Apple TV vs. Mini vs, Sonos

Most of the jitter reduction products are using 90's digital technology and are a bit long in the tooth for use with data extracted CD's ... "computer audio". I have owned or tried just about every one of these products that have come down the pipe, and IMNSHO, they are mere toys when compared to the latest development from Empirical Audio called the Pace Car.

I have been using a Pace Car for about 1 year now, it is set up for Airport Express and Apple TV. (See Empirical Audio's website for details). The sound is nothing short of astonishing, right up there with my Reel to Reel and Analog Rig! With the use of Computer Audio & Pace Car, CD spinners are now left in the dust!!! (My $5K transport is now relegated to ballast duty on my rack).

This is ironic, because up until a year ago when the Pace Car arrived, I was of the strong opinion that my highly modified transport and DAC was superior to any flavor of the "computer audio" digital solutions. While I have softened my stance in light of a few recent USB devices that sound quite excellent. IMHO my Pace Car & DAC deliver more resolution to my ear/brain interface than even the latest greatest USB Dac's.

For more "digital" perspective, I am also of the opinion that you rip and playback digital music files in their native language. If they are recorded at 44/16, leave them alone, rip the file and play it back at 44/16. In other words don't use any sort of lossless ripping or upsampling of the files on playback. The less you mess with the data … the better it sounds!

Take from this what you will but "perfect sound forever" has finally arrived ... that is once you properly dispose of "the plastic" from your CD's!!!!!

drbe, i wouldn't call all jitter devices outside of the pace car mere toys. its cool if you like your pace car, but don't put everything else down. i could easily say the genesis digital lens blows away the pace car, but i won't. it's all a matter of opinion. also, when you state most jitter devices are using 90's technology, you need to state your proof? some of the companies were making these devices in the 80's, 90's, and even in business today and some devices are better than others. as for your $5k transport, you need to state what transport you have/had to get a perspective on how the 2 compare. i think we will be working on perfecting the source equipment for many years to come so i don't think we have the perfect anything yet.

i do agree with some of your statements that a good music server setup (jitter device, external dacs with coax or aes or glass inputs with good quality cables) can equal or better most of the cd players out there.

Rbstehno - drbe is quite correct that the clocks used in these older devices are just not up to the standards of more modern clocks. The jitter is much lower in both recent monolothic SMT oscillators and in modules like the Superclock4. There was not even a Superclock1 existing when the Big Ben was designed. I've modded the Big Ben BTW to install Superclock and other mods (as well as the Monarchy DIP), so I'm familiar with it.

Steve N.

I took a look at the Pace Car webpage, and maybe I'm dumb (very possible), but I cant' figure out which iteration I'd need to connect my Apple Tv (via optical cable) > Pace Car > DAC (preferably via digital coax; I've ordered a Cullen modified PS Audio DL 3 DAC). The page references Airtunes, but not ATV (from my recollection). Even though the DL 3 supposedly "re-clocks", I know I'm also interested in PS Audios Digital Lens when it gets released.

Cubbie5150 - to answer your question, the AirPort Express and the Apple TV are handled the same. The Pace-Car is "tuned" to both. In fact most of the AE's and Apple TV's both work with the same tuning, but there is an exception once in a while that needs a different tuning.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio