CNET Editors' review
An AirPort Express will let you listen to iTunes over your home stereo speakers. Airfoil is an application that takes that simple functionality and turns it up to 11. The iTunes-AirPort Express combo is perfect for listening to iTunes on your nice stereo, but what if you want to hear music from a browser-based app like Pandora? Or Sirius Radio through an app like StarPlayr? Or work with audio from your Elgato EyeTV? Airfoil lets you send audio from any application (even your system audio) to your AirPort Express, so you can use your stereo for anything from RealPlayer and QuickTime to browser-based audio like Pandora's. When you Option-click the source menu, you can choose from all background processes, including virtualization programs like Parallels or VMWare. If you have Airfoil Speakers Touch, you can even send audio to your iPhone or other iOS device.
Airfoil also lets you send synced audio to multiple AirPort Express units all over your house, as well as to Apple TVs and even other local computers; Mac or PC, all you have to do is install the free Airfoil Speakers mini-app. Airfoil Speakers has gotten even better in version 4: you could already launch audio directly from it (without launching Airfoil first) and use basic playback controls, but now you can control Airfoil remotely from AirFoil Speakers with sources like iTunes and QuickTime.
Airfoil comes with a built-in video player, too, that lets you play video on your computer with synced audio, so you're no longer stuck with using headphones or your built-in computer speakers to watch movies. Airfoil Video Player also lets you watch video from Netflix or Hulu while keeping the audio in sync with your speakers.
Publisher's Description
From Rogue Amoeba Software:
Send any audio to AirPort Express units, Apple TVs, and even other Macs and PCs, all in sync! It's your audio everywhere! With Airfoil you can take audio from any application and send to your AirPort Express units, as well as Apple TVs, and even other Macs and PCs running Airfoil Speakers! Transmit audio from RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player, and other media players. Send audio from web-based applications like Pandora, Last.fm, and other to the AirPort Express. You can even stream audio from audio devices like RadioSHARK, XM and Sirius radios, around your house.
What's new in this version:
- Airfoil and EyeTV from Elgato now work great together - when transmitting audio from EyeTV, Airfoil will adjust the local video to play in sync with remote audio!
- Pulling audio from VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop is now much simpler - simply set Fusion or Desktop as the source in Airfoil's Source pop-up, and Airfoil will handle the rest.
- A bug where transmitting Front Row without Instant Hijack installed would fail silently, instead of presenting an error, has been ... See all new features
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All versions:
4.4 starsout of 49 votes
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Current version:
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"LOVE this app!"
Version: Airfoil 4.6.2
Pros
Works flawlessly.
Cons
Can't think of anything at the moment. I'm in love.
Summary
I've actually had Airfoil for years, and it has always been great to have, but I can't believe how good it is now. I'm playing a Spotify playlist (from The Walkmen) and it's streaming perfectly to my Apple TV, an iPhone, and an iPod touch. All in sync! And what's really cool is I can control the playback of the Spotify app on my MacBook with either of the iDevices. How cool is that? Plus, the album artwork is streaming to everything! Sorry, I'll try to calm down but this is just awesome. Thanks to Rogue Amoeba for the great product.
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"Spectacular!"
Version: Airfoil 4.5.7
Pros
* Easy to set up
* Works with connected devices (iPhone, iPod touch, iPad)
* Even works through a BT HomeHub, which in the UK has proven in the past to be a real PAIN when setting up wi-fi devices :)Cons
* After waking computer from sleep, Airfoil can start dropping every 5 seconds or so - this is solved by restarting Airfoil
Summary
This is cool software, and well worth shelling out the 20 quid. Easy to set up, and with an Airport Express really does send music throughout the house. Nice to be able to listen to music with other devices (iPhone etc.) and remotely control iTunes from whatever device you're using.
VERY easy to set up too. Buy it. Now. -
"liberation from the liimits of itunes!"
Version: Airfoil 4.0
Pros
I can show avi dvd, virtually all video files in sync and with sound system on my imac, what a feast.
Cons
just a bit balky, but 4 is a big improvement over 3
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"Nice! Does exactly as advertised at a bargain price!"
Version: Airfoil 3.5.4
Pros
Sound quality is excellent
Easy to useCons
So far, nothing.
Summary
I am using this to stream Pandora to Apple TV and it works great. Before this I used Pandora on our Tivo box through the TV and then to the stereo. Only problem with that is having to have the TV on all the time - waste of energy. Now I control the music on the Macbook or use Logmein and control from my iPad.
I think the $25 price is a steal! -
"Amazing Software!"
Version: Airfoil 3.5.1
Pros
You can utilize any device you'd like, without limitations.
Cons
Can't think of any.
Summary
You'd be a fool to have a Mac and not use this application. It is perfect!
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"Awesome utility!"
Version: Airfoil 3.5
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Purchased for both osx and windows, have been using for months. Absolutely love this software! Simple, intuitive, very well polished. -
"DOES NOT WORK WITH SNOW LEOPARD!!"
Version: Airfoil 3.4
Pros
Worked well under previous versions of Mac OSX
Cons
Doesn't work under Mac OSX 10.6
Summary
What's to say, except Airfoil no longer works under Snow Leopard. C'mon devs, time and Apple wait for no man!
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"Huge delay problem!"
Version: Airfoil 3.4.1
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
This is a very nice software and I'm grateful that someone is giving us a chance to use our Airport Express as it was meant to be used. But please fix this huge sound delay when played through several Airport Express and not forgetting when played through Quicktime. It is unbearable to watch a movie in Quicktime and have Airfoil stream the sound!
So if you plan to use this software, you should know that you will have a hard time not to be irritated when using Airfoil because of this bug! And it doesn't matter if you are using the latest Airport Express with 802.11n - that's not gonna help you! -
"Half a second delay"
Version: Airfoil 3.3.4
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Still about half a second delay when watching a movie in quicktime and streaming to airtunes.
No sale -
"Does Exactly What I Want"
Version: Airfoil 3.3.1
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
When I learned I couldn't stream Pandora through iTunes to Airport Express, I was bummed. Luckily, a quick search found Airfoil with tons of positive reviews by Mac users.
5 minutes after downloading Airfoil, I was streaming Pandora to my stereo.
Airfoil is amazingly simple to use ... just click the speaker icon and listen.
This is one of those cases where I feel I got exactly what I paid for and would recommend it to anyone who wants to bypass ITunes and stream web based radio directly to Airport Express.
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