Currently a Squeezebox 2/Benchmark/Naim user and am getting sick of the slow and clumsy Squeeze interface and also the restriction to 24/48KHz output.
Like some others I just bought an iPod Touch and found the Remote interface to iTunes slick and much superior to the Squeeze in usability.
As a result I am thinking of changing the music player to iTunes based. The most seamless way seems to be an AppleTV Vs a Mac Mini since I can access the AppleTV much easier using Windows based laptops.
My main question is the suitability of the AppleTV connecting to a DAC:
- Is it capable of 24/96 or even 24/192 output to a DAC?
- I know it does not have SPDIF, can it output audio via USB?
- How does it compare sinically to the Mac Mini? The Mac Mini is the causing quite a stir over at the Naim forum connecting to a Lavry DAC, being compared to a $6K CDX2 and even a CD 555.
Posts: 20
From the spec sheet it looks
From the spec sheet it looks as if the Apple TV has an optical audio out so it should connect to a Lavry DAC in the same way as the Naim guys are doing with the optical outs on their MacBook/ mac minis and it should sound the same.
I believe it will not output audio via USB. I see Ashley uses an Apple TV as a music server, so perhaps he'll read this and confirm.
Posts: 117
A number of my customers are
A number of my customers are using both AirPort Express and AppleTV with a Pace-Car reclocker, which outputs either S/PDIF coax or AES/EBU to the DAC of your choice.
The Pace-Car was developed to reduce jitter for these types of music servers. Jitter is the biggest problem with them, besides the fact that most do not support 24-bit/96kHz sample rate. Here is a recent review of the Pace-Car used directly from Toslink from a Mac laptop:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue39/ramblings_computer.htm
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
http://www.empiricalaudio.com
Posts: 3154
"My main question is the
"My main question is the suitability of the AppleTV connecting to a DAC:
- Is it capable of 24/96 or even 24/192 output to a DAC?
- I know it does not have SPDIF, can it output audio via USB?"
So far my Apply TV is downsampling everything to 44.1 kHz, but it is playing native 16/44.1 tracks bit perfect. The sound is another thing altogether. Apple TV is not my favorite compared to the Berkeley Audio Design Alpha DAC / Lynx combination :-)
As far as I know it can only output audio via Toslink, HDMI, and analog not USB.
Chris Connaker
Founder
Computer Audiophile
Posts: 5
can this 16/44 limit on the optical output be hacked/changed?
Can the 16/44 limit on the optical output be changed/hacked?
thequietman
Posts: 3154
Good question. I'm not a
Good question. I'm not a huge fan of hacking these things, but it may be possible. I have a feeling any new updates would wipe the slate clean though.
Chris Connaker
Founder
Computer Audiophile