What Sounds Best, Apple TV or Computer USB?

[Steady339]

In your system, what sounds best with 16bit/44khz files--Apple TV or computer USB playback through an external DAC?

[TommyC]

Apple TV's output is fixed to 16bit/48khz.

[Steady339]

I should have said, for 16 bit/44khz or 48khz file playback, does Apple TV or computer USB sound better on your system? Thanks to TommyC for pointing this out, I made a correction in my original post. Just trying to get some comparison between the two with the same files played both ways.

[TommyC]

ATV doesn't do 44.1khz. Everything is up or downsampled to 48. CAS is much more flexible.

[Ritmo]

ATV is not bad. I use it to stream Internet radio through the house - not when I want to sit down for more serious listening.

[mbovaird]

Usb

[chengisk]

Definitely USB with a good quality USB cable. And using a software such as Decibel to play the track from memory instead of repeatedly accessing the HDD will make it even better.

[doggiehowser]

I think there's potential for the USB to sound better, if the USB is implemented well.

And USB SPDIF implementations vary a lot.

[redm]

Defiantly go with USB and an external DAC. It will cost considerably more but compared to the overall improvement you will get in your system, its cost is relatively low.

[kingstoneage]

I use a 2011 iMac with an Apple TV3 connected to a Wadia 121 DAC, this system sounds very good, even the Apple TV3 outputs only 48kHz