G75

Hi mates,

I've got a PowerBook 17" 1Ghz, Mac OS 10.4.5, Airport firmware 6.3 (Airport Express), Airport firmware 5.7 (Airport Extrem), iTunes 6.0.4, everything is update... I use the Airport Express as a slave but the prob appears even if I use it alone (reinitialized, rebooted, reupdated and so on...)

I've got this airport express for more than a year now and have been happily using it with my external stereo system to stream music and to give access to internet through the Ethernet port of it to an old iMac. I didn't use AirTunes for a few weeks and didn't update more than apple told me to. However, recently the volume coming from the airport express has basically disappeared - there is almost no signal at all. I have to turn up the volume on my amplifier all the way to hear any sound, and at that level the sound is covered with static and is gross. I'm convinced that the airport is malfunctioning, perhaps its internal preamp is blown?

I know the loss prob between iTunes 6.0.1 and iTunes 6.0.4 when I downgraded, but my problem, is that the sound hasn't a 33% loss but really a 80/90% !!! I've got to turn up the volume so much that if I plug my ipod with the same cable at the same place, my ears bleed (quite )...
I've noticed also that there is no more red light out of the AE... Weird...

Of course,
- I did not change anything with the configuration between the amp and the airport express...
- I've checked the "disable itunes volume with remote speakers" and my ipod is at its maximum...
- I've tried airfoil (with RealPlayer and VLC) and this is the same, a very low/weak sound...
- I've downgrade the Airport Express firmware to 6.1.1...
- I've initialized the AE several times, reboot it, and so on...
- I've tried the airport with multiple other amplifiers and nothing works...

Does anyone have any experience with this ? Is this a know problem ? Do I have to trash the AE ?

Thank you very much all...