Best way to get audio from Macbook > SPDIF Coax > Modi 3

[prozonelayer]

I have a Modi 3 that is currently connected to my PC via USB and my Chromecast Audio via TOSLINK. I have a Macbook Pro that I use for work that I would like to connect to my Modi 3, but I'm not sure the best way to do it. I bought a SMSL PO100 last week hoping it would solve my problems, but the audio cuts out every 15-30. I'm wondering if it cut out because the bit depth and sample rate don't match what the Modi 3 can put out, but unfortunately the drivers on the PO100 for the Mac don't give me any options to change. Trying different USB cables, Coax cables, and ports did nothing.

From what I've read I have three options.

1. Find another USB > Coax dongle that does not have issues cutting out, maybe one better compatible with MacOS?
2. Find an HDMI audio splitter and go HDMI > Coax > Modi 3
3. Use a USB hub that both my PC and Macbook connect to, and then connect that to the Modi 3.

Does anyone have experience with any of these or recommendations? The HDMI audio splitter seems appealing to me, but there's a ton of options and none look particularly high quality.

 

[Roseval]

but the audio cuts out every 15-30.

A simple one is to set the Audio Midi to 44.1 kHz and check if that helps.
Set the bit deth to the max allowed by the interface

https://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/SW/OSX/AudioMidi.htm

maybe one better compatible with MacOS?

MacOS is fully UAC2 compliant, so any converter supporting USB Audio Class 2 will do.
As it is XMOS, I assume this to be.

the drivers on the PO100 for the Mac

Weird, I expect a driverless installation.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I have a Modi 3 that is currently connected to my PC via USB and my Chromecast Audio via TOSLINK. I have a Macbook Pro that I use for work that I would like to connect to my Modi 3, but I'm not sure the best way to do it. I bought a SMSL PO100 last week hoping it would solve my problems, but the audio cuts out every 15-30. I'm wondering if it cut out because the bit depth and sample rate don't match what the Modi 3 can put out, but unfortunately the drivers on the PO100 for the Mac don't give me any options to change. Trying different USB cables, Coax cables, and ports did nothing.

From what I've read I have three options.

1. Find another USB > Coax dongle that does not have issues cutting out, maybe one better compatible with MacOS?
2. Find an HDMI audio splitter and go HDMI > Coax > Modi 3
3. Use a USB hub that both my PC and Macbook connect to, and then connect that to the Modi 3.

Does anyone have experience with any of these or recommendations? The HDMI audio splitter seems appealing to me, but there's a ton of options and none look particularly high quality.

Maybe something like this https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dou...or-an-affordable-clean-digital-signal.958462/

 

[prozonelayer]

A simple one is to set the Audio Midi to 44.1 kHz and check if that helps.
Set the bit deth to the max allowed by the interface

https://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/SW/OSX/AudioMidi.htm

MacOS is fully UAC2 compliant, so any converter supporting USB Audio Class 2 will do.
As it is XMOS, I assume this to be.

Weird, I expect a driverless installation.

Sorry I may have misspoke. The installation was plug and play, when I said "driver" I just meant whatever built in driver the OS was using.

I did not know about the Audio Midi program, thank you for pointing it out! Unfortunately though, I can only change the sample rate for the PO100, not the bit depth. I've observed this on my windows machine as well when I plugged in the PO100, the only bit depth available was 32 bit, which I found odd because the box it came in says the bit depth is 16/24, 32 isn't even printed anywhere on the box.

 

[prozonelayer]

Maybe something like this https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dou...or-an-affordable-clean-digital-signal.958462/

Thanks for finding that, one of these might be worth trying out!

 

[Roseval]

, which I found odd because the box it came in says the bit depth is 16/24, 32 isn't even printed anywhere on the box.

No, 16/24 is about the bit depth of PCM audio.
32 is referring to the data path between media player and DAC, it represents the arithmetic precision. Perfect value.

 

[prozonelayer]

No, 16/24 is about the bit depth of PCM audio.
32 is referring to the data path between media player and DAC, it represents the arithmetic precision. Perfect value.

Well regardless, no mater what I set the sample rate to the audio starts to cut out after about 5 minutes of playback.