Sound and your iMac

[roadkill401]

I have only had a mac for under a year. I will admit that I really don't know much about them and am finding out what wonderful things that they can do. I have built my own Windows PCs for many years and seen them evolve with what features they offer.

In January I bought myself an iMac and am left wondering about sound and what to expect. The unit does have speakers off the back and they sound rather lousy. Hooking in a set of headphones is also a pain as all the connectors are at the back where I can't see them. I was thinking of hooking up something better to the unit but have not figured out what yet.

I was wondering if it's common to buy an external USB DAC/Amp to plug into an iMac and just ignore what is built in?

 

[mannyo1221]

When you plug in the USB DAC you need to go into sound preferences and select it as the output device, the internal speakers will then switch off and the sound will be sent to the DAC instead. I do this with my iMac and its connected to an old Yamaha AV receiver using an antique Sony PCLK-MN10.

I am using digital all the way though, and relying on the DAC in the AVR to do the analogue conversion.

 

[monokakata]

I don't know whether it's common or not, but I use an Audioengine D1 and a pair of their A2 speakers. For me, it's an effective solution, considering the size. Anything much larger than the A2s wouldn't work on my desk. The D1 has a headphone jack, so when I want high-quality sound, I just plug in my Sennheiser HD-650s.