Thanks. I casually looked at this earlier but moved on because of the RCA connection. As I have not found anything else I'll probably go ahead with the UCA222 and use a mini->rca Y connection.
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M4 Mac mini & Audio
- Thread starter paulcons
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All you need is a CD drive connected to your Mac via USB and then you can use the Music app to import the audio files on the CD.
For radio, it really depends on what your radio's outputs are. If it's just a speaker, then you'll need a microphone with a USB connection. The quality of microphones varies substantially and I suspect a directional would be better.
If your radio has digital out, then that makes it easy. Just connect via USB and set your sound input to the device. You can use a number of apps to capture the audio, including QuickTime Player.
If it has analog out (e.g., 3.5mm, 1/4", RCA) then you'll need an analog to digital converter. After that, it's the same as digital out from the radio.
I've been having a weird issue. At around the 1'55" mark or so of this video, the volume decreases.
I've occasionally noticed it in other videos too.
However, it doesn't appear to be the video, since if I start listening around 1:45 mark and continue past that 2 minute mark, the volume often does not decrease. I only notice it sometimes when I listen to the whole video. I thought it may be the USB-C to stereo jack adapter, but I also noticed it from the M4 Mac mini's headphone jack as well. What gives?
BTW, switching between the USB-C adapter and the built-in headphone jack, initially I thought I liked the headphone jack better, but in retrospect I think it was probably just a volume difference. The USB-C adapter is significantly better than most inexpensive DACs out there, and definitely way better than the DAC for my monitor's headphone jack.
I've occasionally noticed it in other videos too.
However, it doesn't appear to be the video, since if I start listening around 1:45 mark and continue past that 2 minute mark, the volume often does not decrease. I only notice it sometimes when I listen to the whole video. I thought it may be the USB-C to stereo jack adapter, but I also noticed it from the M4 Mac mini's headphone jack as well. What gives?
BTW, switching between the USB-C adapter and the built-in headphone jack, initially I thought I liked the headphone jack better, but in retrospect I think it was probably just a volume difference. The USB-C adapter is significantly better than most inexpensive DACs out there, and definitely way better than the DAC for my monitor's headphone jack.
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Thanks for the comparison. I connect via shielded cable the headphone jack on my M1 Mini to my Pioneer VSX-D514 receiver which powers 2 BIC DV64 tower speakers. The sound is very satisfying compared to my Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones which are very good but I prefer the tower speaker sound which feels more like a concert arena which headphones don't provide for me.
Here is the question: is there any great advantage to output another way like Toslink digital?
Couple of things ; first of all the headphone socket in the Mini is not designed to be an 'audiophile-grade' line-out: it's a headphone socket, which means there's a small power-amp tagged onto the end of the DAC to raise the volume level to something sufficient to drive headphones. So what you're feeding into your hifi from that socket is not exactly the purest analog signal straight from the DAC.
Second thing, and even discounting any degradation brought about by the 'post-DAC' amplification in the Mini, very likely the DAC in your Pioneer AV receiver will sound considerably better than that in the M4 Mini anyway.
TLDR: yes.
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This is what I use with My M4 Pro 13"
www.fiio.com
Desktop DAC and Amplifier K7/K7 BT
The K7/K7 BT has a six-stage audio circuit with truly balanced analog and digital sections – which helps to reduce crosstalk and reproduce music to a great extent, allowing you to better enjoy the purity of your music.
www.fiio.com
What is the input to your receiver? If it is R/L RCA plugs, then it is likely your Mac mini was sending line-level signal because it has an adaptive audio-out port.
The Sony's are pretty good (I have a pair of the M1s) but they have an impedance of 16 ohms, which means the Mac mini is outputting about 1.25V. Above 150 ohms and that goes to 3V. My Sennheiser HD560S have 120 ohm impedance, so they are also restricted to 1.25V from the mini. (I don't know if the mini increases output in a gradient based upon impedance.)
The big advantage of Toslink optical connection is that you let the receiver's DAC do the conversion. It also allows signal processing that you cannot get via 2-channel line-level inputs. For example, while most of my audio files are 2-channel, I have some 5.1 files that if I pass to my Onkyo via optical, the receiver will decode those 6 discrete channels for better sound staging. You can certainly get simulated surround from 2-channel audio (e.g. Dolby or DTS processing) but the separation isn't as good. So, my opinion is that if you have the ability to input to your receiver via optical, coaxial, USB or HDMI/DP/mDP, then that's the way to do it. But of course, there may not be any discernible difference in what you hear because there's only so much that we humans can hear.
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Yes, RCA plugs input to receiver.
Thanks for your feedback
I have a Toslink cable. So I just need to buy one of these USB to Toslink adapters? If yes, do you think USB A or C or doesn't matter?
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I have not used one of those before so I cannot comment on it. It looks like your receiver is a bit old, around 2010? You should check to see what file formats it can decode. I only rip to Apple Lossless or AAC. You should verify your receiver’s DAC can decode whatever file formats you use.
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I do not like Toslink. Coaxial digital is just as good and the cable, and the jack is much better than the optical cable and jack.
Oh jeez, good point. Receiver manufactured in 2004! Manual states "This receiver can only play back Dolby Digital, PCM (32kHz, 44kHz, 48kHz, and 96 kHz) and DTS digital signal formats. With other digital signal formats, set to ANALOG". But shouldn't it work because I used to play music through it when it was connected to my AppleTV 4K with Toslink cable from my LGOLEDC1 TV to the receiver?
FiiO has all you need to adapt any good vintage receiver/integrated Amp to modern standards. I was thinking how interesting it would be to use a FiiO K19 on a vintage Sansui stereo amp.
www.fiio.com
Flagship Desktop DAC and Headphone Amplifier K19
The FIIO K19, as the flagship desktop DAC/amp, features the ADI SHARC+ ADSP-21565 processor for the first time, supporting 31 bands of professional-grade high-precision lossless PEQ adjustment globally. It adopts two new flagship 8-channel ES9039PRO DACs from ESS and is equipped with the all-new...
www.fiio.com
If I understand you correctly, your Apple TV was connected to your LG TV via HDMI cable, and your TV was connected to your receiver via Toslink cable. And there was no connection between your Apple TV and your receiver? So:
Apple TV out > HDMI cable > LG TV HDMI in
LG TV out > Toslink cable > receiver
Is this correct?
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The solution to your problem is an AVR. They have all of the signal processing you need. I have used AVRs for over 20 years.
@Cave Man That is correct.
@transmaster Yeah I just bought a new Denon AVR-X1700H for my ATV and LGTV. That AVR replaced my Pioneer receiver which I moved to my Mac Mini M1 to power my tower speakers as mentioned in above post. The cost to buy a new AVR for my home office seems too high for a marginally better sound experience, assuming my ears would detect such. I'm interested in a small investment replacing my analog cable with a digital cable to my Pioneer.
I think the best thing to do is what you are doing now; 3.5mm from Mac mini to RCA R/L input. Looking at your receiver's manual online, it has Dolby ProLogic II and a "5-Channel" audio setting that I'm not familiar with. But because you only have two speakers, it probably isn't worth the effort to get the Toslink adapter because the signal processing that your receiver does will pretty much be the same regardless of analog (RCA) or digital (Toslink) connection.