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DAC in Mac?
- Thread starter jwjsr
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Mac Mini = yes, there is a headphones audio out port on the rear
Apple TV = no, only digital outputs -- HDMI, USB, and optical
However, it is not a great DAC if you are looking at outputting HD audio tracks.
What is the purpose of the question?
I have a 2012 macmini ,airport extreme, and apple tv. The appleTV is hooked up to my decoder(dac?) via optical toslink. Here is my Creative ddts-100 decoder.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103401
My decoder has auto detect as in it should detect the proper format for audio output/playback-stereo dolby etc. but it isn't doing so. For instance I just pulled up netflix on the mini and apple tv'd house of cards but my decoder just stayed on stereo instead of detecting dolby or whatever format the show is in. I suspect the Aextreme.?
I am also thinking of replacing the creative DDts-100 Decoder(link above) with a new decoder /DAC thinking it would improve my audio sound.??? I have a McIntosh C-39 processor paired with an mc7106 Amp. I am presently looking at the Outlaw 975 or the Oppo BDP-103. I have a Fat PS3 so I don't really think I need another blue ray player which is what the Oppo is all about. I really don't know that I need anything more as I understand the PS3 has a pretty good DAC in it but I can't quite figure out how to hook it all up without have a jungle of wires and twenty remotes!!! Any opinions???
Thanks for reading
That Creative Labs is not really the same DAC that I was thinking of.
The DAC I was thinking of would be for 2-channel audio. It converts the digital music file into an analog stream to a pre-amp/amplifier.
For example, my 2-channel music setup is as follows:
1.) Mac Mini running iTunes and Audirvana Plus
2.) USB cable to an M2Tech Young DAC
3.) RCA cables to an Onkyo Pro 5508
4.) XLR cables to a pair of Emotiva XPA-1 amplifiers
5.) Speaker cable to a pair of B&W 804 speakers.
It sounds like you are looking for a better processor to convert digital movie tracks to multi-channel analog audio.
Please advise as to exactly what you are looking at doing and what your budget is.
Yeah I need a DAC capable of multichannel channel analogue output for about 5 or 6 hundred and it would be nice to quit using 5 or so different remotes. I have a home theatre master MX 800 remote but it almost requires paying a pro to come out and program.
I want to stream everything from my 2012 mac- mini --> airport extreme-->AppleTv-->DAC-->McIntosh c39 w/ http://www.msbtech.com/products/5-1.php --->McIntosh 6 ch.mc7106.
The DAC needs to accommodate my satellite receiver, PS3(maybe), and my tv.
I have Yamaha HTR 5890 AVR http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/htr/htr-5890_black__u/?mode=model I've never even plugged up, has no HDMI.
Also have an older airport express not in use.
Can you stream audiophile resolution audio with good results?
As hard as I've tried I don't have audiophile ears, it'll be interesting to hear a decent DAC.
I want to stream everything from my 2012 mac- mini --> airport extreme-->AppleTv-->DAC-->McIntosh c39 w/ http://www.msbtech.com/products/5-1.php --->McIntosh 6 ch.mc7106.
The DAC needs to accommodate my satellite receiver, PS3(maybe), and my tv.
I have Yamaha HTR 5890 AVR http://usa.yamaha.com/products/audio-visual/av-receivers-amps/htr/htr-5890_black__u/?mode=model I've never even plugged up, has no HDMI.
Also have an older airport express not in use.
Can you stream audiophile resolution audio with good results?
As hard as I've tried I don't have audiophile ears, it'll be interesting to hear a decent DAC.
Those B&W's are beautiful, Is there any streaming involved in your setup? What is your multichannel setup?
If you mean things like Pandora, then no. I don't have any streaming in my setup.
Here is my complete setup:
Equipment:
Panasonic TC-P65VT30
Onkyo Pro PR-SC5508P
M2Tech Young DAC
Emotiva XPA-1 (x3), XPA-2
Oppo BDP-93
DirecTV HR23-700 HD-DVR
Sony Playstation 3
Apple TV 3
Mac Mini (iTunes Server)
iPad
B&W 804S, HTM3S, CWM DS8S
SVS PB12-NSD
Tripp Lite HT1210ISOCTR Power Conditioner, SMART1000LCD UPS System
See why I seem so confused!!
Here is my setup.
I assume the oppo is your multichannel output and use PS3 for gaming?
Here is my setup.
I assume the oppo is your multichannel output and use PS3 for gaming?
Attachments
Yes, the Oppo is for my Blu-ray, DVD, DVD-Audio, and SACD multichannel listening.
The PS3 is only gaming.
Pics are a little blurry, but it seems like you have one speaker on the couch. I'm not sure I understand what I am looking at. You are trying to connect the computers to the audio system but are looking for a unit to convert the digital audio to analog, right.
I know the Oppo will stream FLAC files. Maybe you can research and see if it will also stream ripped movies. The Oppo 93 is about $500 USD. Maybe that would work for you if the files are not Apple specific files.
Just a thought. I don't do much with multichannel streaming, sorry.
Maybe I'm too tired to post and am missing the obvious, but exactly where does a $99 AppleTV output analog audio?
Macs had a problem outputting surround (dd/dts) via toslink. Does tv normally output surround via toslink?
Basically, yes. A while back on my aTV 1 I could use both XBMC and nitoTV to pass DTS through to optical out. As my current aTV 3 is still not jailbroken, I haven't bothered with those apps anymore.