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Apple TV vs. Mini vs, Sonos

I've been reading these forums for a couple weeks trying to figure out the best way to organize a large CD collection (2000 CD's) and to access it wirelessly on two systems. Having a friendly interface for the other family members is important.

At first I was leaning toward a Sonos solution with a NAS attached. Then, I replaced my old IMac with a new one and really like the Front Row feature. I also have an Apple Wi-Fi using Airpport Extreme (the older 801b/g version). Having Front Row available to manage my iTunes library via the video seems like a better solution than Sonos.

He're my questions:

I read that Apple TV won't support web radio. I usually tune in a channel and open it with ITunes, drag it to a Playlist and name it. Whenever I want to listen to it, it's in a playlist. Front Row accesses these easily on the new IMac. I assume they work the same way with Apple TV. Also works for stations accessed through Live365.com, which gives you 10,000 stations to choose from.

I'm not clear why Apple TV has the built in hard drive. Does your ITunes content have to be on the Apple TV drive or can you access your library stored at another location wirelessly, such as a NAS, via Front Row and the Apple TV?

It seems to me that the simplest solution is to use a NAS to store my collection and add an Apple TV to each system, accessing the library via Wi-Fi and connecting the audio via Toslink to a DAC and the video via composite video. Is there a flaw in my thinking? Is there an advantage to using a mini? There's no place in either installation for another screen.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
bbopman
richard_lin
11 posts
 
Has anyone seriously compared AppleTV's digital vs analog output? I am pretty happy with AppleTV's analog output so far. Here's my equipment:

Amp: NAD M3 integrated amp: a wonderful piece of equipment, built like a tank with enough, but not too many, features to be flexible. The NAD replaced my Cary SLI-80 Signature a few months ago. Before the Cary, I had the Plinius 8200.

Speakers: Diapason Adamantes III (very nice mini monitors from Italy). Speaker cables are 10 gauge no name cables.

Sub: Von Schweiker VR-S1 powered sub.

My other digital source: Denon DVD-3910, analog section upgraded by Roger Sheker. Interconnects are Signal Cable Silver Resolution.

The AppleTV audio output is fed into the amp via AppleTV's analog output. I use regular interconnects I dug out from my garage.

So how does the AppleTV sound compared to my Denon? The Denon might be a bit warmer sounding than the AppleTV, but the AppleTV sounded very detailed and lively. I can live very happily without touching the Denon much these days. The only time I needed the Denon was when I needed to play SACD or DVD-Audio discs. Oh yeah, also when I watched DVD movies.

Oh, I can now control my music playing from any room using my new iPhone 3G.

Richard
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drubin
3,274 posts
 
PS Audio's latest newsletter has quite a good discussion of all of this. Paul is very high on the Apple TV controlled via the iPod Touch. Such a setup requires that your main iTunes library reside on another Mac, I believe. And you synch the ATV with that other library. Is this correct? With ATV, you can't add storage, so you are limited to the size of its internal hard drive as far as your accessible library is concerned, as I understand it. Bummer.

In the August TAS, Steven Stone's article on this subject contains the following statement: "Even the 160GB version [of Apple TV] is on the small side if you intend to assemble a library of more than 2500 uncompressed CDs." His math is off by a factor of 10. 160GB will hold closer to 250 CDs uncompressed or 400-500 with Apple Lossless, which is far too few. So how does one use Apple TV with a large CD collection?

And where was Editor Robert Harley when that egregious mistake slipped through?
rbstehno
1,431 posts
 
drubin
i create smaller subsets called playlist. then i can sync to my different devices to these playlist depending on how big the devices are.
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drubin
3,274 posts
 
Let me pose this question to the group:

I want my iTunes workstation (where I rip CDs) to be a computer in another part
of the house from where my stereo is.

I know I can use SlimServer and the Slim Devices products as a way to interface
to my iTunes library. But what if I want the interface to be iTunes itself? I think
the iPod Touch is the answer. But If I use an iPod Touch to access the iTunes
workstation on the network, what's the best way to get the music to stream to
my stereo? Airport Express near the stereo, right? But is this solution going to
get me the best sound, or will I get better results if I find a way to co-locate the
iTunes computer (or some computer, or Apple TV) with the stereo?

I hope this all makes sense. These topology issues drive me nuts!
bbopman OP
53 posts
 
I have my iMac in one room connected wirelessly to an Airport Extreme base station. My music files (400GB, 1400 CD's, Apple Lossless) are in a hardrive attached to the iMac. I have an Apple TV connected to my HD television via HDMI cable, with the speakers in the TV turned off, and analogue audio output from the Apple TV routed into my Rogue preamp using Synergistic cables. I plan to either go with a DAC attached to the Apple TV via Toslink, or switch the Rougue out for a Benchmark DAC 1 Pre preamp.

As of this weekend, I can control the whole thing using an Apple iPod Touch with the newly released "Remote" application. I can also access Pandora by using a docking station connected to my second system with a mini to RCA cable.

All in all, I am very happy so far, and will be even more so once I get a DAC installed, although the RCA output is pretty good to my ears, as well as to others in this forum.

Good luck.
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