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Apple TV Streaming Sound Quality vs Streamer?

I am looking for the weak link to improve sound quality.   Seems logical it is the Apple TV as a source.  Would a moderate streamer inside of $1500 make much of a difference when streaming Tidal and the like?  

Current Equipment:
Speaker: Dali Euphonia MS-4
AMP: Modwright KWA 150 SE
Preamp/ DAC: Peachtree Grand Integrated
Source: Tidal / Apple TV
puffbojie
jdave's avatar
jdave
26 posts
 
Steve N (and anyone else with streaming experience):  Thanks for the info, Steve, I've been trying to decide whether to expand my CD collection (which can be very affordable right now), or begin streaming, where there is unlimited music available.
The issue is that I like a large, room-filling, sound-stage, with good detail in the instruments/vocals, and so far, CDs and LPs are the only sources that have provided that for me.
And from what you are saying; even with a leading streaming service, and a good playback software, it's still not going to be as good as my CDs.
Would one of the new DSs help? The good ones are kinda pricey, tho.

Dave  
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

Streaming is FLAC files so far, so it will never be quite as good as wav files.  The difference I hear with wav files is soundstage and high-frequency reflections off the venue.  Whether you will hear this difference depends on your system.

I personally like owning my content rather than renting it, however it is nice to have access to a lot of new material.

If you stay with a transport and DAC, at least lower the jitter by adding a good reclocker in the coax cable, like the Synchro-Mesh.  8psec of measured jitter.

If you go with a streamer, it is critically important to get low jitter.  The kind of imaging and soundstage you are wanting has everything to do with extremely low jitter.

Here is a renderer that gets you to ~10psec at all sample-rates from 44.1-192:

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=156409.0

See the plots at the end of the posts.  If you find one that achieves lower than this at the end of a 4 foot coax cable, I'd like to know about it.

thanks,

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

aberyclark
1,355 posts
 
ATV is a great streamer for 16/44 (48). 
capesandfog
3 posts
 
Recently added the Cambridge CXN V2 streamer:
https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/cx/cxn-v2

I'm playing back via Tidal and have been pleasantly surpised at the sound quality.  I mainly listen to LPs, but wanted to have access to the extensive libraries available on TIDAL.  

Equipment:
Integrated Amp: Belles Aria
Speakers: B&W 705 S2
Turntable: Clearaudio with Ortofon 2m Black
kahlenz's avatar
kahlenz
274 posts
 
Steve N:  I agree with your assessment regarding my apparent inability to distinguish between "hearing jitter" and "not hearing jitter".  If "less jitter" means more accurate spatial clues, then I may have quite a way to go with my room acoustics before I can appreciate lower jitter levels.   I am also curious about going direct from DAC to amp.

It is also entirely possible I simply have not experienced "low jitter" playback.  All of my experimenting with digital playback has involved either a Mac>optical out>DAC or an AEX/ATV>optical out>DAC.

Any suggestions for a cheap "low jitter" solution?
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