Flaws in this chain?

Thanks to all for the help. 

I understand the  Modi isn’t all that great but for now it will have to do. But to be honest, playing ripped CDs through it sound quite good to me. Not the same as a CDP but close and in some ways a little less bright and strident and slightly warmer. So for my untrained ears the Modi is okay. A multi bit may be in my future but not now. 

And unfortunately there here is no way I’m spending a grand on a device that seems to solve problems associated with the low end stuff I’m not willing to upgrade.  ;-)

So so the question I have now is the issue of jitter from the Apple TV. I do not even know what jitter sounds like so that might be a saving grace. 

I read some some technical reviews of several low end DACs that measured jitter...however you do that.  The reviewer was pointing out how some of them had jitter real bad at some level and others did not. He was very critical of the ‘jittery’ ones but then went on to point out that humans could not perceive that level of jitter.....but he still didn’t like that it was there. 

All of which is is to say....only jitter that the average person would hear would be significant to me. 

And the Apple TV is an important link in the chain for me as I don’t want to be hardwired into the system from the MacBook or my main iMac which is in another part of the house. 

Unless there is a cheap alternative to the ATV then I’m stuck for now. 

Okay, so let me ask the obvious question for an inexperienced audiophile: What does jitter sound like?

I don't see a  iFi SPDIF iPurifier with Toslink.

Thank you. So far I have not played anything hi-res through the current set up. I have yet to re-activate my Tidal account.

My ripped CDs are on an old iMac wired directly to the DAC via USB.

I will rip some CDs onto my new iMac (in a different room) and then play it through the current Apple TV set up and see what I hear. If I can't tell the difference then, well, caviar and truffles are wasted on the untrained palate and jitter might not matter to me.

Is the iFi SPDIF iPurifier you mention similar to the Schiit Wyrd and Eitr?

Thanks, I did not see the adapter.

I guess my point is why spend even $150 to correct (purify, decrapify) the signal from a $100 Apple TV? Seems like I should save my money until I can come up with a better wireless solution....whatever that would be and however much that would cost. Of course, if that solution is going to be $1000 or more then I guess the iFi makes sense.

As far as the Schiit devices they are only for USB and optical connections, not Toslink. So no help there.

I'll do some testing this afternoon to see what my ears tell me.

Thanks. That helps me understand what I'm up against.

But here's a question....why don't device makers, at least high end device makers, include some method for decreasing jitter in the device itself?

And as for the Chromecast. Still 'jittery' but less so than the ATV?

Thanks wtf. It really sounds like ATV is dismal on all counts for this process and I appreciate all the advice I’ve gotten in this thread. Fortunately the only money I’ve spent so far is for the mid-grade Toslink cable.

With all this info in mind it is time to step back and reassess.

At this point I will not renew my Tidal HiFi account since as you mention it would be pointless.

For now I will continue to use this set-up to research music (find what I like and then purchase CD/vinyl) via Apple Music and Amazon ( I’m using the trial periods).

Once I decide to take the plunge into hi-res streaming I’ll re-visit my hardware needs.

Thanks again.

Edit: What are the downsides to the Chromecast?

Okay, just now spent some time researching music via iTunes via ATV. SQ stinks. Even I can hear it. The only way I can describe it is muddy.

So it isn’t even all that great for previewing music. Doing the same thing without ATV (MacBook to DAC via USB) sounds much better...even iTunes.

Will look into Chromecast. Nothing to lose really.

Thank you. Excellent advice.

All that I can say is that using the chain I described in the OP above, the SQ is not particularly good...but it is with basic iTunes files....which don't sound too good to me most of the time anyway.

I have not compared a hi-res ripped CD through the ATV vs direct connect to the computer. 

Probably won't bother as I'm finding I can preview stuff okay via the ATV when I'm lazy. If/when I go to hi-res Tidal I will experiment some more.

djones51, I have not actually tried Tidal hi-res on this set-up.

Ripped CDs played through USB to low end Schiit DAC do not sound the same as CD through CDP but it is quite close. In A-B testing I find the CD to be brighter and the ripped CD through the DAC to be less strident. Hard call as to which is better. Through the DAC is usually good enough for me even for serious listening sessions.

At this moment I'm listening to Mark Knopfler's Sailing to Philadelphia through iTunes via the ATV and it is surprisingly acceptable....but I'm sure that is in part due to its exceptional production quality shining through compression, jitter and whatever else.

A good Chianti vs a high end Super Tuscan. I can live with both.

I've been okay running the current set up through Apple TV. Have found that good recordings sound okay this way. Marginal or bad recordings sound worse. Have enjoyed the ease of streaming...and never having to get out of my chair.

So, I ordered a ChromeCast Audio and a mini-toslink cable. I'm not expecting it to sound worlds better but hope for a little SQ improvement.  

To run Amazon Music now I have to use my iPhone. I think with the ChromeCast I'll be able to run it from my laptop via Google Chrome.