Beware! Apple TV and Arcam rDAC are incompatible

[ifor]

I've found out the hard way. Apple TV up samples to 48KHz. Arcam rDAC cannot handle 48KHz via optical or wireless.

 

[roger06]

Nonsense. Mine work together just fine...

 

[ifor]

You may be lucky Roger, but I don't think I'm misreading this.

http://www.arcam.co.uk/_ugc/file/tor_files/solo/rDac%20Service%20manual%20issue%201d.pdf

 

[Paul.]

ifor, I think you should specify ATV version? I assume you have an ATV 2 or 3, whereas I think Roger has the original.

 

[ifor]

Good point Paul! I do indeed have an ATV3. I hadn't realised that I didn't specify it.

Cheers.

 

[Anonymous]

Ifor - the rDAC should be able to handle 48ks/s over optical as well as co-axial - can you actually try it out again please?

I confess we don't have a 3rd generation Apple TV here, but if it is providing a standard S/PDIF PCM digital output (not encoded Dolby Digital) then all should be well.

I did follow the link you put up to our service manual and there is a significant error there - the optical input will handle 48ks/s just fine, although it is true the Kleer wireless link is limited to 44.1ks/s. I will get the manual fixed.

As a sanity check I just ran all sample rates from 44.1 through to 96ks/s through the optical input of a lab rDAC (driven from a Quantum Data digital generator) and everything worked properly at all sample rates, just as I would expect.

Also you might want to check both ends of your optical cable too, in case there is a poor fit somewhere.

If this doesn't fix things let us know and we'll investigate further.

Sincerely,

John Dawson (Arcam)

 

[ifor]

Hi John,

I just came back to this thread and found your reply. Thank you; it's great to have a response, but I have to say I was disappointed to have had no response from the two emails I sent through your website and also disappointed that Audio-T in Swindon, from whom I bought the rDAC, failed to get any response from your tech guys for over a week. It's got me thinking pretty negatively about Arcam. Enough of that; let's get positive.

Everything you say agrees with the feedback I got from Audio-T after they spoke with your guy, Matt.

I've tried the rDAC again and dropouts were severe. I've had a Musical Fidelity M1-DAC and a Cyrus 8 Qx DAC on loan and they have both handled the ATV3 over extended periods without a single dropout. Also, I've tried two different optical cables.

Today I had another conversation with Apple and they assured me the ATV3 is made to exacting standards. The guy I spoke to did point out that nowhere on the tech spec of the ATV3 does it say anything about a fixed 48KHz output. This is however widely reported all over the interweb. The Apple guy told me that the issue has been escalated to Cupertino and a "feature request" has been made, whatever that means. He suggested I make sure I keep the ATV3 software up to date.

By chance (MacWorld email) I learned today that Apple has just released a software update for ATV3. I installed it and have spent a good chunk of this evening listening to iTunes thought the ATV3 and rDAC. It's better, but still not sorted. I managed to get through a whole album before the first dropout, but then they started; sometimes seconds apart, sometimes minutes. Previously it had been every few seconds, all the time.

If you would like to borrow my ATV3 just let me know. If you want to contact me privately, your website should have a record of my email address.

Best wishes,

Ifor

 

[ifor]

Hello John,

I see you last visited this forum on October 3rd, but you must have missed this thread, and you haven't emailed me privately. I do wonder why so many companies bother to have websites with links to email addresses for "support" etc which achieve absolutely nothing. Perhaps, if you read this, you might explain.

Regards

Ifor