Toslink Question

[FuriousD]

Hi all,
Been lurking for a while and have now signed up. I am looking to use my current iMac with or without airport express with a view to getting a macbook soon. This will be fed into a DAC then my Nait 2. Going to replace the CD3.5/Hicap.

My question; is a mini toslink the same as a 3.5mm jack? There are many adaptors for toslink to 3.5mm jack but there are also toslink to mini toslink cables which i assume would be a better option. I can use this from the AE or direct from the iMac.

Also what other suggestion would you have for hardwiring the iMac/MacBook, is there any limits to cable length?

DAC is likely to be a Lavry DA10.

Thanks
D

[Alex_UK]

Hello D - you've done very well to escape the First Post S.W.A.T. team for 2.5 hours...! I'm sure you are (as I type) constructing an introductory post telling us all about your system, music tastes and real name and where you are from

I have no experience of mini toslink, but my understanding is that they share the same hole as 3.5mm jack (oohh err missus) in some applications - though mini toslink is still an optical fibre, not a direct electrical connection. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK

[Codifus]

is a mini toslink the same as a 3.5mm jack? There are many adaptors for toslink to 3.5mm jack but there are also toslink to mini toslink cables which i assume would be a better option. I can use this from the AE or direct from the iMac.
D

That's exactly right. The 3.5 jack is also a fiber optic output. The iMac and the airpot express have the same jack.

You would need a cable like this;

http://www.lifatec.com/toslink2.html

Keep in mind that the airport express is limited to 16/44 whereas the jack inside your iMac can push out 24/96 native.

CD

[Spectral Morn]

Hello D - you've done very well to escape the First Post S.W.A.T. team for 2.5 hours...! I'm sure you are (as I type) constructing an introductory post telling us all about your system, music tastes and real name and where you are from

I have no experience of mini toslink, but my understanding is that they share the same hole as 3.5mm jack (oohh err missus) in some applications - though mini toslink is still an optical fibre, not a direct electrical connection. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK

I was busy Alex

Hi FuriousD welcome to AOS, can you pop into the welcome section of the forum and say hello there. Just have a look at some of the other posts to see what's required.

Regards D S D L

[roob]

I suggest you get a Hiface to connect your Mac to your chosen dac via a decent coax cable, I find this method gives better SQ than using the optical out on a Mac, forget the Express unless you really do need streaming
If you are going to use the optical out there are mini toslink to toslink cables available from Chord etc , I have the Chord one but the Hiface>Macbook>coax beats it.
Your choice of Dac is a good one by the way.

[StanleyB]

The adapter that you are after is described on my site HERE.

[Codifus]

I suggest you get a Hiface to connect your Mac to your chosen dac via a decent coax cable, I find this method gives better SQ than using the optical out on a Mac, forget the Express unless you really do need streaming
If you are going to use the optical out there are mini toslink to toslink cables available from Chord etc , I have the Chord one but the Hiface>Macbook>coax beats it.
Your choice of Dac is a good one by the way.

I would love to add this to my setup but;

1. My old mac is USB1.1 (of course I can buy a USB 2.0 card)
2. The mac is at least 100 feet, several rooms away from my stereo, and I would very much like to keep it that way

CD