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New Apple TV sound quality

R

rob29

pfm Member
Dear all,
Anyone else got a new Apple TV2?
Streaming from the main itunes library either to the ATV's own menus, or just using the ATV as a remote speaker/receiver the sound seems better than the old Airport Express.

This is toslink into Caiman in to Linn 5103 et al.

Pretty sure it also sounds different whether you are streaming to it as a remote speaker direct from itunes or using the Apple Tv menus, which perhaps add a layer of internal processing or buffering before moving on. not sure. If you use the apple TV menus (even controlling with the ipod/pad using remote app) there is no volume control, where as if you stream from itunes to the apple tv, you can use this interface to lower volume - which I dont think can be a good thing sonically.

Sounds less pinched and a bit more detailed at the leading edge. More solid.

Anyone else tried it?
Will do more A/B dems tomorrow
 
rob29 said:
..... if you stream from itunes to the apple tv, you can use this interface to lower volume - which I dont think can be a good thing sonically ....
Click to expand...


iTunes v6 and prior, and old versions of operating systems, had 16 bit volume controls. This could introduce some distortion at lower volume levels due to an inadequate number of bits to accurately describe the adjusted level.

Later and current versions of iTunes and OS X have 24 bit volume controls which have plenty of bits available to properly describe the level without introducing distortion.

You need have no fears about digital volume controls in current versions of software, they are absolutely fine.

It's a myth from the old days of XP and early versions of software with 16 bit mixers and volume controls.

JC
 
Its possible the ATV sounds different its a totally different software, iOS as opposed to OSX 10.4 which was on the original.

How this would pan out to different sound I don't know. I might take the plunge is XBMC manage to hack it.
 
It may well sound different playing audio "pushed" by AirPlay than when it "pulls" via its own UI or Apple Remote app.
Airplay will be genuine streaming and so subject to drop outs and without the benefits of any significant buffering.
When pulling audio, I believe that the AppleTV actually downloads the track into its 8Gb of memory, starting playing as soon as it has sufficient buffer. You can see this in action when you play a movie over the LAN - the progress bar shows blue the parts alreay played, white the parts already downloaded and clear the parts yet to be downloaded. The bar becomes blue (played) and white (downloaded) within a few minutes. I would be very suprised if audio was handled any differently.

Anyway, it sounds fantastic to me and incrementally better than my Airport Express and ATV1. I play out from a Chord Optichord Toslink cable into a Naim Uniti and find that I can't really hear any difference to using the built-in streaming of the Uniti.
 
Interesting posts - going to give AppleTV a go - what I'm thinking is:
Great access for everyone via iPad/iphone etc - be nice if this included radio
Somehow sort our a NAS mac/itunes friendly - thing
Output audio into a Dac and hence into a Naim SX - better than a Naim Qute
 
Interesting stuff. AE can upset some dacs as it turns the stream on and off between tracks.
Anyone know if TV does the same?
Also, can it handle anything higher than 16/44?
 
Am i right to assume the new ATV works like a multimedia AE? and you need a computer/laptop running which is linked to the library....?
If so, the old ATV is much less hastle, it works independently of everything but an iPod touch, unless adding music to it's internal HDD.
 
spacey said:
Am i right to assume the new ATV works like a multimedia AE? and you need a computer/laptop running which is linked to the library....?
If so, the old ATV is much less hastle, it works independently of everything but an iPod touch, unless adding music to it's internal HDD.
Click to expand...

You're pretty bang on there, although unlike the Airport Express it can't act as a wireless access point. I think the arguent for removing the storage is to stop people having syncing problems. With a set-top box people don't want to sync it they just want it to work, not concern themselves with the amount of available internal storage. I'll be getting my folks one at some point as they will love for renting itunes movies plus be able to listen to music from the computer through their tv speakers in the lounge.

I think this is one of those products that people who say it's under-featured may just not be the target market! Saying that ff Apple do launch a Spotify-esque music streaming service these £100 'zones' could sell a lot more I imagine.
 
like spacey I use an original atv with a bigger hd I like that a lot and would love apple to open up the usb port so i could plug in a hd to this atv and play off it
 
MikeYork - ATV2 does include Internet radio.

Robert - The ATV S/PDIF stream stays on constantly and there no drop outs between tracks.

Spacey - Having moved from ATV1, the new one may lose the HD, but it also loses the flakey performance and noise assoiciated with the HD, so not all bad.
 
Excuse the ?dumb? questions but.......

1. Do Apple TV 1 & 2 both need a DAC or can they feed an analogue music signal to an analogue amp input
2. Can they stream from a PC HD (when PC switched on) or do you need a NAS
 
Bosh,

ATV1 has analogue out on 2 x RCA (but really benefits from a DAC).
ATV2 has only digital out (HDMI or Toslink).

They can both stream from any computer running iTunes.
 
I don't know the answer but for £100 I wouldn't expect miracles, especially as I doubt jitter levels were too high on the designers checklist (Can it help make money from iTunes store purchases... check!)
 
We've had ours since Saturday morning and I definitely think it's better sounding than the AEX into the Dacmagic. Perfectly serviceable all in all.

The whole experience is pretty good although not super super amazing. It's nice to have access to all the stuff on the iMac upstairs on the TV. Photo's in Aperture, videos I've loaded into iTunes and odd TV show off Eyetv. Not too mention all of the music of course.

User experience is mostly good with a few things to iron out. It didn't wake from sleep when I wanted to stream some music to it on Sunday (as opposed to an AEX which is always on). Using Remote on the iPad or iPhone is very good but searching for music in the TV menu (when you have a lot) is just plain painful. You basically need to search for everything, which I suppose is fine, but I like to browse.

Good value for £99.

Would like to try with a better DAC like the new Rega, Audiolab, etc.

Jay
 
I think in many ways it's a lot like the iPad, for the tech savvy you need to look at where it *could* be in a few years time, not where it is now. Being iOS based this could be a movies/Fart Apps/Angry Birds set top box which would be pretty cool
 
Agreed Dan. Have no interest in renting a 720p movie for £5 but would like to see them add apps, quite useful to have the headlines, news up there, etc.

iPad is useable now. For what people mostly do with their laptops, email and surf, the iPad is great. It's also like a portable TV that can access the iMac pull video off, etc. Great to amuse the little boy.

Jay
 
Yeah I had one (iPad that is) a few months ago that I took back to the Apple store and got a refund. I was in no way unhappy with it but it didn't feel like £600 worth of use to me. Now saying that, the list of wants I had a the time that the iPad couldn't do has all but gone and will all have gone when OS 4.2 comes out next month (Except video conferencing of course! ggrrrr) and I will be very very tempted to get the credit card out again even though I know full well that if I wait until april '11 version 2 will be out and much better.... damn you Apple!
 
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