Apple TV / ALAC / DAC question

admin_exported

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I currently have an amplifier and set of speakers I am VERY happy with – but no source! The amp is an Arcam with no fancy inputs like TosLink etc. I want to know how can I play ALAC files on this?

In particular how can I play ALAC without iTunes (or anything else) changing the file resolution (is that the correct phase?).

I don’t want to stream from my computer as I would get annoyed having the computer on every time I want to listen to music. I’ve also read on forums that Apple Airport/Express in effect downsizes an ALAC signal when sending to an Apple TV which in effect is then acting as a DAC, thus no ALAC signal coming out of the Apple TV.

How could I get a pure ALAC signal to a DAC and would a DAC then decode the Apple ALAC format??

I was thinking of using an old Apple TV 160gb hard drive next to my stereo, connected directly to an Arcam rDac via TosLink.

Would this work or would it still not be ALAC?

Many thanks for your help.

ps - I would use something like an iPod touch as a remote to the hard drive.
 

axman

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I think if you don't want to have your laptop on all the time, then the only option is old Apple TV - toslink-DAC-stereo.

If apple TV can handle ALAC, I don't see why it should not output ALAC.
 

John Duncan

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I think you're misunderstanding Apple Lossless slightly - there isn't a device that will output Apple Lossless to a DAC. All devices (including Airport Express and Apple TV, as well as some others) take Apple Lossless and basically turn it into WAV. Airport Express and the old Apple TV (the one with the hard drive that you're talking about) have bit-perfect optical outputs which will send a readable digital signal to a DAC without any loss. The new Apple TV is slightly different in that it upsamples slightly, though probably sounds no worse for that.

The 160gb Apple TV into an rDAC, controlled by an iPhone or iPod touch, makes a fabulous music server (mine was attached to a DACMagic), and if it's attached to a TV, has a really rather gorgeous interface as well. Oh, and it plays movies!
 

pwiles1968

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JohnDuncan:The 160gb Apple TV into an rDAC, controlled by an iPhone or iPod touch, makes a fabulous music server (mine was attached to a DACMagic), and if it's attached to a TV, has a really rather gorgeous interface as well. Oh, and it plays movies!

emotion-21.gif
160GB TV is a Great Little device.

Had a look and Play seem to be listing them under PlayTrade (New), weather or not that actually have any in stock I do not know. A friend at work said he has seen them refurbed on the Apple site, none on there now but worth keeping any eye out.
 

daveh75

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pwiles1968:
JohnDuncan:The 160gb Apple TV into an rDAC, controlled by an iPhone or iPod touch, makes a fabulous music server (mine was attached to a DACMagic), and if it's attached to a TV, has a really rather gorgeous interface as well. Oh, and it plays movies!

emotion-21.gif
160GB TV is a Great Little device.

Had a look and Play seem to be listing them under PlayTrade (New), weather or not that actually have any in stock I do not know. A friend at work said he has seen them refurbed on the Apple site, none on there now but worth keeping any eye out.

Plenty of ATV1s on ebay, including ones upgraded with 500GB/1TB HDDs.
 

pwiles1968

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daveh75:

Plenty of ATV1s on ebay, including ones upgraded with 500GB/1TB HDDs.

Cool some new 160GB on there too, I don't regret getting mine it is used all the time for streaming music.
 
A

Anonymous

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Thanks for all the replies, great to get my head around changing my source and in particular thanks to John for the very helpful explanation.
 

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