[markot86]

Is it possible? I have a year old 15" powerbook which I love to death but now with the 17" having an optical out i feel somewhat left in the dust =/ Is there any way to get a high quality DAC hooked up to this baby? ;_;

 

[dougwx12]

Sure, USB. Or a USB->optical audio device + DAC.

 

[markot86]

Any suggestions that can work on a mac? how good is USB compared to optical?

 

[Nandro]

I would think once the data gets to the DAC it shoudnt make a difference right? The DAC is going to reconstruct the sound anyhow. Isnt that the point of a DAC?

 

[dougwx12]

Suggestions? The sky is literally the limit.

USB:
- m-audio audiophile
- u24
- microdac
- grace m902
- minidac

m-audio Transit usb -> Toslink:
- Anything (dac1, vda1, a/v receiver, ...)


This is obviously nowhere near a complete list. There might also be some firewire options.

And macs are bit perfect out of the box, so the type of transport (usb, optical, firewire) matters less. One of the USB/firewire options would probably be handy from a "fewer things to haul around" point of view, but that's a metter of personal preference. Mostly it'll depend on your taste and your budget.

 

[blessingx]

Yeah, USB is the most simple. If that's not a possibility for the DAC you want consider the Airport Express' optical out.

 

[markot86]

Using the 15" laptop's line out, a PAV2 and some MS-1's, would i notice a significant difference if i went to the 300 dollar usb DAC on headroom? or should i upgrade my headphone's first?

 

[markot86]

bump, anyone? =P

 

[H5N1]

I know for fact that later PBs have optical out built-in. So you better check for that first. If that's the case, everything becomes easy.

 

[dougwx12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markot86 Using the 15" laptop's line out, a PAV2 and some MS-1's, would i notice a significant difference if i went to the 300 dollar usb DAC on headroom? or should i upgrade my headphone's first?

I've heard both, and I think there's a pretty significant difference between the powerbook and the microdac. But, I also recall thinking the powerbook had a pretty decent headphone out to begin with. And Headroom does have a 30-day guarantee.

 

[markot86]

haha, damn it guys, you always tempt me >.< are there any cheaper solutions that are better than the 15" line out?

 

[patricklang]

Echo Indigo. It has a decent amp built-in that should be able to handle the MS-1's. If you get the DJ version, it has 1 line out, 1 headphone amp out, so you can use the built-in amp or hook up a better amp at home. http://www.echoaudio.com/Products/Ca...goDJ/index.php . This is a great no-hassle portable solution.

Even the Transit or Sonica + (insert your favorite portable amp) is an improvement over the built-in line-out. Neither device can drive headphones directly, they are line-out only. Both have optical line-outs, so you have the option of using an external DAC later.

 

[Nospam]

Another vote for Airport Express.

Costs a bit more than an M-Audio Transit, but it sounds a lot better, and you won't have to deal with M-Audio drivers crashing your Mac. I also noticed that the Airport Express route put less load on my iBook's processor.

BTW, you don't NEED a wireless card to use the Airport Express, since it's got an Ethernet port.

 

[dougwx12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nospam I also noticed that the Airport Express route put less load on my iBook's processor.

I believe I read that the apx network stream is apple lossless. So if your files are already apple lossless, I'd expect to see pretty much zero load added.

 

[dougwx12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by markot86 haha, damn it guys, you always tempt me >.< are there any cheaper solutions that are better than the 15" line out?

M-audio audiophile or the U24 will also both sound better than headphone out for less than the microdac. As to whether it'll be enough "better" to still justify the $$$, only you can answer that. It wouldn't be for me.