Easy way to get Airplay now

[mvrlondon]

Super.  How does it sound compared to direct streaming?  With something like Chromecast, the audio is not as good as direct streaming it seems.

For audio files that re upto 16 bit / 44.1kHz there is no difference compared to using Spark

Or how does it compare to an Airport Express in terms of sound?

I bought a Chromecast and returned it. Did not like the sound quality.

It sounds exactly the same as an Airport Express.

The advantage of the RPi setup is that one can also use it to input higher resolution (upto 24bit/192kHz) music from other sources into the Dialog.

For example I use Roon (www.roonlabs.com) and the RPi setup above.  The RPi has both Roon's audio receiver software (Roon Bridge) and the Shairport Sync software for Airplay running simultaneously.  I can use either protocol to play music.

I've completely ditched Spark.  Only time I use it is for software updates. 

For volume I have the remote.