[zhefei]

I see a macbook or macbook pro in my near future, and I'm looking for a DAC. Would either firewire or optical out be a better choice? FW seems more flexible, with multiple input/outputs (I have my eye on the m-audio products) but optical seems to make for a cleaner setup, with a dedicated DAC. Anything else I should consider?

I have an Echo Indigo now, but PCMCIA is on its way out.

 

[ComfyCan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zhefei I see a macbook or macbook pro in my near future, and I'm looking for a DAC. Would either firewire or optical out be a better choice? FW seems more flexible, with multiple input/outputs (I have my eye on the m-audio products) but optical seems to make for a cleaner setup, with a dedicated DAC. Anything else I should consider? I have an Echo Indigo now, but PCMCIA is on its way out.

I suspect, but do not know for certain, that the optical out would sound better, all other things being equal. However, I do know for certain that you will have many, many more DACs to choose from with optical inputs than firewire inputs.

That said, M-Audio makes some nice stuff and until somebody can actually test drive their new firewire unit, it's guesswork.