[ZenErik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrwinick /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was going to mention that I hadn't heard or read of any such problems (locking to digital signal) in at least the last year. I've never had even a hint of that kind of problem with my OMZ v4.1.

Do you know if the OMZ upsamples or oversamples at all? I'm just curious.

 

[Ori]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenErik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you know if the OMZ upsamples or oversamples at all? I'm just curious.

Two different terms. "Oversampling" is a technique of converting digital to analog in small chunks. That's a "feature" of any delta-sigma DAC chip, which is 99% of the market today. It has (usually negative) implications on sound quality, but these are very subtle.
The term "upsampling" refers to a technique which translates the incoming samples to a higher sample rate and/or bit per sample. Sometime you'll find the term "re-clocking" in that context.
There is no free lunch. The data contained in the incoming stream is all you have, so do not fool yourself to think that merely upsampling 44.1/16 to 96/24 would "improve the resolution". There is no more data in the upsampled stream than what the unit received from the transport.
There are advantages to upsampling. Moving the sample frequency higher means that the digital noise after conversion is shifted up in frequency and is easier to filter out with less impact on the treble.
On the down side, computing "new" samples inevitably adds error, although quite minimal.
But the real advantage of any sample rate conversion is in the potential improvement of the bit and word clocks, which could result in less jitter. The implications of jitter range from subtle so very obvious, depending on the unit in question.
If you were thinking "well here is a real free lunch" - then don't!
It's easy to find a unit with sample rate conversion. Not that easy to find one with a decent clock...

 

[whaleyboy]

A couple of other basic things to check.

Have you used adjusted your preferences to direct sound to that particular interface? In System Preferences/Sound there is an Output tab. That needs to be set to Built-In Output (for that combined optical/analog jack).

If you have an Airport Express on your network iTunes might be sending the sound to one of the stations on your network instead of to the output on your computer.

I mention these because they have "bit" me in the past in my setup.

Good luck!

 

[ZenErik]

Had an appointment at an Apple store today, and they were useless. They didn't have any devices that had Toslink inputs in the whole store, apparently. I really didn't feel like taking my MacBook AND OMZ on the train to and from work and the Apple store... Guess I should have toughed it out.

I'm going to have my friend bring his MacBook over to see if the DAC or receiver get any sort of signal that way. If this is unsuccessful then there's either a problem with the digital output on both MacBooks or the mini-Toslink adaptor isn't working correctly.

 

[grawk]

Why not just try a new cable?

 

[ZenErik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why not just try a new cable?

I've used 4... And 2 mini-Toslink adaptors.

I also ordered a Toslink to mini-Toslink cable with no adaptor. We'll see how that goes.

 

[ZenErik]

I tried the cables with the mini-adaptor on another MacBook last night. Nothing. The mini-adaptor is probably the issue.

 

[krmathis]

Yeah, try a different cable. Preferably one with a miniplug, so you don't have to use the adapter.

 

[ZenErik]

Tried 2 cables that were Toslink to mini-Toslink. Nothing. The red light is there, but my DAC and receiver both receive no signal. I'll try these cables on another MacBook, but I had no success last time. At this point, I don't think it's the cables. Maybe it's an issue with the signal the MacBook puts out? Does anyone else run from the mini-Toslink out into anything?

 

[grawk]

I use minitoslink from the macbook, a mac mini, and 2 different airport expresses with some regularity. I've used them with apogee minidac, denon da-500, luxman lv113, and marantz sr8001. So unless you have something set wrong (sample rate mismatch in audio midi settings) or there's either something wrong with your optical in or the cable, I have no idea what would be causing the problem. I had a problem wiht a couple of different optical cables, so I bought new ones from monoprice and haven't had any problems since.

 

[ZenErik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I use minitoslink from the macbook, a mac mini, and 2 different airport expresses with some regularity. I've used them with apogee minidac, denon da-500, luxman lv113, and marantz sr8001. So unless you have something set wrong (sample rate mismatch in audio midi settings) or there's either something wrong with your optical in or the cable, I have no idea what would be causing the problem. I had a problem wiht a couple of different optical cables, so I bought new ones from monoprice and haven't had any problems since.

I'm using cables from Monoprice. I never had a problem with their cables before. And since I bought 2 mini-Toslink to Toslink cables and also have 2 mini-Toslink adaptors for regular Toslink cables, I have a hard time believing that the problem is with the cables. I've tried every output setting I can with the sample rate and bit rate.

 

[ph0rk]

Do you have another toslink device like a dvd player you can use to just verify the cable and receiver is fine?

I've used the out of my macbook pro (both with realtek audio though, I believe) into an 0404, into a mac pro, and into an old yamaha receiver, with good results each time.

If you're getting light at the end of the cable, I'd hook it up to your receiver and mess with it until it works. before moving to another device.

 

[ZenErik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ph0rk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you have another toslink device like a dvd player you can use to just verify the cable and receiver is fine? I've used the out of my macbook pro (both with realtek audio though, I believe) into an 0404, into a mac pro, and into an old yamaha receiver, with good results each time. If you're getting light at the end of the cable, I'd hook it up to your receiver and mess with it until it works. before moving to another device.

I've hooked up the DAC to a CD player and the receiver to a PS3 with no problems. The receiver and DAC just don't receive a signal from the MacBook, at all.

 

[Zarg0n]

Sorry to bump and old thread.
but i have the exact same problem.

Connected my macbook pro to my Yamaha receiver, and according to all the settings in the mac it should be working.
i see the red light in the end of the cable, tried to different cables, and it works just fine if i plug it in to my PC.

any solutions to this yet?

 

[grawk]

The only solution to that problem that I've ever found is a new cable. Even if the cables you're using work on other devices. Just get a mini->toslink cable from monoprice.