[mxg284]

Hi all,
 
I am interested in an amplifier to run my Senns from.  The audio is lossless and comes from a Firewire800 external drive.  I am not (at the moment) interested in a DAC.  But I would like to connect an amp, either a Little Dot, or Schitt, to my Macbook Pro.
 
The question I have is: what is the optimal way to connect it to the Mac?  I have a headphone out which acts as a line out as far as I know.  Is that the only way to connect it via 3.5mm?  I have read about a "red light" inside the jack which means it is in a certain mode and can be changed in the Mac settings.  Is this something I have to do?  Basically the more I read the more confused I become.  So I came here 

 
Thank you for your help!

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Hi all,
 
I am interested in an amplifier to run my Senns from.  The audio is lossless and comes from a Firewire800 external drive.  I am not (at the moment) interested in a DAC.  But I would like to connect an amp, either a Little Dot, or Schitt, to my Macbook Pro.
 
The question I have is: what is the optimal way to connect it to the Mac?  I have a headphone out which acts as a line out as far as I know.  Is that the only way to connect it via 3.5mm?  I have read about a "red light" inside the jack which means it is in a certain mode and can be changed in the Mac settings.  Is this something I have to do?  Basically the more I read the more confused I become.  So I came here 

 
Thank you for your help!

 
Your headphone jack is dual use, it has an analog audio output for headphones/line-output and the light is for digital optical output (3.5mm Mini-toslink)
So you should be able to use an analog audio cable from the 3.5mm port to an external headphone amplifier.
Later on you can hood an external DAC, with S/PDIF optical input, to the same 3.5mm port on the laptop.
You should also be able to hook an external DAC, with a USB input, to the Macbook's USB port.
 
It might help to know what headphones you are planning on using?

 

[mxg284]

Thank you for the reply. So if I understand, for the purpose of the amp, I can use a 3.5mm to RCA or so for the amp?
What is S/PDIF used for? I do not use this for the amp correct?

They are my HD25-1 ii that I use for playing out. But I also use them for dorm room listening as they have good isolation and keep me from hearing my room mates. They have a 70ohm nominal impedance.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Thank you for the reply. So if I understand, for the purpose of the amp, I can use a 3.5mm to RCA or so for the amp?
What is S/PDIF used for? I do not use this for the amp correct?

They are my HD25-1 ii that I use for playing out. But I also use them for dorm room listening as they have good isolation and keep me from hearing my room mates. They have a 70ohm nominal impedance.

 
Yes, you can use an analog cable that is 3.5mm to RCA, for connecting your Macbook to the RCA inputs on an external headphone amplifier.
S/PDIF is digital audio, a pre-DAC audio signal, headphone amplifiers have analog inputs.
There are some DAC/Amp combos that come with both digital (USB or optical or coaxial) and analog (3.5mm and/or RCA) inputs, the analog inputs on these DAC/Amps bypass the DAC.
(DAC - Digital to Analog Converter)
The S/PDIF optical output makes it easy to connect the Macbook to things like a modern A/V receiver or the higher costing ($200-$300) computer speakers.

 

[mxg284]

Thank you so much for your help!  Just ordered the Schiit Magni and found a spare 3.5mm to RCA in my bag-o-cables.