I’ve run an Airport Express for about the last 5 years from my iMac with iTunes through my amp and good speakers – it’s not quite CD sound obviously, but pretty good. I’ve also got an Apple TV, currently just hooked up to my, er, TV.
Amp is near the TV so it can be hard wired to that, but also to the A.E., therefore I can have TV sound or tunes from my iMac both running through the good hi fi set up. (But not at the same time). It’s cheap but not a particularly ‘tidy’ system.
One question though – I haven’t tried playing Spotify through Airport express, only iTunes. Likewise internet radio doesn’t seem to play through AE. Is there a way round this?