[maxsayer]

If I use the optical out to get a digital signal and a separate dac, would this be a decent source? And will I have the option to download my iTunes library not just stream it?

 

[brokegippo]

I heard its good for the money, depends on what quality your music is encoded in as well.
 
http://www.pavtube.com/guide/apple-tv3-review.html
 
 
 
Unfortunately only comments about the spec rather than the output quality.
 
hope this helps
 

 

[scud80]

appletv is streaming-only.  its onboard storage is just for the os and buffering things.  airport express is another option if all you want to use it for is audio ... same price, but no desktop space needed.

 

[The8thst]

Check out a used Squeezebox classic. It still needs to stream the collection but it does a great job of it.

 

[bcwang]

Does this unit still resample everything to 48khz like the second gen?

 

[Somnambulist]

Pretty sure it still does.
 
Quote:

Does this unit still resample everything to 48khz like the second gen?

 

 

[atcapollo]

Can you bypass the Apple TV's DAC and push the raw signal to an external DAC?

 

[Somnambulist]

Yes, it has a digital output (optical)... but it's outputting at 48khz so it won't be bit-perfect which is a deal-breaker for some.

 

[atcapollo]

Ah so it resamples the signal, mind you I think most AirPlay or web based streaming would be <=48kHz.
 
Did the original Apple TV output at 96kHz, I've seen rumours but no concrete evidence.
 
I'm tempted to pick an ATV3 up later this year for AirPlay but not for my audiophile content/setup.

 

[Somnambulist]

I don't know about Airplay (don't see why it should because it's just a wireless protocol), but streaming to an Airport Express connected to a DAC at 44.1khz goes into the DAC at 44.1khz. It's just the ATVs that exhibit this slightly weird forced upsampling. I have an ATV3 for Airplay, YouTube on my TV, movie trailers etc and it's great for what it does and like you I don't/won't use it for stereo playback.

 

[jtinto]

I had the original AppleTV and now the latest. They all output 48 khz PCM. I think that was the original DVD audio standard? Now 96khz
 
The AppleTV does a good job streaming audio from a remote iTunes library. It sounds about the same as an Airport Express, which outputs 44.1 kHz PCM, when connected to my home theater processor. There might be a noticeable difference if I connected the to my two-channel rig.
 
All-in-all the AppleTV is a fun device that's part of my "Apple iLife"