Audiophile output on Mac OSX

[sq225917]

When using the digital out there is no volume setting.

[johnB]

Thanks Mike and Simon.

Mike, the MacBook changes to "digital out" both in System preferences and Audio Midi set up when I plug the Toslink into the headphone output but no sound comes through to the amp. When i unplug the Toslink from the Mac it plays music through the internal speakers...I've tried the Toslink cable and the digital input onto my amp with my Squeezebox and both work fine.....

Simon, on System Preferences when it auto selects Digital out, it states "the selected device has no output controls"...is this your point?

I've tried the Mac through another DAC and it doesn't work...so that leads meto believe the issue is with the Mac.

I'm now lost....

Cheers
John

[AlfaGTV]

It behaves just as expected regarding the switching and so...
And, correctly no volume control should be available using optical out. What puzzled me was your saying that the volume was set to Zero? Perhaps it displays like that?

Are you absolutely positive the MiniToslink adapter is OK? These are really not the best items in the world. Do you have the option to try another cable without the adapter?

Or another Mac using the same cabling?

I'll look into this during the day, i will get my TosLink cable out and try.

Regards /Mike

[AlfaGTV]

Well, it seems the behaviour is what i remember.
When using iTunes, the audio switches automatically between digital output (MiniTosLink/Headphone jack) and if i unplug the cable the audio the sound comes from the internal speaker in the Mac.

When looking at Midi Settings, is the output set to 44.1kHz and 24bits bit depth?

Have you perhaps tried some third party software for Audio purposes that might have fecked up your settings somehow? (unlikely though, as you get audio when unplugging the digital cable)

But my best bet so far is to try a proper Mini Toslink to Toslink cable!

Regards /Mike

[johnB]

Thanks Mike.....I'm sure it's the adaptor that converts the mini-jack to Toslink that's the problem .so as you say next option is to get a cable that avoids the need for the adaptor. I'll report back.
Cheers
John

[SteveTheShadow]

I've read all this thread with interest as I heve been a Mac user since 1992.

I currently run a Mac Mini bought in May 2012 running Mountain Lion.

This upsampling business has me intrigued. I've always been of the opinion that the outputs should be left at their native sample rates and bit depths, but lately am not so sure.

Having tried everything upsampled to 24/96 and found that there was no difference or even a slight degradation with 16bit/44.1, I came to believe the mantra of the bit-perfect brigade. That is until I decided, on a whim just to try upping the output to 24bit/88.2 via the audio midi setup.

The result is simply wonderful, both with CD rips and with iTunes store downloads, which a 24 bit/44.1 to start with.

Presentation is natural and more lifelike than I have ever heard digital to be before, and all via the much maligned iTunes.

The digital experts can feel free to disagree but
I'm just saying that power of two upsampling really does work wonders for the sound of Mac OSX audio output via the optical out at any rate.

[AlfaGTV]

Good to hear Steve! I do agree that "symmetrical" upsampling is the best option, when upsampling is used at all. You may have hit a sweet spot there, when playing through the Mac.
I have a DAC, the ASUS Essence One, which has got a nice asyncronous USB interface and the option to upsample "symmetrically" to 352.8Khz for 44.1/88.2/176.4Khz material and to 384Khz for 48/96/192Khz stuff... This works really well to my ears!

Have you tried BitPerfect? Its a small application which lets you upsample, symmetrically or asymmetrically. It makes all the settings foryouwihout hassle, by passes sound degrading software and stll lets you use iTunes as player nd library?
Only costs a few quid, well worth it!!!

Regards Mike

[SteveTheShadow]

Hi Mike,
I used to use BitPerfect a while ago, but have negelected it of late.
I've just downloaded the most recent update and after a hairy moment when it told me it could not find my iTunes library, I realised you have to now point it to your library manually, something to do with a change of rules for third party apps.

I set it to upsample to 88.2KHz and after playing a few tunes, I have to agree that it makes a useful improvement to vanilla iTunes playback, rendering it much more solid and full sounding, without losing detail; more like good vinyl playback.

[Stratmangler]

Hi Mike,
I used to use BitPerfect a while ago, but have negelected it of late.
I've just downloaded the most recent update and after a hairy moment when it told me it could not find my iTunes library, I realised you have to now point it to your library manually, something to do with a change of rules for third party apps.

I set it to upsample to 88.2KHz and after playing a few tunes, I have to agree that it makes a useful improvement to vanilla iTunes playback, rendering it much more solid and full sounding, without losing detail; more like good vinyl playback.

Are you running through an external DAC?

[SteveTheShadow]

Are you running through an external DAC?

Hi Chris,
I'm running through an SPDIF toslink connection to my old Musical Fidelity M1 DAC.
Now this upsamples everything it gets to 24/192 regardless, so adding another stage of digital processing at the PC end, flies in the face of accepted wisdom.
Yet the improvement is there and it is not subtle.
Whole swathes of fog are lifted by the simple expedient of symmetrical upsampling at the Mac end of the chain. The sound relaxes and fills out yet has tremendous presence.

I've given up giving a monkey's fsck whether I'm adding some kind of euphonic distortion. You can't apply analogue logic to digital processing.
It is the nearest thing to good vinyl I have heard yet.