B&W A5 and A7 auditioned
iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, iMacs and MacBooks all have Bluetooth, so I am not sure where AirPlay Direct would fit in. (Unless Apple dump Bluetooth in favour of 'AirPlay Direct' which wouldn't suprise me even if it were a stupid thing to do.)
I could use Bluetooth between my Marantz and my iPhone/iMac/Dell laptop (if I spent £109 on the optional RX101) but I don't need it.
Does your B&W have Bluetooth (or an optional Bluetooth gizmo)?
The A7 is very minimalistic, no UI, no Bluetooth, no readable error messages 
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I actually like the minimalistic approach, (if everything works out of the box).
Total spent: £1130 (A7 + 64 GB iPad Mini)
Don't forget to limit the volume on the iPad, 50W max in the kitchen is a bit too much.
Is everything still working properly since you cracked it the other day? (Firewall, network, volume changes etc?)
Yes, even the iOS 6 Mini connected without intermezzos. Accidentially, we had 50W Alicia Keyes at full volume for a very short while. To set the the volume limit should be seen as mandatory.
Enjoying Pink Floyd 'The Wall', a good music match for the A7.
Moving on to PF 'Dark Side Of The Moon'.
It's OK to place the A7 close to a wall, have it on the kitchen table. Avoid standing waves between the device and the wall, try out different distances.
Transfering more and more of the CD library to iTunes (Apple lossless ALAC), what a job!
Yes, the A7 would qualify as HiFi!
Just took me about 3 minutes to set up. Nice to be able to use iPhone, iPad, or Mac 
Hi Helmut,
which computer OS controls the network? Which firewall is active?
Best regards
Only macs in our household, no windows based PCs.
No idea about firewall. Standard settings from SKY i presume. Am using a 'non-discoverable' network, with WPA2 password protection.
Just downloaded installer app, typed in my network's name and pw, 45 secs later I was playing music!
Since Apple specified the Airplay protocol, it makes sense that their OS have support for it. Windows is a different turf. Airprint have similar issues on Windows.
Soooo... how's the A7 to live with? Is it a replacement for hifi that you can live with (in return for fewer boxes and less clutter)?
Are you pleased with the quality in terms of stereo imaging and stuff?
Visitors are impressed by the form factor and that 200 cd's can be put on the ipad, to be streamed. Apple still have work to do with itunes import, I want album art for all the albums.
Some music sounds better on the A7 than on the regular stereo and vice versa.
The device is a little bit picky with the listeners position. Best sound if one is at the center of the device.
Overall, probably the future of HiFi.
Thanks NHL.
Looks like I'll have to go and have a listen.
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The Telegraph had a scoop about 'AirPlay Direct', without the need for a WiFi network:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/9503989/Apple-AirPlay-Direct...
Sounds sensible!