AppleTV X - I am playing with something new

[Zeotrope]

Makes sense. I believe you shared before, but what do you have in your ATVX chain?

I'm using Shunyata Denali v2 for all video components, and I was using Teddy Pardo linear PSUs for the Lumagen 5348.
So the video chain is:
Denali -> ATVX -> (Teddy Pardo) Lumagen 5348 -> JVC NZ9

I recently upgraded the Teddy Pardo PSUs to Farad System10, but they have not arrived yet.

 

[Xymox]

Here you go. View attachment 152807View attachment 152808

I have a dual stack switch and access point you should try

 

[Xymox]

Mark Levinson did a interview recently and really nailed my buis model. I am doing new engineering and I make every one myself, like making a fine musical instrument. I do not want to be big. Nice to see someone else with the same mindset as myself.

 

[Xymox]

OOoooooo...

I am finishing up something new.. Its proving to be quite suprizing..

I have done a ton of mods + new noise canceling linear on a ASUS 13 Pro i7. The main focus is a roon core, but, it can run Linux, Windows 11 and more. Hooked to a Switch X stack and then hooked to a ATVX working as a end point for roon this has been pretty stunning doing 2 ch music. It could also work as a high end audio NAS if linux was run. The main goal is a killer 2ch audio server. BUT. It can also do a stunning number of video based things and even run Windows 11 and do all the stuff it can do.

People have been after me to make a NUC X.. Well, I did..

It still has some testing to go by my distributor who has showrooms full-o-gear and tons of gear to AB against. Stepping into the crowded 2ch audio server arena is pretty intense, but, as far as I know, no one has used active load analysis and design and addressed jitter on the whole chain like CPU/RAM/SSD/NVMe/SATA/USB/Ethernet before.. Plus using a r-core based noise canceling linear is unprecedented in a server.

I am waiting now for some high performance RAM and a high performance NVMe SSD. I should be ready to ship production in about 3-4 weeks.

Besides all the dejittering of CPU & busses and stuff, I did some extra work on ethernet and on USB.

 

[Davidny]

Hi Chris
This is terrific news. If NUC X achieves similar results to ATVX, Switch X and WiFi X this will be something special. Can’t wait to hear it.
And FYI Greg Weaver just posted a well deserved, glowing endorsement of your Switch X and WiFi X

 

[Xymox]

Hi Chris
This is terrific news. If NUC X achieves similar results to ATVX, Switch X and WiFi X this will be something special. Can’t wait to hear it.
And FYI Greg Weaver just posted a well deserved, glowing endorsement of your Switch X and WiFi X

I just watched that. he did a TERRIFIC job describing the tech side in simple terms.

Exactly same alchemy I do on the Switch X and ATVX I applied to the NUC X. My distributor will need to get it and run it thru its paces and ABs. I never mention what i think about my own products, I would be biased, hahaha.. But, from a technical standpoint using a lot advanced measurements and using the active load test rig, this NUC is producing some impressive numbers. I always focus on the technical specs, things I can measure. The NUC X project has been really cool with the huge improvements I was able to make. Its also just been fun to do insanity level low noise on the USB along with ultra high precision volatge supply for it,, as just one example. This NUC feeds USB devcies with a insanely low noise high precision power supply. This is good because a lot of people use things like external USB drives for thier music.

Just today I got some really good RAM. Lower latency high performance. This made a difference. As the supply feeding that RAM is also insanely low noise high precision, that is some happy ram.. RAM really matters as everything for audio is sitting in RAM. File buffering, playout buffering.. RAM is really important.

I will get the fastest NVMe this week and that will complete the config. The NVMe SSD is also fed crazy good power. So is the internal SATA SSD slot..

I will talk about the design philospy later, but, IMHO, A huge server grade motherboard and dual Xeon CPUs is counter productive because this adds noise and a larger board produces more jitter - thats just physics. As doing roon core using nearly no power or CPU % a big powerful CPU and MB are not the best way. IMHO. Audio use for just some sort of NAS/roon is best served using a much smaller system that has way less RF noise, less thermal noise and shorter trace lengths. IMHO..

With the reviews that have landed and the NUC X development right now, please excuse delays from me in responding to things. There is a lot going on

 

[Steve Bruzonsky]

Just saw a video on Youtube on the new Appletv4k coming out this September. He stated and showed that it is smaller than the otherwise latest 2022 model, which is a good amount smaller than the 2021 model which Chris mods. Chris has often stated how the 2021 model is built for effective modding, not the smaller later model. So I anticipate Chris will not be interested in modding it - though I bet Chris will get one to examine anyway.

 

[Xymox]

Video link ?

Apple announced a new ATV ? I watched the whole last dev conference and there was nothing about that.

YES, I would LOVE to make a better ATVX. I would jump immd into one and have one first day I could get one as a developer. That would be awesome of course because it would look and sound better, not to mention all the owners of ATVXs now might buy the new ones so it would mean lots of sales..

HOWEVER....

The odds of that happening are very very very slim. The last one was a HUGE drop in quality and was focused on profit on a shrinking market. The A2169 electronic design is stunning. Its built more like a piece of $100k test equipment with each section of the circuits indivdually shielded from each other using RF gaskets and blocks of metal. This radically isolates noise from the CPU and regulators getting into the HDMI and ethernet. This was completely eliminated from the most recent design resulting in a huge unfixable increase in noise on the HDMI which induces jitter. The board layout is nearly comical VS the A2169. The A2169 they obviously lost money on it and did so to promote Apple TV because TVs did not always come with apps and to reach older TVs that did not have apps. That requirement has gone away, TVs come with Apple TV preinstalled or run android and its a few clicks away. Im not even sure why Apple would come out with a new ATV as the market for them left years back. SO I have a hard time believing anything Apple would do would bring back all that hard core, big, heavy, engineering that makes the A2169 so good.

They do HAVE to update it if they want to keep selling them tho becuase they stop making older chips each year. So A ATV *MUST* be new each year or so.

What could they add ? No new sound formats. 8K is not a thing. Dolby Vision works pretty well as is. CODECs are perfect for what streaming companies are doing. BUT.. I could see them waving the marketing magic wand around sprinkling AI pixie dust all over.. Thanks, but no thanks, I have seen the results of that in high end post production work and in the Nvidia Shield, nope, thats, pass.

BUT... I am VERY open to being wrong. That would be GREAT...

I will not however sacrifice pic/sound quality for AI pixie dust or marketing " newer is better " BS.

1. It would have to at least equal the pic & sound quality of the current ATV. No exception.
2. It would have to bring some meaningful benifit to the avg high end AV user.

OR.. Its just a better pic & sound after mods then the ATVX...

Now what might happen.. Maybe.. Is I might get better pic/sound from this new NUC X. While not Apple based, that might be fun. I am not done with evaul, but, I think I am already getting better sound via HDMI. If only I could run Apple TVos on it. But this would be far less GUI friendly to operate.

 

[Steve Bruzonsky]

I think the big reason Apple is coming out with a new more "powerful" Appletv4k is to attract gamers to their online gaming. Plus as the old chips are discontinued they need a new model for the new chips. Plus the new model will also handle not only Dolby Vision, but also HDR10+. But with much poorer build quality it simply can't be effectively modded to have picture and sound like what you have done with your Appletv-X (Cinemike mods the current model, but doesn't include an external hardwired with short cable linear power supply, so no way it will have the quality that Chris' has).

 

[Xymox]

God,, have you tried the apple gaming ? Oh gawd its awful. Even a 10 year old would go WTF. I think they just use that as a excuse to explain away the redesign they were forced to do because they HAD TO to use the only production chip.. Ive built many a gaming PC all overclocked and water cooled. I used to game.. The ATV is a joke. Your WAY better pairing your phone to the ATV and using the phone to game. So no need for any power change to do this.

Its gonna be magic pixie dust AI.. That will "Improve picture"... Riiiggghhhttttt... Suuuuurree.. So lets toss out pic and sound quality to add AI ? haha.. No...

I donno.. I want to see a official apple announcement. With a vastly dwindling market, I just dont see why they would even continue making a ATV.

DolbyVision I think is a better platform then HDR10+. Of course DolbyVision is a licensing fee, so, some mfgrs dont like paying it. I think the mfgrs not using Dolby Vision need to get onboard.

Dolby Vision has gotten good these days with firmware updates on the ATVX and Sony OLED TVs. Well and the right TV settings.

I would love to do a better ATV, but, I just dont think that will happen. I dont see them going back to that level of cost for a tiny and dwindling market.

 

[Xymox]

Done hardware wise.. Gonna play with OSs and software stuff now.. Getting closer.. The display can turn off with a switch.