Can a apple airport express be part of a audiophile system?

I’m using AE with Benchmark DAC1. AE has respectable 258ps jitter on the Toslink out but is 10 times worse on analog outs.

http://www.stereophile.com/digitalprocessors/505apple/#ZkLWsVXP8lfdo196.97

I cannot tell how audible 258ps is (My DAC supresses jitter), but according to things I’ve read about jitter audibility starts around 50ps.
I would recommend jitter supressing DAC like my Benchmark (async rate converter) or separate reclocker before DAC. With Toslink transitions are slower because of the slower slew rate of optical drivers. Slower transitions are OK as long as your system noise is low - otherwise it will create jitter. Because of that I use Furman Elite PFi 20 power conditioner.

If you operate router at 2.4GHz you don’t really have 12 channels since each channel is 3-channel wide making it susceptible to neighbors routers interference and there are other things operating at 2.4 GHz. My microwave operated at exact frequency of one of the router channels blocking transmission completely. I decided to get dual band router and use 5GHz. Since then I haven’t have a single drop-out and it is working perfectly for many years. 5GHz is much less common and penetrates walls poorly shielding my room from the outside 5GHz sources, if any. Also number of available channels is in hundreds. I can detect, after scan, couple of channels being used at 5GHz but their level is very low.

WiFi connection makes you independent from computer quality, playback program, etc. saving you money. AE is limited to 16/44.1 but all my music comes from CDs. Apple TV is tempting, but it outputs at 48kHz making interpolation of 44kHz data, that might result in loss of sound quality.

- It was less expensive
- It worked with Itunes
- My DAC is jitter supressing (reclocking)
- All my files are 16/44.1

Reclocker (or reclocking DAC) is always a good thing.  The other option is to use async USB, that should do the same.  Jitter is not inherent problem of AE - it is inherent problem of all devices.  I wouldn't call 258ps jitter a problem (a lot of CDPs have similar). Reclocker you can buy later.  It runs around $400. but perhaps you could get used one for about half.  I would look for one that has coax output to connect it to DAC with very short (about 6") 75ohm cable.

It is also possible that you will not like the sound that is free of jitter. My DAC was called, sterile, analytical etc.  Jitter is adding noise to music.  This noise is proportional to signal level thus undetectable without it.  You can only hear it as lack of clarity, harshness, worse imaging etc.  At the same time added noise can make music sound more euphonic and dynamic.  

There are other better choices than AE but they cost more than mentioned reclocker (that can do better job overall).
Look at reclockers at Empirical Audio and Wyred 4 Sound ("Remedy Reclocker").  

http://www.empiricalaudio.com/products/synchro-mesh
https://wyred4sound.com/products/digital-converters/remedy-reclocker

Here is detailed measurement of the Airport Express:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/airport-express-audio-quality-2014.htm#meas

Steve, I’m not sure why Stereophile opinion, that AE sounds good even without reclocker, and the measurements provided are so different from your experience. Since AE is bit perfect, as Stereophile tested, the only thing that would make any difference is jitter that was also measured. I’m also puzzled with the statement that reclocker cannot fix it since my reclocking DAC doesn’t show any signs of jitter with AE. It doesn’t take a lot supression to clean 258ps of jitter beyond audible levels. Jitter suppression of Benchmark DAC1 was also praised by many independent reviewers, including Stereophile to be excellent. You stated once that rejection of DAC1 was poor. It is in direct contradiction with all the reviews I’ve read - and it was a lot of them. Perhaps all of them were wrong? Sound is as clean as it gets (possibly too clean) while imaging is wonderful. Perhaps you had defective AE (or source)?