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Best headphone setup for Macs - Page 2

post #16 of 73
10/18/07 at 2:21am
So you're asking for a digital input to a DAC/amp combo? What is your definition of 'modest?'
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post #17 of 73
10/18/07 at 2:30am
Thread Starter 
I would say modest is around $300, you should be able to get great sound quality for that price.
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post #18 of 73
10/18/07 at 9:39am
I use an iMac as one of my sources as well,
Yes I have an AKG701 for the all white setup...

But one thing to think about if you are going to use the mini-optical out is that on my iMac, if you plug something in there, it automatically switches all the audio to that as output. Sometimes I don't want to fire up my tube amp just to listen to something quickly on a website etc. Since the mini-jack socket serves both analog and audio out, I am stuck that way.

What I do now is to use an external USB DAC, and use a freebie program called soundsource to switch between the USB output and the internal speaker output.

P.K.
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post #19 of 73
10/18/07 at 1:14pm
when on the move i like to have my sfi5pros with me.
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post #20 of 73
10/19/07 at 4:54am
Thread Starter 
yea i really need to get a decent DAC/amp to use
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post #21 of 73
10/19/07 at 6:57am
I'll be getting a DAC tmr to plug into my macbook.
Macbook >> USB DAC >> Aego M speakers(internal amplifier)

I've read some threads on how PC users have to change this and that setting.. sometimes incurring some troubleshooting issues. Do we have the same issue with mac? or is it pretty much plug and play.

You guys sure have alot of memory!! haha i'm only encoding in AAC 320kbps now... lossless just takes up too much!!
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post #22 of 73
10/19/07 at 7:00am
I'm getting a DAC tmr and plan to set it up as such
Macbook >>> USB DAC >>> Aego M speakers (internal amp)

Read on some threads about PC users needing to change some settings here and there and coming into some troubleshooting. Do I expect that from the mac or is it more or less plug and play?

YOu guys sure have alot of memory!! Most i'm doing now is AAC 320 kbps. Lossless just takes up too much!!!
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post #23 of 73
10/19/07 at 7:03am
I'm getting a DAC tmr and plan to set it up as such
Macbook >>> USB DAC >>> Aego M speakers (internal amp)

Read on some threads about PC users needing to change some settings here and there and coming into some troubleshooting. Do I expect that from the mac or is it more or less plug and play?

YOu guys sure have alot of memory!! Most i'm doing now is AAC 320 kbps. Lossless just takes up too much!!!
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post #24 of 73
10/19/07 at 7:04am
triple posts! sorry about that...
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post #25 of 73
10/19/07 at 9:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowth View Post
triple posts!
Not exactly... one of them is slightly different...
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post #26 of 73
10/21/07 at 5:05am
there really is no 'best' setup for a mac.
the possibilities are pretty much limitless.
you can run optical out to a dac with optical input.
you can run usb out to a usb dac.
you can use a spdif converter as transport if you need coaxial.
any amp and headphone can be linked to this.
320kbps and lossless are a great start, so only budget and personal preference should limit your choices.
good luck.
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post #27 of 73
10/23/07 at 11:36am
I love the sound of my imac rig and have sold off my cd players as a result.

imac (apple lossless)>usb wavelenght cosecant>eddie current HD2

this is the best set up I have heard and knocked a wadia 302 and exemplar 2900 out of the house. THe exemplar was on par with this set up but you can not beat the ease of use with itunes. PS I run the dvi out to the hdmi input on my 39" tv so now the imac is my dvd player and music server and I can surf the web off a 39" screen
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post #28 of 73
10/23/07 at 11:38am
a very important thing to do is go into prefernces and make sure under playback that "sound enhancer" is TURNED OFF. This really mucks up the sound.
Also I do not use sound equalization as I fear it may degrade sound although honestly I have not check this theory out as it requires the use of the rat shack db meter and alot of volume adjust to a/b it
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post #29 of 73
10/23/07 at 1:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jp11801 View Post
Also I do not use sound equalization as I fear it may degrade sound although honestly I have not check this theory out as it requires the use of the rat shack db meter and alot of volume adjust to a/b it
You mean the volume equalization? You can use it you analyze your tunes with iVolume. It gives better results than iTunes itself.
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post #30 of 73
10/23/07 at 8:50pm
Thread Starter 
Yea I usually turn off the sound enhancer as well as the equalizer to reduced the distortion of the music.
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