How good is the clocking on the AppleTV?
The Airport Express is miserable and the DAC section of my CA840c simply doesn't like it and will periodically lose lock. |
@Edge22 - I did notice that if I stream from my macbook using AirTunes that the quality isn't there, and indeed AirTunes converts the lossless down into something less.
However, I mainly stream from the LaCie drive that's connected to my iMac. In that case, there is no conversion to lossy formats.
Also, I can say that I tested many different optical cables, and found that while it wasn't a huge difference, there was definitely an increase in quality by using the Wireworld Supernova 6. It's quite good
Regarding the spinning hard disc sound on the older aTV's, mine is out in the open, and not terribly loud, but nonetheless annoying because I often listen late at night with three others sleeping in the house, so I must maintain low sound levels.
Again, if you don't have an Apple TV or Sooloos solution, then the $99 Apple TV is a must-have and will repay you with plenty of enjoyment, for music and for movie rentals. For existing AppleTV owners, the upgrade is less obvious. |
I have the original 40 gig Apple TV and since the old one doesn't stream photos, I use the hard drive to store photos, while it streams music from my computer. After adding a DAC downstream, I'm convinced music sounds as good or better than CD. (I don't know how it can sound better, but the DAC may have something to do with that.)
Since the new one streams photos as well as music, I don't think the loss of the hard drive matters, other than your computer has to be on to stream your music.
As long as you have a decent DAC, the Apple TV is an excellent music streamer and the cheapest one I've found with the best interface - that can also be controlled by the Remote app on an iPod Touch or iPhone. |
Just to clarify, my music is in Apple Lossless. I have about 80GB of music (and gradually loading more) and so it all fits on the 160GB hard drive. (FYI, ATV Flash is a program/hack that allows you to add an external hard drive to the Apple TV if you need it.)
When I was listening to the Apple Lossless being streamed through the Apple TV, it sounded good, but not as good as when I use my CD transport into my DAC. On the other hand, when I listen to the Apple Lossless from the Apple TV hard drive (which is how I normally listen), it sounds equal (if not better) to my CD transport into my DAC.
Darkj, have you noticed this difference between listening to "pure streaming" versus from the Apple TV hard drive?
It is possible that the difference that I hear is simply my wi fi connection. I have an Airport Extreme router (which is an "n" router) and get a very solid signal (usually 4 out of 5 bars) in my listening room, but my listening room is not terribly close to my router and is upstairs (with the router being downstairs).
I agree with Darkj that new Apple TV will likely be able to run Apps in the future. I personally find the 160GB Apple TV to be quiet and do not notice hearing the spinning of the hard drive. |
@Aberyclark: Form what I understand, anything that AirTunes and AirPlay transmits is converted to Apple Lossless, which makes it 16/44 only. The new AirPlay protocol might change this. Could someone comment on this issue? |
I thought airtunes or apple tv would transmit 24/96 hi-rez files (as long as audio-midi is set to 24/96)...you just need a dac on the receiving end to decode. |
I am a current owner of a 160GB AppleTV (with about 350GB of digital music, almost all in Apple Lossless (M4A) format. I've done very close listening comparisons and can't hear a significant and consistent difference between my AppleTV and my Oppo BDP-83 as a transport. (Neither sound as good as my old Theta David, but then neither require a $400 laser replacement every few years, either.) I highly recommend AppleTV for any audiophile.
I am split on the new one. I love my current 160 GB Apple TV. However, I see two advantages of the new one:
1) Silence - I can hear the current hard drive spinning, which is annoying during late night music listening. The new one would be silent.
2) Higher res Netflix streaming than I currently get with my Wii. (It's my only other streaming device). Also, my Wii audio is only connected to my TV, not my system, so it would give me that.
There are two reasons why I may stick with my current:
1) The loss of having some hard drive storage for those times when my computer is not on.
2) The apparent lack of emphasis on music in the new UI. Music is buried under "Computers," not at the top level.
I believe that things will change soon. There is every indication that the new AppleTV will soon allow apps to run, like all other iOS devices.
Hey Edge22 - you can stream in full resolution from a hard drive on the previous gen Apple TV - it's in the setup. I stream about half my music and it works out just fine. |
@Granosalis: I don't have any 24/96 content, but I assume that the new Apple TV will work like the previous ATV and AirPort Express (AirTunes & AirPlay) and does not support 24/96. Sorry I can not give more info. I would be interested in knowing the answer, too. I'll keep you posted if I find out anything. |
@Ballan,
could you please advice if the new Apple TV support HD audio till 24/96?
I think you have to read your DAC to be sure the stream is transferred correctly at the given sample rate.
Many thanks! |
I have the 160GB Apple TV going into a Peachtree iDecco and love it.
One of the concerns I have about the new Apple TV is the lack of a hard drive. When I first set it up, I synced a large library and immediately started listening. What I first heard was somewhat disappointing in that it did not quite as sound as good and "full" as my CD player going into the Peachtree (although I would not describe it as sounding bad and it was more the ability to compare against the CD that the difference was readily apparent). However, I then realized that all my music was available streaming before it was actually synced to the hard drive and what I was initially listening to was streaming. After the music was synced to the hard drive, the sound improved and was as good (if not a little better) than using the CD player.
Perhaps the newer Apple TV does a better job of streaming than the older version. It would interesting to know if anyone has had a chance to compare the older version playing off the hard drive to the newer version streaming and if there is a noticable difference.
FYI, the older 160GB can still be purchased from the Apple store under clearance items. |
I received one yesterday and it sounds great when using optical into my DAC with AIFF and Apple Lossless files. The interface is fast and snappy. |
I don't know how good the Apple TV is, but your system is going to expose all it's flaws and shortcomings. |
