External DAC

Hi all. I have recently bought an external USB DAC/Amplifier to use with my headphones (the Fubar 3 from Firestone Audio). I am having trouble setting it up on my iMac. On my iBook it went right in and the sound control stage is appropriately bypassed, the volume control on the computer does not work, only the external one does. On the iMac however, the sound comes out through it after correctly choosing it in the sound output options, but the computers sound stage stays in the loop. The volume control on the mac is still active. This defeats the purpose, which was improving the sound quality. I tried different USB ports, re-starting the computer etc. Mac support had no idea. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you

What will you be plugging an external DAC into?
I just run optical to an old Yamaha DSP processor for stereo (PCM) conversion and DD 5.1 decoding, this then feeds the stereo for general audio and L/R front for surround, the processor powering rear/center surround speakers.
I can't remember even trying the analogue audio out, but most say it's poor quality, though one or two comments I recall said it was very good.
I'm more than happy with my old setup for use with AppleTv so if you already have some form of home theatre setup try it with that, though if you have a stereo amp without optical input you may well want an external DA/processor.
Bear in mind AppleTV generally cannot output better than 16 bit 44.1kHz PCM to a DAC for stereo.

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Problem with Itunes and Remote when external DAC is used

I am using IPad Remote app to connect to itunes library paired a windows vista Toshiba Laptop.
When the pc speaks are used or the iPad for audio reproduction, everything works OK, and iPad Remote can connect to iTunes Library.
Unfortunately when the optical audio output of the PC is used for audio reproduction through an external DAC, amplifier and speakers, iPad cannot connect to iTunes library!
Thanks in advance.

Perhaps Tom could assist.

Using an external DAC with my iTunes library

There are a lot of links on the web to people incorporating external DAC's in using their iTunes music library as a jutebox for your home stereo and I wanted to share my experience as I think it may help some of you in the decision making process. I spent several months researching different products and decided on April Music's Stello DA 100. The sound quality was a big part but so was the fact that they have two digital optical inputs, one coax input, and a USB input. Making it substantially more versatile than more expensive options without comprimising the sound quality. They have a U.S. based distributor/hub in Chicago which has provided me excellent service (help in using iTunes as my digital jutebox player). If you are currently connecting your computer or ipod directly to your stereo, you really should consider placing a DAC in the loop. It will make a big difference.

I noticed this is getting views so, I'm posting answers to myself if case it's helping someone else.
I turned the external drive off and started iTunes on purpose to see what it's reaction would be.
It does redirect itself to the original location, remake the iTunes Music folder on my internal drive, and start to download Podcasts.
Is it possible to stop this? Can the path to the iTunes Music folder be locked? I'd actually rather iTunes crashed than reset itself this way.

Does the built-in DAC on my 2007 mid yr iMac support 96/24 audio as it supplies signal to the headphone jack? (is there a reason to export audio via optical jack then to an external DAC?

does the built-in DAC on my 2007 mid yr iMac support 96/24 audio as it supplies signal to the headphone jack? If so, is there a reason to export audio via optical jack then to an external DAC then to stereo?

My suggestion to work around this problem would be to hook up an Airport Express. The AE also has an optical out the same as your iMac. As long as your wireless connection is robust enough you should be able to stream from your iMac to your AE and then have the optical cable connect between your AE and your DAC, which then connects to your Integrated Amp/Receiver/Pre-Amp (depending on your system configuration).
I assume because you are using the optical out and connecting to an external DAC that you are looking for a high level of Audio quality ?

Simultaneous output to multiple external DACs

Hello,
Just wondering if anyone has figured out how a single MacBook Pro can output audio simultaneously to 2 or more USB external DACs so that you deliver high quality source music signal to multiple zones of a building ?
Can this be done through wi-fi ?
I've been trawling through numerous blogs and posts and can't find anything other than accounts of unsuccessful tries with the Aggregate Sound Device.
Thanks.
Clement

Hi Raj,
The requirement is for one customer master if i want to add more then one email id and for those email ids , I want to generate a invoice output using VF02 , We can add more than one email id in Customer master but we can not use all the email ids the same time to trigger the output.
If I want to send the output to multiple email ids maintained in the customer master , how i can do that?
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Using an external DAC with Apple TV

How is the sound quality using the Apple TV connected to a home audio system? Is anyone using an external DAC with the Apple TV to up-sample the audio?

The onboard AppleTV DAC will only be used to output analogue audio via the stereo jacks - HDMI or optical out will use the DACs in the TV/processor/receiver anuyway.
Stereo audio files are converted to a PCM bitstream (which will not use a DAC) for output via optical.
Personally I think even lossy MP3/AAC sounds great via optical from AppleTV. My Yamaha DSP won't upsample the PCM bitstream, but frankly upsampling audio isn't going to bring huge sonic benefits as it's only interpolating what isn't there isn't the first place. Granted opinions differ on whether upsampling makes things sound better or not, but you can't reproduce perfectly information you don't have , the interpolation will only be guesswork.
You may want to look at the 2 links here, which are along the lines of using AppleTV and Airport Express in hi-fi setups:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7330045&#7330045

How can I connect airport express to an external dac connected to stereo amp, How can I connect airport express to an external dac connected to stereo amp

Hi just purchased airport express, how do I connect it an external dac which is connected to a stereo amplifier, what interconnect cables should I be using"" thanks

Normally, you would need a Mini Toslink to Toslink cable. Example below:
Amazon.com: 6ft Toslink to Mini Toslink Cable: Computers ...
Most electronic superstores will have what you need as well.

ITunes 11.1.2 sound is distorted, from the library from the store, from my external DAC. Tried swapping USB ports, reloading songs in an uncompressed format, etc. Sound is awful. Thanks for any ideas.

iTunes 11.1.2 sound is distorted on my iMac, from the library from the store, from my external DAC. Tried swapping USB ports, reloading songs in an uncompressed format, etc. Sound is awful. Thanks for any ideas.

I have the same issue. If I open up the Equalizer and select any setting (including the one that is already checkmarked), the sound corrects itself. However, it goes right back to crappy when a new song comes on.

External DAC for ATV?

Who's using an external DAC with their Apple TV? What make and what difference did you notice?
For stereo audio.

What will you be plugging an external DAC into?
I just run optical to an old Yamaha DSP processor for stereo (PCM) conversion and DD 5.1 decoding, this then feeds the stereo for general audio and L/R front for surround, the processor powering rear/center surround speakers.
I can't remember even trying the analogue audio out, but most say it's poor quality, though one or two comments I recall said it was very good.
I'm more than happy with my old setup for use with AppleTv so if you already have some form of home theatre setup try it with that, though if you have a stereo amp without optical input you may well want an external DA/processor.
Bear in mind AppleTV generally cannot output better than 16 bit 44.1kHz PCM to a DAC for stereo.

Playing Hi Res music using an external DAC.

I'm using a Spotify Premium account at the moment for listening to music (synched to extreme quality), but I'm considering getting a Tidal account for better quality audio. As it stands, I'm under the impression that the iPhone 6 doesn't play Hi Res audio, so just listening to music with headphones connected to the phone's 3.5mm jack seems pointless as I won't be able to tell the difference between the MP3 from Spotify and the FLAC from Tidal. Is it worth investing in an external DAC to improve the quality? Another product I saw was the Amp case which is soon to be released, is that another alternative? Currently I'm using a set of V-Moda Crossfade LP headphones, but I'm considering getting a better set (e.g. Sennheiser Momentum). I'm not looking for the best music quality money can buy, but a way to utilise the better HiFi music on Tidal so that I actually notice the difference between it and MP3. Any suggestions on DACs to buy would also be appreciated.
Thanks.

Thanks for all of your help.
That was my worry. If I can't write to the EDD using the PC, and I have to reformat the EDD for the mac (which wipes the files), then what do I do? lol
Since I don't actually "DJ" using iTunes, I had planned to store the music files on my external hard drive and use the Virtual DJ software to play the songs.
My external hard drive is currently 128GB of music, though that may drop a bit as I plan on removing some songs that are duplicates or ones I don't use anymore.
My other question is, I notice on iPhone that some programs will periodically crash when opened (ie - Facebook and MixVibes). All of my software and OS are up to date. Does this occur on the MacBook and iPad as well?

Worn-out headphone jack as optical out for computer audio via external DAC

I have been using my iMac's headphone output jack to connect with a DAC and my audio system for some time now, but I apparently have inserted and removed the optical plug connector so many times to switch between DAC and internal iMac speakers that it has worn out: pulling the plug out of the jack no longer always switches the sound output back to internal speakers - Built-in. I have to pull it in and out several times and even this doesn't always work. Is anyone aware of a switch I could install to do this without constantly pulling the plug out and plugging it back in?

My suggestion to work around this problem would be to hook up an Airport Express. The AE also has an optical out the same as your iMac. As long as your wireless connection is robust enough you should be able to stream from your iMac to your AE and then have the optical cable connect between your AE and your DAC, which then connects to your Integrated Amp/Receiver/Pre-Amp (depending on your system configuration).
I assume because you are using the optical out and connecting to an external DAC that you are looking for a high level of Audio quality ?

Playng music from computer with an external DAC

Hi to all,
I'm a new enter of this forum and I'm happy for this.
I'm not very expert on computer and I use it only for work, but in this period I'm in troble because I am not able to play computer music with my HiFi equipment passing throw an external DAC, recently acquired.
For this purpose I've bought:
1) Digitalpclink (USB to Optical&SPDIF converter)
2) Emagic 6/2m
in both cases the istruments worked fine on windows systems but failed to work on my Mac.
Have someone something to tell me at this regard?
Thanks to Everyone who spent His time in answering.

Easiest way is to continue to use the external drive for your main library. And then create and maintain a much smaller library on your internal drive for when you are away from the computer's external hard drive. Here is the instructions for creating and/or opening alternate libraries...
How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304447
Before you leave on a trip, set the laptop to use the internal drive library. Then while the external hard drive is still hooked up you can use the File -> Add to Library... to add tracks (songs, videos, etc.) to the library by pointing to the files on the external drive which will then be added to the library and copied to the internal drive. You can also delete stuff out of the internal to make room you don't need on that trip knowing everything is safely on the external drive.
Patrick

Connect a external DAC

Hi!
I have an Airport Express Gen 2. I´ve connected to my Reciver (Onkyo) with toslink cable and it works fine!
To get even better soundquality I have tryed to connect an external DAC (TEAC)... The USB input sounds good,
but the optical(TosLink) is not so good... If I connect my Mac Book Pro via Toslink it sonds great! If I connect my
Airport Express via Toslink the music have a variation of volyme??? every 10 second. And agin not connced to my reciver.
I will contact TEAC as well
Rightrider

If your goal is to connect the audio source to your Onkyo receiver via a digital optical connection, then using either the internal DAC in the Express or an external one will offer no advantages. That is because DACs are used to convert digital to analog signals.
Unless you plan on connecting this DAC to one of the Onkyo's analog audio ports, there would be no need to use it. In this case the original digital audio signal coming from the source would have to go through two DACs further degrading the signal.

I tunes & external DAC

I wish to play my i tunes on my G4 powerbook thru my stereo system. I do not want to use the headphone output since the sound quality is not great.
I was wondering if i could use the usb output via an external DAC such as the Audio Note DAC 2.1 with USB input (http://www.audionotekits.com/dac2_1.html)
is there another way, will this work. will I need a "driver". My sound stick are plugged into my USB port, I'm pretty sure they don't have a DAC in them
Is there another digital output on my G4, or should I upgrade to a computer that has one

The DAC kit converts digital to analogue and as a dedicated device claims to improve the sound quality over standard built-in converters. Your Powerbook G4 will output a converted digital-to-analogue signal if connected to an analogue device so the purpose of the DAC is to take over this conversion process. I don't have any real experiemce using it but from the tech spec drivers are not required. Newer Hi-Fi systems will have digital-in ports (usually the Toslink variety rather than professional ADAT) so if your stereo has one of these buying a DAC is pointless. You could try a mini-optical to toslink cable (PowerBook G4 specs) as the cheapest option. Going wireless with Airport Express will also provide Toslink connectivity. There are so many ways to port sound from computers to external devices, these are just 2.

Wine external DAC issues

Whenever I play sound through WINE on my external DAC, the sound sounds all crackly. Problem does not occur when I play the sound on my built-in audio, but there are reasons why I don't want to use that.
My DAC is an American Audio Audio Genie Pro.

Try different nrpacks values or set a higher buffer/period size for the device in alsa configuration.

External DAC

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