is. But that doesn't matter here, your question is about getting the sound to them.
It seems you feel that anytime you purchase something, you are paying a percent for each feature. So, a $300 receiver is $100 for amp, $100 for surround processing, and the rest for other features...and then you are wasting $100 since you don't want surround. You need to get over that. All these electronics devices are combining features so that every unit can do everything. You are going to get extra features that you don't want in anything you buy. I have features I have never used in my receiver. Just look at the total price, instead.
An Express or
TV. I take it you have an older iOS device? Because I believe Airplay is supported from a iOS 4 to an Express. You do understand that the TV costs the same as an Express? It isn't out of the realm of reasonable to think someone might want to use it just for audio. Again, it isn't $50 for audio and $50 for Netflix, if it does what you need, and you can afford it, then the price is what it is.Because sarcasm is not obvious on a forum. You did bring up separate amp and preamp and used the words "high quality", that's why I posted a high-quality preamp for stereo use, in a very reasonable price range for what it is. Its 2nd nearest competitor costs $1500-2000 IIRC (nearest is $700), just so you know.
Airplay is new, and proprietary to Apple. I'm not surprised there aren't that many devices supporting it outside of Apple. That HK would be very nice, augmented with streaming to your Express. Their amps are generally some of the higher quality ones at whatever price point you look at.
Options:
- If you have iOS 4, it should stream to your Express from your iDevice, and you can use any receiver at all, optical or analog. I only have iOS 3 on my 1G iPod, so I can't personally verify the methodology. Yet.
- Maybe you should consider storing your music on a computer of some sort so it's not all about the iPod or whatever you have. Airtunes is much easier with a computer as the source, since it supports every current version of iOS. (I guess I'm assuming you have a computer)
- You could simply get a dock and connect directly to your audio system.
Frankly, I would have real concerns about a receiver/preamp with Airplay built in. What happens with iOS 5, when Apple changes something? Onkyo, Pioneer, Denon won't necessarily update your unit, just as likely they'll simply put it in next year's model. Or, what if it never works that great in the first place? There have been attempts at networked receivers in the past, it took years before Denon finally came out with a halfway decent one a few years ago. They were first.
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