Sonica and AC3 Digital Sound

Discussion in 'Mac Apps and Mac App Store' started by tim.shepherd, Sep 11, 2002.

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  1. tim.shepherd, Sep 11, 2002

    tim.shepherd macrumors newbie

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    #1
    I thought I would point out that M-Audio's Sonica http://www.m-audio.com has new Jaguar drivers that allow the SRS features of the Sonica to work under 10.2. Also if you use the VLC AC3 Edition DVD Player, you can now enjoy Dolby Digital Multi-Channel sound from your Macintosh. I haven't tried the new Apple DVD Player yet. The Sonica only supports Optical digital sound, so if you have an older amplifer with Coax/RCA digital input you might need the CO2 or CO3 from M-Audio as well to adapt the Optical to Coax/RCA. The line-out is amazing, expect big sound from this little box.
     
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  2. Pepzhez, Sep 11, 2002

    Pepzhez macrumors regular

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    #2
    I've never used this thing, though M-Audio makes very good equipment. I wonder, though, why USB? I have a tough enough time managing 16 bit/48 kHz audio in and out of a USB device. I can't imagine how 24 bit/96 kHz is going to work reliably in USB's rather limited bandwidth.

    I've really come to dislike USB, period. It's not adequate for audio; it seems flaky for printers, mice, keyboards and the like. All of the trouble-free connectivity and hype about USB never translated to reality, if you ask me. And I couldn't care less about USB 2.2, or whatever it's called. So what if it's faster? Still the same problems and still not as fast and reliable as Firewire. (Isn't USB an Intel invention?)

    Other than MOTU, is ANYONE making Firewire audio devices? This one should be a no-brainer - reliablilty, plenty of available bandwidth, etc. I just don't understand why so many (M-Audio, Roland, etc.) are continuing to develop USB peripherals for this purpose. It is not as if Firewire is an esoteric standard. Try capturing video (Mac or PC) without it!

    But it would be nice to see more affordable Firewire audio devices around. I wonder if it's all about licensing fees. Perhaps Roland saves 2 cents by choosing USB over Firewire. Who knows?!
     
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  3. vniow, Sep 11, 2002

    vniow macrumors G4

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    #3
    Ummm, no. Apple invented it. You see it on the first iMacs before anything else.
     
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  4. Pepzhez, Sep 12, 2002

    Pepzhez macrumors regular

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    #4
    Sorry, no. I wanted to confirm this and it's true: USB is an Intel invention and they hold the patents and collect the roylaties. Apple was an early adopter, though.

    http://www.usb.org/
     
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  5. vniow, Sep 12, 2002

    vniow macrumors G4

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    #5
    Actually...


    Actually, Intel was just one of seven companies to develop it:
    clickety clack
     
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  6. DaveGee, Sep 14, 2002

    DaveGee macrumors 6502a

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    #6
    Open mouth and insert foot to the heal. :p
     
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  7. vniow, Sep 14, 2002

    vniow macrumors G4

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    #7

    I did. Read my above post. :)
     
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  8. bousozoku, Sep 14, 2002

    bousozoku Moderator emeritus

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    #8
    Intel pushed it into its reference motherboards and other companies followed suit. It languished until Apple added it to the iMac. Then, USB became popular and Microsoft felt the need to add it to their O.S.es.

    It remains a mess. I have around 10 different USB products, none of which seem to work in the harmony suggested my USB promoters. 127 devices? Sure. All 127 at once? Don't bet on it.
     
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  9. tim.shepherd, Sep 14, 2002

    tim.shepherd thread starter macrumors newbie

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    #9
    Right, here is the Sonica report.

    I tested the Sonica running on 10.2 (Jaguar) with the following applications,

    iTunes 3
    VLC AC3 S/PDIF Edition 4.3
    Apple DVD Player 3.2


    The VLC DVD player, worked perfectly, it gave me high quallity video (double that of SVIDEO) and a Dolby Digital 5.1 AC3 stream to my amp.

    OS X also provide Stereo sound over the same optical connection via the Sonica, so I got great sound from iTunes.

    Apple's DVD Player 3.2 does _NOT_ support the AC3 stream, _YET_. It gave me the Prologic surround sound via the stereo track.
     
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  10. bousozoku, Sep 14, 2002

    bousozoku Moderator emeritus

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    #10
    I hope I'm as impressed with it. I just saw one for the first time yesterday and found the price to be reasonable. Now, if I can find the S/PDIF cable for my CSW DTT2500, it might just be amazing. Hopefully, it will use the optical cable.
     
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  11. amnesiac1984, Sep 18, 2002

    amnesiac1984 macrumors 6502a

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    #11
    anyone know where you can get these in the UK?
     
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