How to connect an iMac G5 to amplifier?

[Willy S]

What is is the best way to connect my iMac to my Denon 1325R amplifier? And is it a good idea to use the iMac to play classical songs that have been ripped with Apple lossless....or is a good CD player or SACD player much better?

I just received an excellent pair of speakers, Canon Ergo RCL.

Cheers,

Willy

 

[dethbunny]

Optical

Provided your iMac has optical-out capability (I think all G5s are included), plug a suitably long optical cable into the line-out and run it over to the receiver.

Apple Lossless is a format that loses nothing compared to the original CD, so it should sound the same as a disc played back on a standalone CD player. I don't hear much of a difference between CD and SACD, but your mileage may vary.

 

[ChrisA]

Provided your iMac has optical-out capability (I think all G5s are included), plug a suitably long optical cable into the line-out and run it over to the receiver..

If you lack a suitably long optical fiber cable or don't want to drill holes in walls and pull cable you can buy an Apple Airport Express. Then you iMac can send the audio data wireless to the little Airport Express box. The little box has an optical digital audio output that can be connected witha short fiber cable. This works well. The final audio quality is whatever you iTunes library is.

BTW have you tried any blind tests where someone switches between CD and 320Kbps MP3 and you have to listen an say which format is playing? In many cases with older clasical and jazz recodings I can hear defects in the master tapes when listening to the MP3. On the other hand I have an 256 encoding of a recent Neil Yong CD that has a few secods were the MP3 s just total distortion, just buzzes and clicks. Something on that CD is un-encodable. I find that Euro-techno-electricia many times does not encode well at all but clasical is easy to encode and works well, all ausotic instruments and no studio tricks is just what MP3 likes best.