Apple TV vs. Mini vs, Sonos

I love my Apple TV. I haven't thought about cleaning up the signal, but it's so convenient for the second zone of my house and playing compilations, it's also the reason I haven't bought a BluRay player yet. The firmware/software upgrades they continue to make, lead me to assume I won't need to ever get a BluRay player to enjoy HD movies.

So what is the suggestion for a DAC/Jitter reducer for this?

there are many: audio alchemy dti, monarchy audio dip, genesis digital lens, and others. then you go into a good external dac with either a digital coax or toslink cable (stay away from usb dacs) and you will be on your way to a nice sounding setup.

I have an Apple TV loaded with 3000 lossless songs going into a TADAC with a Wireworld toslink cable and the sound is great. The TADAC (Tube Dac/Preamp) runs into my Wyred for Sound power amp. I'm sure an anti jitter device would help but this is the best sound I have ever had. PS Audio will be coming out with a new version of the Digital Lens later this year for $1000, and I intend to pick one up. But the truth is the sound is already excellent. I am using my 50 inch plasma as my monitor although I had considered the small computer monitor previously suggested. But I was able to put 2000 pictures on my Apple TV that I had got from Webshots, so it is really great to have the music on and the Apple TV showing the pictures at the same time.

Most of the jitter reduction products are using 90's digital technology and are a bit long in the tooth for use with data extracted CD's ... "computer audio". I have owned or tried just about every one of these products that have come down the pipe, and IMNSHO, they are mere toys when compared to the latest development from Empirical Audio called the Pace Car.

I have been using a Pace Car for about 1 year now, it is set up for Airport Express and Apple TV. (See Empirical Audio's website for details). The sound is nothing short of astonishing, right up there with my Reel to Reel and Analog Rig! With the use of Computer Audio & Pace Car, CD spinners are now left in the dust!!! (My $5K transport is now relegated to ballast duty on my rack).

This is ironic, because up until a year ago when the Pace Car arrived, I was of the strong opinion that my highly modified transport and DAC was superior to any flavor of the "computer audio" digital solutions. While I have softened my stance in light of a few recent USB devices that sound quite excellent. IMHO my Pace Car & DAC deliver more resolution to my ear/brain interface than even the latest greatest USB Dac's.

For more "digital" perspective, I am also of the opinion that you rip and playback digital music files in their native language. If they are recorded at 44/16, leave them alone, rip the file and play it back at 44/16. In other words don't use any sort of lossless ripping or upsampling of the files on playback. The less you mess with the data … the better it sounds!

Take from this what you will but "perfect sound forever" has finally arrived ... that is once you properly dispose of "the plastic" from your CD's!!!!!

drbe, i wouldn't call all jitter devices outside of the pace car mere toys. its cool if you like your pace car, but don't put everything else down. i could easily say the genesis digital lens blows away the pace car, but i won't. it's all a matter of opinion. also, when you state most jitter devices are using 90's technology, you need to state your proof? some of the companies were making these devices in the 80's, 90's, and even in business today and some devices are better than others. as for your $5k transport, you need to state what transport you have/had to get a perspective on how the 2 compare. i think we will be working on perfecting the source equipment for many years to come so i don't think we have the perfect anything yet.

i do agree with some of your statements that a good music server setup (jitter device, external dacs with coax or aes or glass inputs with good quality cables) can equal or better most of the cd players out there.