N-Vi with Apple TV

You can do this with the cheaper Airport Express too.

Not sure about sound quality since this in part depends on how you rip, but the Apple TV isn't a particularly big drive (20GB if memory serves?) so I'm not sure you'll get much on there at particularly good rip quality before filling the drive...

apple tv has 40gb or 160gb drives , and garyi is the man to answer all your questions

neil

I use an Apple Express base station to stream music. Important is to use the digital optical output, and use a decent DAC to get better performance.
It was better with 192 kbps vbr AAC files than I thought. But I have kept my expectations low. It is used as "my own little radio station" for streaming the iTunes library in shuffle mode in the background while I am doing other things... Serious listening is still the domain of my CDS3 as a source.

Both apple devices have only optical outputs (no coax), like most standard consumer gear The Apple TV adds HDMI, if you have a device to handle the sound from that interface.

You don't have to sync your media data to the internal disk, you can also stream directly.

The TV has integrated the faster 802.11n wireless LAN standard, the Express is "only" 802.11g. For streaming music alone this will hardly make a difference. But for streaming movies, and for the time it takes to sync the data, this will have an impact.
To take advantage, your computer has to be 802.11n capable too. Since this standard is still a draft, there can be problems in matching different brands of gear. That could be fixed with later firmware updates, as soon as 802.11n gets finalised. A wired Ethernet is still the better solution - if possible.

The biggest pro for the Apple TV is the remote control and the menus on the TV, if the computer is not in the same room. And the Mac/PC is not needed to play synced data.

If the computer and hifi is in infrared range, and it's for music only, the express will probably do.
If you want more comfort and picture too, go for the TV.

The sound quality is mostly dependent, on how much you compress the data at the source... rubbish in -> rubbish out!

Try those internet radio stations at different data rates. I can hear the (missing) quality very well. At that only on my Mac with JBL Sound Sticks attached. I don't want to hear that on my hifi gear! You have to check out the point of quality vs. storage space for yourself.

I am interessted what NaimNet will do in this space?

happy listening
Adrian

Have you seen this thead?

http://forums.naim-audio.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/48019385/m/5552906017

A search will find even more.

Correction: my Sound Sticks 2.1 computer speakers are from Harman/Kardon. The smaller Creatures speakers are labeled as JBL. It's both the same company in the end...

quote:

Originally posted by emyyl88:
I am considering ripping my CDs to computer and streaming it to the N-Vi's DAC via either the co-axial or optical input. I believe the Apple TV streamer allows me to do that. Has anyone tried this setup? How does it sound?

Why when you can just play your CDs on the nVi? Is it for continuous background music? I'm probably missing something, but as I usually just put a CD in the CDX2 and play it - really easy - I am confused why so many people want to use an ancient technology like a hard disc to store and play music?

Simple. lots of people don't want hundreds and hundreds of CDs in their living space anymore.

Also with your whole library open to you in seconds, whole threads can be created. Playlists can be done, new music you forgot you had rediscovered.

The appleTV and Airport Express both appear to do the same thing. However the appleTV pulls information from the computers in the house. Where as the express pushes. As a result you need to goto a computer or have a laptop in order to make use of the Airport Express, where as you can be a total lazy bastard from the sofa with appleTV.

You need a suitable TV for Apple TV, it must have HDMI, DVI or Component Video.

Its totally excellent and will be very good with your NVI, I assume the NVI has optical input, which is nice as the AppleTv has optical output!

Can you rip DVDs to the AppleTV?

Richard

Thanks everyone for their input. An American friend pointed me to this direction of music servers paired with a good DAC. He is using Chinese made DAC's with tube output and Chinese tube amps with his music server. Really good hi-fi for a small outlay. I think this setup has a number of merits:
- aesthetics and convenience: the missus will approve of the removal of a few ungainly CD storage towers from the living room. She can also select songs using iTunes from the convenience of the TV instead of searching through stacks of CD's. My friend showed me how he organised his collection on iTunes, with all the CD covers and artwork intact. Looks really neat! Plus sometimes the kids take out CD's and scratch them.
- with Apple Lossless, I can rip CD's in uncompressed mode with error correction. So in theory all the musical data is there. Uncompromised.
- streaming to the N-Vi's DAC via the optical input, I have access to Naim's hallmark sonics. I don't think I'm losing anything by not using the N-Vi's CD transport.
- I must say the designers of the N-Vi really did a good job. The N-Vi has features that are in line with the emerging wave of wireless/networked home musical equipment, all in one neat package.

Now, how do I hook up the computer to Apple TV? Mine is not on a network and is located in the bedroom. I use a wireless modem/router to send broadband signal to this PC. The PC gets the signal using a wireless USB adapter. Does the speed matter?

I plan to get an LCD TV with HDMI input in the near future. The N-Vi is producing excellent pictures on my non-progressive scan CRT now via S-Video. I'm looking forward to an even better picture on LCD.

quote:

Originally posted by emyyl88:
An American friend pointed me to this direction of music servers paired with a good DAC. He is using Chinese made DAC's with tube output and Chinese tube amps with his music server

I'm curious as to what this set-up was - I heard a not dissimilar (in terms of description) set-up using equipment from Shanling - it was very expensive - and very poor IMHO - there was no way I could enjoy listening to music on it. My thoughts were that the tube output stage was a major culprit, but it could have been a weakness elsewhere. A much cheaper set-up from Naim CD5i/Nait5i was so much better.

The Shanling stuff looks really ugly as do most tube amps I've seen/owned, but I tried to ignore that. It was the poor sound quality that got me - how does this stuff continually get good reviews? Perhaps it all subjective, but surely everybody can hear unpleasant distortion.

Now the kit you listened to was probably from a complete different stable. Hence my curiosity.

I have had a full demo of the nVi and that is different class from the much more expensive Shanling and the most musical one-box home cinema system that I've ever heard - superb pictures too, but as I don't watch many movies and Mrs Rotf is happy enough with the Linn CMS then I've not invested in the nVi.

I understand the convenience factor of music servers, but I really don't want a TV in my music room (or a computer really). When Naim has a music server available then I'll certainly give it a listen.

These are interesting times and different people have different views - which is as it it should be. I remain a Luddite, I'm afraid.

ATB Rotf

You can hook up to the appletv with ethernet from the router.

You cannot use the apple TV with a Computer screen it has to be a TV.

quote:

Can you rip DVDs to the AppleTV?

Richard

Not out of the box. Some have done it via a few mods. See here. There's a description of Mac Mini as Video Server here.

Cheers,
-Mark

Thanks for those links, Mark.

Richard

ROTF, my friend uses a Cayin A-50T tube amp (EL34, 12ax7, 12au7) and a Xindak DAC. He also uses Xindak FS-2 speaker cables, which can be bought at a song in Shanghai. I have another friend who is very happy with his Cayin CDT 17 tube CD player. These are all entry/mid level products. I've seen the Shanlings but have never listened to them. They do seem to get rave reviews everywhere. Personally most mid level gear sounds slow and do not groove compared to Naim's CD players and amps.

Cayin is starting to garner a good name in the US with very high quality tube/hybrid amps at a very reasonable price. Another two respected Chinese brands that are less well know abroad (for amps)are Opera/Consonance and Melody. These are all mid-level brands.

Hi emyyl88

Many thanks for the info, Cayin and Xindak are new names to me. If your friend is happy with the sound then that's excellent as that's what counts.

ATB Rotf

Emyyl88,

Consonance and Melody have had quite a lot of coverage in magazines in the UK. Ken Kessler has been to the Melody factory and done a piece on it. Consonance have been getting reasonable reviews for the last year or so.

Cayin and Xindak are unknown to me. Perhaps it's to do with the distribution.

Adrian, I went to check out the Apple TV today and among other things, I was shown a new iMac with a gorgeous 20" screen and built-in Airport Extreme (802.11n). Now this is interesting. Perhaps I can just connect the iMac to the N-Vi?!!! No need for an Apple TV!!

Frank, I stand corrected. I guess I haven't been reading up magazines often enough, and the recent ones were Stereophile. So Cayin is strong in US but not in the UK.

If the imac is in the vicinity then yes you can, it has 'frontrow' on it which will give quick access to your music that you can choose from across the room.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark R:

quote:

Can you rip DVDs to the AppleTV?

Richard

Not out of the box. Some have done it via a few mods. See here. There's a description of Mac Mini as Video Server here.

Cheers,
-Mark

Mark thanks for the links

Dean