MacBook Pro Vs AppleTV
Posted by: vandergraafuk on 19 January 2010
Hi Forum,
Just wondering if anyone knows the answer to this question. I have my iTunes synced with my AppleTV which is connected to my Uniti via a S/PDIF, yesterday I downloaded Eyeconnect an UPnP server just to have a play and immediately the sound quality was far superior to the AppleTV. Can anyone explain this. All files are ripped to AIFF format.
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by garyi
No reason why they would over upnp perhaps you are imagining it?
The only other thing I can think is the upnp is outputting at the other end every so slightly louder.
A macbook pro has every opportunity to sound better than an apple tv, but not over upnp. Hook up the macbook pro with an optical cable, that will be better than an AppleTV.
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by james n
Yes, your not going through the Apple TV to Uniti SPDIF link. Apple TV SPDIF out may not be the best and i'm sure the Uniti, good as it is, is not the best DAC via its SPDIF input. I'd expect streamed files to sound better in this setup.
James
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by garyi
I don't see any reason why the spdif link direct from ATV should sound different to a streamed file going to the same dac. Its the same information.
Certainly to my ears a mini direct into the uniti or streamed from the mini via upnp sounded the same (great) but of course much better functionality direct as you don't have gaps in music.
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by Richard Adams
quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
A macbook pro has every opportunity to sound better than an apple tv, but not over upnp. Hook up the macbook pro with an optical cable, that will be better than an AppleTV.
Why would a MBP sound better than an AppleTV? Does the same apply to a Mac Mini?
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by james n
quote:
Its the same information.
Quite true - but without the SPDIF link in the way.
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by pcstockton
WAIT WAIT WAIT a sec........ many on this forum are begging for a Naim streamer because they have experienced that a streamer dictates the sound quality to some degree.
Why wouldn't this fully be involved here?
-patrick
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by pcstockton
quote:
Originally posted by garyi:
I don't see any reason why the spdif link direct from ATV should sound different to a streamed file going to the same dac. Its the same information.
Where have you been? If sources/streamers/media players etc... didnt play into sound quality why do we keep discussing it ad nauseum?
I haven't personally heard these differences but find it hard to imagine all of these people are imagining, hallucinating, or lying.
-p
Posted on: 19 January 2010 by garyi
Well I think we need to discuss further p
To my ears a uniti playing streamed files or the same files via my minis output sound the same. There is certainly no night and day difference.
Also I would point out the uniti's CD player sounds better than the stream and the minis output, although I concede it could be because its a tadge louder, but I don't think so.
Posted on: 20 January 2010 by likesmusic
To me there's every reason to suppose a streamed input will sound better than the same data via s/pdif.
In the case of the s/pdif input, the Uniti is at the mercy of the jitter in the s/pdif signal.
In the case of the streamed input, there is no jitter in the signal, whatever jitter there is is down to the clock in the Uniti. Hopefully this should be a lot less than the clock in the AppleTV.
