So sad about Netflix sound quality. No one can hear it

@toro3 , @emergingsoul ,you both ask fair questions and raise good points about what the ATV-X can squeeze from streaming.  The ATV-X affects and improves both video and audio quality, so in fairness it has to be viewed as an overall improvement to the streaming experience.  Early on, I was rather disappointed with it, given the price of admission and the lack of knock-me-over-the-head improvements.  The changes were subtle, and like most electronics, took a while to show themselves.  Now that it has settled, are the changes huge?  No.  Was it a smart move?  Er, um, maybe, perhaps... yeah, I think so.  More on this in a bit.

I pored through the thread on WBF where I first encountered the hopped-up streamer, and people with projectors and OLED TV's were claiming big video improvements.  My Sony Bravia TV is coming on 6 years old and I still really enjoy the picture.  With the ATV-X, it got better.  Not night and day, but it is clearer, brighter and more engaging.  It's not like SD to 4K UHD, but it's still better than before.  How can I tell?  I put the Nvidia Shield back in and the picture was blah.

As to sound, streaming audio has never approached that of a recorded disk for me.  I would prefer to watch a Blu-Ray movie any day of the week for optimal video and audio quality.  Vis-à-vis the audio portion of streamed programming, it is better with the ATV-X than before.  I'd say the SQ improvement alone was (guess-timating) 25%.  That doesn't seem like much, but I found it enhanced my pleasure.

I have a small DVD collection which includes movies and concerts near and dear to me.  I haven't purchased any disks in at least 3 years, nor do I foresee purchasing any in the future.  Why?  The volume of content available via streaming (movies or series) is considerable, and watching in my home theatre is good enough that I just don't need it.  It's certainly not as good as sitting in an IMAX theatre, and I'm always on the lookout for equipment upgrades to provide an even better home experience, but upgrades make sense now?  I've thrown enough $$ at my 2 channel system that it sounds extremely good, dare I even say great.  Some big purchases have produced better, yet subtle, improvements.  After a point, my humble experience is demonstrating the investment in dollars is not directly proportional to the amount of improvement.

I've spun my wheels and made some bonehead moves while upgrading my 2 channel audio system, and given that I spend 80% of my time watching stuff in my HT, the comparatively small expense of a better streamer for an activity where I spend the majority of my time was worth it. Isn't it odd the tens of thousands you can spend on streamers and DACs, yet the best video streamer out there is around $200?  I felt taking the chance on the ATV-X (no return policy) was worth it.  Would you feel that way, sitting on my couch and watching?  Probably not, but we all travel our own paths.

Robert

@emergingsoul , I have to wonder (afraid to, actually) whether the soon to be released upgrade Apple TV 4K will sufficiently bridge the gap between what's come before and my ATV-X as to make my purchase look silly.  The cost of the first Blu-Ray players was crazy, and after a few years they were under $100.  The engineer who makes the upgraded ATV-X naturally says that his product will still be better than the new product that Apple will come out with.  I'm not here to proselytize, only share my experience.  If it helps, great; we all benefit from shared experience.

I've spun my wheels and made some bonehead moves while upgrading my 2 channel audio system, and given that I spend 80% of my time watching stuff in my HT, the comparatively small expense of a better streamer for an activity where I spend the majority of my time was worth it.
 

@traubr I can relate on each point you mentioned, especially the 80/20 split and weird avenues I’ve explored with my 2-channel system. Nonetheless, greatly appreciate the effort made in your thorough response. And the 25% increase in SQ is hard to ignore, especially when you add the uptick in PQ that you experienced.

@emergingsoul I definitely see where you’re coming from. Speaking for myself, the way in which the ATV integrates into the Apple ecosystem on top of its friendly user interface creates the value that other streamers can’t match. In a sense, this somewhat locks me into this device, which always begs the question of whether I can optimize the device/experience.

@traubr 

Very nice reply.

@toro3 

Overall I will say I don’t care about video quality as that’s pretty darn good to begin with I’m more concerned about the quality of the audio.  I’ve done everything I can to improve sound quality by investing in a biampable amp, mc901 from McIntosh. Great power supply, and ethernet cable and switches, Great speakers and I feed the signal through a Conrad Johnsen pre-amplifier. 

Anything beyond this point would be like sucking rock from a stone. Unfortunately we struggle with compressed audio feeds.  Getting back to my very original point it’s absolutely tragic that a lot of good sound quality ultimately is trapped under the netflix and other streaming sources roofs, Will never be heard because the water supply is restricted.  

So what does Reid Hastings hear?, the genius from Netflix, I hope he has to suffer from his compressed audio nightmare. Is he able to do anything. Are there enough people out there to warrant a major streaming upgrade for his users. I’d pay a lot more to get a better streaming quality if that was available, it’s not that much more to get premium that is offered but it’s far short of what it could be.  Maybe there’s plenty they should do and don’t. 

Unfortunately we struggle with compressed audio feeds.  Getting back to my very original point it’s absolutely tragic that a lot of good sound quality ultimately is trapped under the netflix and other streaming sources roofs, Will never be heard because the water supply is restricted.  

Agree. And that’s the crux of it; it’s completely out of our control when it comes to services compressing their feeds. Frustrating, but hopeful streaming will evolve in the near future.