Mini digital/analog audio output

I'm using my Mini for itunes music (AIFF) with my home entertainment system. It's pretty high end and I want my receiver to handle the DAC. Is the HDMI output from the Mini digital? Can I make the output digital?
Should I consider going out the USB to a DAC and then to receiver?
Thanks

Should be HDMI. It's got the highest bandwidth -- it can basically pipe 8 digital audio channels uncompressed -- and you can rely on the DAC in your receiver or pre-amp to do the work. If your setup is good, the DAC in your receiver / pre-amp should also be good.
Others may be able to speak to the USB > DAC question. I'm not an terribly well informed, but USB has got lower bandwidth than HDMI, and is not really tuned for A/V delivery. That said, I've read some good reviews of USB > S-PDIF / Analog Stereo DACs.
Finally, I think that S/PDIF is going to be pretty heavily compressed for anything above simple stereo, so if you're interested in high performance 5:1 or better, it's probably not ideal.

Similar Messages

Apple TV2 missing analog audio output for multi-zone system

Found out the hard way that most receivers can't support digital audio in multiple zones (i.e., Zone 2). Since Apple TV2 (ATV2) dispensed with any analog output, if you have a whole-house system that depends on mult-zone to distribute audio to various speakers, you won't be able to use ATV2 to stream music to anything other than Zone 1. The only outputs are HDMI and optical (both digital audio). I think I found a work around (which, of course costs more money) which is a "de-embedding" device from Atlona that takes HDMI in and splits out the audio to analog and passes the HDMI through to the receiver. The analog audio output then lets me connect to the analog in on the receiver so it can stream to all zones. I figure Apple just didn't have enough real estate on the new product to make room for analog, but it's a pain. Hope this helps someone. If anyone knows a better work-around, I'd love to hear it.

I have the same issue with a MacMini I use for music. My solution was to use an inexpensive optical splitter - one feed to the optical input of my receiver and the second to a DAC. Then run standard RCA audio cables from the DAC to the analog Zone 2 inputs.
Here is a link for a DAC
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?cid=104&cp_id=10423&cs_id=1042302&pid=6884&seq=1&format=2
They should have the splitter as well.

Analog Audio Output Jack for Digital Speakers with same jack configuration

I just purchased my first Mac, a Mac Pro. I can't get sound to my speakers using the analog out jack. With my old PC, there was a setting for "digital output" even though the digital speakers were attached via to the same style jack as the Mac's analog out jack. I've tried going to preferences but don't see a like setting for digital output. Is there a setting to do so and if not, is there an adapter to convert the Mac's digital audio out to the analog jack style?

Do you want digital or analog? Your question seems to imply that you have speakers that accept a digital signal but you also say you want analog...??
Anyway, my Mac Pro (2006 model) has separate analog and optical digital outputs on the back. The pictures on the apple website still show the same thing on the Mac Pro so I'm guessing it's the same. I think only the Mac laptops have the analog/optical digital combo jacks...
The optical digital outputs are the little white squarish ports beneath the rear firewire ports.
The MacPro does not have a SPDIF RCA style output. Maybe that is what you are thinking of from the windoze pc...
You should be able to enable the rear analog line output or the digital outputs from the System Preferences > Sound > Output screen. The front headphone outputs kind of act weird in that they disable the rear line output (if I remember correctly, I never use the front port...).

Simultanious audio output from both mini Displayport and Audio Output port?

Hey guys,
I was wondering if someone who already has audio+video output through the mini displayport set up can be so kind and answer the following questions for me:
Can audio be output simultaniously from 3.5mm audio port as well as the mini displayport? That is, if I output both video and audio to my reciever through the 2010 iMac's mini Diplayport, can i use the standard audio output port to provide line input for a further set of (active) speakers (analog would be fine)?
In the case both outputs CANNOT work simultaniously, which one will work if i have both plugged in? If the mini displayport has higher rank (or priority or what whatever i should call the one that works when both outputs are plugged in), and the reciever it is plugged into is switched off, will audio automatically switch to the standard audio port? Same question goes if the standard audio output port has higher rank/priority?
Many thanks in advance!
Just in case you are wondering why the heck i would wanna do that, here's some background:
I am planning on setting up my new 27' iMac on a 'work' desk in my bedroom, where i can comfortably sit and work on the computer as well as use the beautiful screen as my bedroom TV. Since i also wanna use my mac for all my living room multimedia needs (movies, tv shows, music, etc), i plan on running a long (15m) audio+video HDMI cable all the way up to my reciever in my living room. Furthermore, i am also planning on running a USB cable to the living room (through something of this sort: http://www.coolgear.com/images/171632pro.jpg) plugged in to a usb hub mainly for mouse/keyboard availability in the living room, but also for other things such as external hard drives and so on. The problem is that, apart from having my audio play in the living room, i also want to provide line input to my reference monitors that will be located at the iMac desk and i obviously much prefer i get the line input directly from the mac rather than running a third cable from reciever back to the speakers.
Message was edited by: Leeon

Anyone?
Is that so few people are using the new mini displayport for audio, or did i ask the wrong way?
Help will be greatly appriciated as i need this info in order to plan my purchases!

Does digital optical audio output "sleep"?

Digital audio works fine as long as an application is actively generating audio, but when it is paused for a short while, I start static from my amplifier similar to what I hear if an optical cable is disconnected. I notice that there is no light coming out of the end of the optical cable. This was a problem in setup, as the absence of light caused me to think that the optical cable was damaged or not properly connected.
Does the optical audio output "sleep" after a period of nonuse and lose carrier? Is there a way to keep it active all of the time?

I've also been having this problem with my Mac mini (2009 version). Static/crackle sound over digital connection when the audio has been idle for a short while.
It reminded me of an old problem that some PowerBook G4 users had several years ago, where the audio hardware would go to sleep to save power and there would be a delay while it woke up. I remembered that there were a coupe of utilities created to remedy this problem by playing silent noises at short regular intervals.
I tracked down these utilities - KeepSoundAwake and SoundOn. Someone mentioned that SoundOn used a whopping 1% of CPU and showed a Dock icon, while KSA usage was usually 0% and had no Dock icon. So I decided to try KeepSoundAwake.
Here is a link:
http://mrfeinberg.com/KeepSoundAwake/
So far so good. I've been crackle-free for the last several minutes since starting up the program. This is a pretty ancient application (last update was a fix for 10.3 compatibility), so there are a few things to be aware of. I now have this one non-intel-native app running constantly, which is sort of a bummer - but with 4GB, I'm not too concerned. The PrefPane that comes with it will not run at all since it is not intel-native, but the default settings are fine so that's not really a concern either. You do need to make the app a startup item so it will be running all the time.
If I encounter any problems with using KSA with my setup, which includes running some multi-channel audio through Plex, I'll report back here.
I do wish Apple would officially address this issue so we wouldn't need to use a 7-year-old hack!

How to connect Digital Optical Audio output iMac with Receiver Input

I have connected iMac with onkyo hts-3300 home theater system receiver through optical audio TosLink Cable.( http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Optical-Audio-TosLink-Cable/dp/B001ZU3G2I/ref=sr12?ie=UTF8&qid=1292865309&sr=8-2 ). Unfortunately there is no sound coming out from the Home theater system. I have verified the Receiver optical input is working fine by connecting with my TV optical audio digital out put and the it's working great. The only difference between TV and iMac is, on my TV, it has optical audio digital output and I can use this cable (http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-A102-02M-Digital-connectors/dp/B0002WPREU/ref=s r11?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1297320792&sr=1-1) to make it work. I can also verified my optical audio TosLink Cable working because I can see the red light coming out from the cable. So the only problem could be from iMac. I doubt I need to change the additional setting to configure iMac to use external optical audio setting instead of the buit in audio setting. Hoe can I able to do it? or my iMac(IMAC 21.5"/3.06/2X2GB/500GB/9400M-ITP
MB950ZP/A) doesn't support optical digital audio out put? I have follow this thread http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=12769423&#12769423 and to my surprise which doesn't work out for me. I doubt that i need to change some setting, but when I got to setting>> sound I cannot change any setting. I was quite depressed aldy. Can someone answer my question as i m a newbie here. Thanks a lot

Thank you very much for your reply.
@Király : May i know how to Open Audio Midi Setup? Is this Audio Midi Setup is in the locatated in the Setting in Mac Snow Leapord OS? or how to locate this "Audio Midi Setup " in Mac enviroment. Is it possible to open this Audio Midi Setup in windows 7 enviroment also? I Just want to get the audio from my iMac in Hts-3300 onkyo home theatre. YOur help is much appreciated
@rkaufmann87 : Thank you very much for your sharing about this http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/ connection. for me what i understand is the digital audio output in airportexpress is the same as the audio out put in iMac in terms of details sepcs. So this airportexpress will only help you connect wirelessly to home theatre system, rather than waired connection. Other than that nothig much difference. So there is no point for me to spend extra bucks to attain the wireless connection. Unless the airportexpress have optical digital input, which i believe not. Correct me if I m worng, thanks

Want a fixed analog audio output from new mini

I have the mini to rca cable

Hi Duffy,
Will an iMic work?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=797644&is=REG&A=details&Q =

Splitting digital/analog audio outs?

I'm wondering if there's a way to split the audio out of an Intel Mac Mini into both analog and digital outputs. I'd like both active at the same time.
I've got a Mini in my home theater rack now, which is great. To keep things easy to use for the rest of the family I have the audio and video going straight to the TV. The TV only has analog in for audio. But I also want to run optical digital audio to the receiver to take advantage of the big speakers when appropriate (not used every day).
Conceptually it might need just a splitter, but I've never seen such a thing.
Thanks!

I'm pretty sure you won't be able to do this in a trivial fashion. The mini will detect what you have plugged into it (analog or digital) and will only output the proper data.
What I have at home to work around this issue to route digital content to my 7.1 receiver yet stereo to my whole house cable channel is to take the digital out from my receiver and pipe it through a device that converts the digital signal to analog.
The only thing I've been able to find to do this for a somewhat reasonable price is the Thrustmaster. Its quite a hack as this is intended to be used with a set of headphones but it works pretty well.
Kevin
G5, G4s, Mac Book Pro, DC mini Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Any way to split digital/analog audio?

I'm wondering if there's a way to split the audio out of an Airport Express (or an Intel Mac Mini) into both analog and digital outputs. I'd like both active at the same time.
The reason for the Mac Mini is easier to explain. I've got a Mini in my home theater rack now, which is great. To keep things easy to use for the rest of the family I have the audio and video going straight to the TV. The TV only has analog in for audio. But I also want to run optical digital audio to the receiver to take advantage of the big speakers when appropriate (not used every day).
Conceptually it might need just a splitter, but I've never seen such a thing.
Thanks!

I did a Google search and couldn't find any adapters that would allow this. I'm not that familiar with the connector but theoretically it is possible. It might be just a matter of time before someone makes one. You might try again later. In the mean time you could have both cables routed to the Mac Mini and just swap them when you you want to use the other speakers, inconvenient but not to bad if you don't have to do it frequently.

HT1551 digital toslink audio output is restricted on apple TV

I am trying to connect the apple TV to a receiver via the toslink output. All that I got on the receiver is a message that says "digital signal restricted". The apple TV was previously connected to another receiver via HDMI and I had tested the toslink connection before and it was working. Should I reset the apple TV? Have somebody faced the same problem? Please, I would appreciate any help
Thanks

Never heard of that before.
It either sends linear PCM 16 bit 48 kHz (not 44.1 kHz) for stereo or Dolby Digital 5.1 streams.
AC

How to get the Mac Mini Digital Audio output at 192kHz?

I have a mid 2011 Mac Mini (and love it). According to http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4806, "The headphone / line output port accommodates digital optical audio output, analog audio output with a 24-bit, 44.1-192 kHz D/A converter, digital audio output up to 24-bit stereo and 44.1-192 kHz sampling rate and supporting encoded digital audio output (AC3 and DTS)."
So there is digital audio output to 192 kHz but how do you configure it to work? Using the Audio Midi Setup Utility, I can set the sample rate to 96000 Hz -- but it won't go higher to 192kHz. Anyone know how to do this?

That is in some ways confusing. For the analog output, the
internal DAC can support 24 bit/192Khz audio data. It does
require an application that has the capability of playing back
such material.
The TOSLINK optical standard does not support this data rate.
It has nothing to do with the Mini, it is the standard itself. The
TOSLINK optical spec is 96 kHz, 24 bit stereo (uncompressed).
The mini will however support multichannel, 24 bit, 192 kHz
(uncompressed) via the HDMI interface. Also, again,
the playback software needs to support it.
Just as a final note, unless the source material has the
higher sample rate format, there is no benifit to outputing
at the higher sample rate, especially if the source some
lossy comporessed format (mp3, aac, Dollby and DTS
non-HD formats).

Analog Audio on new MacBooks?

I love what I've seen about the new MacBooks. But my primary use is to digitize analog audio and also to stream it back to my home stereo. Can anyone advise about the new MacBook's support for analog audio? Are the stereo mini-plugs (audio in & headphone out) gone?

I found the following about the new MacBooks at the Apple Store:
Headphone port
Headphone/optical digital audio output (minijack)
Support for Apple iPhone headset with remote and microphone
"Headphone" sounds like an analog audio output, but what about an analog audio input? If not, could anyone advise about the world of quality (but small) A/D converters that would accept analog audio for conversion (to USB?) for streaming into the new MacBook (and recording to an audio editing program)?

Mac Mini QT 5.1 Output

Hey guys,
I did a search before posting but no threads were conclusive for my requirements.
My set up is Mac mini --> Optical cable --> Amp
Basically i managed to acheive 5.1 through dvd player app (perfect) and vlc (which is flaky sometimes).
but i want to do this through quicktime and front row too!
i mean it ***** that im restricted to stereo.
I followed these steps
http://geekwithfamily.com/2007/07/05/home-theater/howto-5-easy-steps-to-output-d olby-digital-from-quicktime-player/
but i just got an annoying fuzz, it didnt work for me. (unless i did it wrong?)
i ended up reverting straight after to restore my 2.0
so does anyone know how i can sort this one out please?
thanks!

I followed these steps...
Wow, very interesting. I've never seen anyone claim to be able to get the QuickTime Player application to play multi-channel audio without VERY specific hardware. I didn't even think it was possible. Usually, the QuickTime Player application requires a hardware audio converter that has the three mini-jack type audio outputs to route the multi-channel audio out. (For example, a device like , which has been discontinued.) Honestly, I don't think it can be done, but I'd be willing to give it a try following those instructions tomorrow (it's too late for me tonight).
-Doug

Multiple USB Audio Outputs?

Is it possible to set up the mac mini to have multiple USB audio out puts? I'm wanting to use a mini displayport + usb audio > hdmi cable to a plasma for computer use. But is I want to listen to just plain music use USB audio to a DAC into a 2 channel system. So for this system I would need to use 2 USB outputs for music.
Thanks

Sure,
You can output sound through more than one little external USB sound card, but probably not to more than one at a time. You'll have to select the Output in the Sound Preferences each time to switch them, too.
But don't overlook the Mini's internal sound output as one of your 2-channel or 5.1 audio outputs. The 2009 Mini has better audio output than the PPC Mini, that I also had and used an external USB sound card with (M-Audio Transit). Of course, now there are cheap little external USB sound cards that look like a little thumb drive for an added 2-channel audio output. So, I'd use the Mini's internal output and an Optical cable for 5.1 sound out, if I were going to use one of those cheap little sound cards. But you can go the other way, too, if you want, with a better USB dongle (like the M-Audio Transit) for your 5.1 sound.
Please let us all hear how it goes and what path works for your application.
Peace to you,
C. Livingstone

Audio outputs on FCE?

If I have, say 5 audio tracks in Final Cut Express, will it be possible to route these tracks to different audio outputs (I have an audio interface with several analog audio output channels)? So far I have only been able route all audio tracks to one stereo output.
If not possible with this app. any hints on how to play out video + five different audio tracks / outputs simultaneously??

Not simultaneously. In real time you can only output 1 stereo audio pair. Your 5 tracks will be mixed into a single stereo pair based on the Left/Right channel assignments you make on each audio track.
On the other hand, you CAN export each audio track independently, with appropriate markers for use in SoundTrack, DVD Studio Pro, etc. This is a technique to export audio tracks to build a 5.1 soundtrack in an application like DVD Studio Pro.

Mini digital/analog audio output

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