AppleTV for Music Only, using TOSLINK No HDMI

[Policar]

I want to use an AppleTV using AirPlay (AppleMusic) for music listening.

I won't be hooking it up to a tv, but I can temporarily hook one up for set up. It would just be there in case I want to listen to music and stream music.

The reasons I want to do things this way are complicated. I have a TOSLINK-compatible DAC that I particularly like the sound of and I want to hook it up to some headphones without having to tether down my MacBook Pro.

Is this possible?

 

[priitv8]

Why not use Airport Express then?
Most of appleTV's functionality (ergo - price) is related to images, so you would spend on something you do not want to use from the onset.
Airport Express does music streaming, has Toslink, and is the size of aTV. Just white in color.

 

[Policar]

Why not use Airport Express then?
Most of appleTV's functionality (ergo - price) is related to images, so you would spend on something you do not want to use from the onset.
Airport Express does music streaming, has Toslink, and is the size of aTV. Just white in color.

Very interesting.... I assumed it didn't have TOSLINK due to the 1/8" out, but it looks like it supports optical, too, with an adapter:

https://www.cnet.com/news/using-apples-airport-express-with-a-dac-a-how-to-guide/

Do you know if these go up for sale refurbished often? At $49, it looks like a steal.

I'd have to reorganize my apartment (move my modem and router and printer placement) and sell my old router, but I've been looking for an excuse to do that anyway...

 

[priitv8]

a) You just buy the proper optical cable with std toslink on one end and 3.5mm on the other end.
https://www.amazon.com/FosPower-Toslink-Digital-Connectors-Strain-Relief/dp/B00T8HWUVS/

b) You don't want to buy that old airport anymore. Take the new model
https://www.apple.com/lae/airport-express/

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

priitv8 is absolutely right. I would normally push TV for this kind of thing so that you have the bonus of the rest of what an TV can do, but for what you want to do, AE will be the best option.

 

[Policar]

Thanks! I found an open box Airport Express at Best Buy for $60.

Just to confirm, I'll be able to play Airplay from Apple Music at highest available streaming quality and also stream audio from my iPhone and MacBook Pro this way using Airplay?

 

[waw74]

Just to confirm, I'll be able to play Airplay from Apple Music at highest available streaming quality and also stream audio from my iPhone and MacBook Pro this way using Airplay?

Yes...
airplay streams using the apple lossless codec.

but...
there is some debate as to if the airport will support airplay 2.

the main advantage to airplay 2 is being able to stream to multiple locations from your phone at the same time
also some backend updates that should make it more reliable.

you can stream to multiple airplay 1 devices from iTunes simultaneously.

there's also a program called airfoil that will let you stream from any 1 program on your computer (windows or mac) at a time (or whole system audio) to multiple devices.

 

[Policar]

Thanks!

 

[campyguy]

OP, I missed this thread until today and would have offered the Express too. If you need a bit more reassurance, Ken Rockwell broke down sound quality on this unit around 4 years ago. I still love my Express...

 

[bingeciren]

My ATV3 is connected to my TV via HDMI and at the same time to my digital preamp via toslink for listening to music using AirPlay. Most of the time My TV is off and I just listen to music. However, when I want to use the ATV for watching stuff on the TV, I use it as it is intended.

The only thing is, there is a delay in sound between the HDMI and toslink. So when both the TV and my sound system is on, the sound echoes. As a result, I either turn off the sound system and use only the sound of the TV, or mute the TV and use the sound system alone but not both of them simultaneously.

 

[Juicy Box]

The only thing is, there is a delay in sound between the HDMI and toslink. So when both the TV and my sound system is on, the sound echoes. As a result, I either turn off the sound system and use only the sound of the TV, or mute the TV and use the sound system alone but not both of them simultaneously.

It has been a while, but back when I had a receiver on my main TV, I had the ATV3's optical out going to it. I don't remember the HDMI out of sync when I had both on.

I do remember a way to adjust this, either on the TV, or on my receiver, but I didn't need to.

 

[bingeciren]

It has been a while, but back when I had a receiver on my main TV, I had the ATV3's optical out going to it. I don't remember the HDMI out of sync when I had both on.

I do remember a way to adjust this, either on the TV, or on my receiver, but I didn't need to.

I didn’t test to find out whether the delay is caused by the source (ATV) or introduced by one of the components namely the TV or the Preamp. It is in the order of milliseconds but enough to cause the echoing effect.

 

[Policar]

It works! But it sounds bad. Actually, it's difficult to tell how it sounds because it skips so much, it might be fine but the skipping is so distracting.

It's fine from the analog out but toslink to DAC skips.

This is all I could find on my problem:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7878474
[doublepost=1524388241][/doublepost]http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...-toslink-out-to-external-dac-skipping.689285/



Looks like the issue is more jitter than my DAC can handle.

Not the end of the world! I'm just going to go back to my old router and move my "hi fi" headphones to another room, but something to be aware of if you have a DAC.