Help with Mac G5 audio out via toslink to RCA inputs on Woo Audio 3 AMP

[Artguy]

I have a Mac G5 2.5Ghz tower with lots of RAM and room for all my lossless files. I want to run the audio at its highest possible quality, so I need some help from someone with a good understanding of the main issues involved. I am not technically inclined, as I am a painter, but I do like to paint to excellent music, so be gentle with me technically. I am running a Woo Audio 3 amp into AKG701's and what I want to know is if there is any difference doing that via the audio mini 1/8 connection in the back of my Mac and doing so via the Toslink audio connection? Do I need to buy a converter to convert from Toslink signal to the two RCA inputs on my amp? I have read all day, and still no answer (called Apple store, guitar center, etc, but no joy.)

If someone could just briefly explain the difference in the audio connection on the G5 and how they shake out in quality, and what to do to maximize my input into that great amp and on to my well-broken in 701's, I would deeply appreciate it. Do I need to buy one of these?

http://www.hdtvsupply.com/difiopttodic.html

If so, it looks like there is one optical plug which would be my optical cable out from the optical output of my G5 to the converter. And then, there is only an RCA plug. How do I get audio to both RCA inputs on my amp?

Its my birthday (13th) and I want to buy and install the last piece to my computer as source for a present to myself.

Thanks for your help in advance.

 

[Jim Christian]

Get one of these and 2 of the converters

http://www.hdtvsupply.com/opauspaloneo.html

 

[Clutz]

There is no way to directly connect the toslink outputs from your Mac to the RCA inputs on your amplifier. The link that you posted for a toslink to rca adapter simply converts the toslink (optical) digital connection to a coaxial (or wire) digital connection. e.g. It does not convert it into an audio format.

If you want to use the toslink optical output on your mac, what you need is a DAC. DAC stands for digital to analog converter. It takes the information being spit out of your computer from the toslink (digital) connection and converts it into the sound you like to hear (analog). An example of a dac that you might want to look into is the Benchmark DAC1. With the benchmark DAC1 you can take the optical output from your G5 and connect it to the DAC1, and then connect the DAC1's rca analog outputs into the amplifiers input. That said, the Benchmark DAC1 costs about $1000, so you may want to look for a cheaper alternative. A cheaper alternative might be to get the M-Audio Audiophile Firewire or Audiophile USB. You would plug it directly into your Firewire or USB port, and then connect that to your amp. You'd be looking at about $200 or so for one of those options, iirc. There is nothing that special about the optical output anyway.

So, in short - no, that device you linked will not help you in the way you want it to. All it does is convert an optical digital signal into a coaxial (wire) digital signal. Your amplifier needs an analog input, not a digital input. You need to get a device called a DAC to convert the digital information on your computer into analog that your amplifier can amplify for your headphones.

 

[majid]

I use a Benchmark DAC-1 on my G5. The sound quality is much better than the built-in sound card. DACs come in all sizes and shapes, and prices range from a couple hundred dollars to a score thousand. There are plenty articles comparing various DACs, but ultimately you will have to hear one for yourself. San Francisco has some decent HiFi and pro Audio stores, including one that carries Benchmark and Apogee.

What is your budget?

 

[Artguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majid /img/forum/go_quote.gif I use a Benchmark DAC-1 on my G5. The sound quality is much better than the built-in sound card. DACs come in all sizes and shapes, and prices range from a couple hundred dollars to a score thousand. There are plenty articles comparing various DACs, but ultimately you will have to hear one for yourself. San Francisco has some decent HiFi and pro Audio stores, including one that carries Benchmark and Apogee. What is your budget?

Well, I can feel my budget growing even as I type this, so I guess $300-$500 max. I appreciate all the great input on this post. I understand the issue now... the main thing that threw me off the hunt was that the airport express unit I have has a mini analog combo Optical mini port, which will do either analog or pass on digital, depending on the plug you use with it. That was very confusing.

So the Airport Express has a DAC of sorts in it, I assume. Since I want to get my music out to several rooms, the music depends on the optical output of the airport express being bit perfect. I asked apple tonight in person in one of their stores, and one of their "Genius" techs did not know if the optical output of the Airport Express is bit perfect stream or not. So does anyone know the answer to that question? If it is a bit perfect stream, then I just have to maybe find a portable DAC like the Micro DAC from headroom that I can take from room to room as I need it. Of course, got to take the amp too, unless I buy two of them.

 

[Artguy]

I use a Benchmark DAC-1 on my G5. The sound quality is much better than the built-in sound card. DACs come in all sizes and shapes, and prices range from a couple hundred dollars to a score thousand. There are plenty articles comparing various DACs, but ultimately you will have to hear one for yourself. San Francisco has some decent HiFi and pro Audio stores, including one that carries Benchmark and Apogee./Quote]

Can you give me the names (or phone or web if you have it) of some of these San Francisco stores? I would love to try these out with some of my equipment and see how the synergy is. Thanks in advance.

 

[majid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you give me the names (or phone or web if you have it) of some of these San Francisco stores? I would love to try these out with some of my equipment and see how the synergy is. Thanks in advance.

1. AudioVision SF, http://www.audiovisionsf.com/ carries Musical FIdelity, but their X-DAC has apparently been discontinued for the US market. They also have the Bel Canto and PS Audio DACs
2. Cutting-Edge Audio http://www.ceag.com/ carries Benchmark, Apogee and Lavry
3. Guitar Center (Van Ness @ Sacramento) carries a wide variety of pro audio firewire and USB interfaces

You already have a decent amp, so a DAC-only solution would be optimal in terms of cost. The Headroom Micro DAC fits your budget at $300 and has excellent sound quality (it has an upgraded version of the DAC in the award-winning Marantz SA8260 SACD player):
http://www.headphone.com/products/he...-micro-dac.php

Otherwise there are a number of Chinese companies like Zhalou that make very affordable DACs.

Consider also the Slim Devices Squeezebox 3, also $300:
http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html

It uses your home LAN instead of Toslink, USB or Firewire, and has a fairly decent, if not exceptional DAC, plus your headphone amp doesn't have to be in the same room as your Mac. You can even control it from a web browser. I have one in my bedroom hooked up to my Musical Fidelity XCAN-V3 and AKG K701.

 

[Artguy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majid /img/forum/go_quote.gif AudioVision SF, http://www.audiovisionsf.com/ carries Musical FIdelity, but their X-DAC has apparently been discontinued for the US market. They also have the Bel Canto and PS Audio DACs Cutting-Edge Audio http://www.ceag.com/ carries Benchmark, Apogee and Lavry Guitar Center (Van Ness @ Sacramento) carries a wide variety of pro audio firewire and USB interfaces You already have a decent amp, so a DAC-only solution would be optimal in terms of cost. The Headroom Micro DAC fits your budget at $300 and has excellent sound quality (it has an upgraded version of the DAC in the award-winning Marantz SA8260 SACD player): http://www.headphone.com/products/he...-micro-dac.php Otherwise there are a number of Chinese companies like Zhalou that make very affordable DACs. Consider also the Slim Devices Squeezebox 3, also $300: http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_squeezebox.html It uses your home LAN instead of Toslink, USB or Firewire, and has a fairly decent, if not exceptional DAC, plus your headphone amp doesn't have to be in the same room as your Mac. You can even control it from a web browser. I have one in my bedroom hooked up to my Musical Fidelity XCAN-V3 and AKG K701.

thanks, Majid for all the great info. I will check out the stores and see what shakes out. I really appreciate it. How does that LAN wireless solution differ from the Airport Express I am using now? It uses optical out as well, so how is this better?
Again, thanks,
Artguy

 

[majid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Artguy /img/forum/go_quote.gif How does that LAN wireless solution differ from the Airport Express I am using now? It uses optical out as well, so how is this better?

The Airport Express uses a 16-bit Texas Instruments PCM2705 DAC. The Squeezebox 3 uses a better spec'd (but actually cheaper) Burr-Brown (also part of Texas Instruments) 24-bit PCM1748. The Squeezebox 3 also has a nice, clear Noritake VFD display and a remote. The Airport Express is also said to have quite a bit of jitter.

The on-board Crystal CS8420 DAC on the G5 is superior to the one on the Airport Express, and it is a much more expensive part ($13.90 vs. $2.55). The G5 actually has remarkably good audio components (apart from the analog amplifier stage), as befits a machine often used by professional musicians, but it is still subject to electromagnetic interference.

You would probably have to get at least the Headroom MicroDAC to get a true upgrade to your current setup.

Also, I wouldn't use a WiFi connection for any media streaming. WiFi is notoriously subject to interference and would induce terrible jitter.