Advice needed with Macbook and hi-res audio

[bottlerocket]

I want to load some hi-res audio (96/24) on my macbook and play. Aside from following the instructions to load to Itunes via Max, what do I need to hook up the MAC to my CA Dacmagic DAC? Do I just need a USB or Toslink cable from the MAC? What's recommended?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi bottlerocket - The DacMagic USB port will not handle native 24/96. Pick up a mini-toslink to standard toslink cable or a mini-toslink adapter to connect to your Macbook and you'll be up and running.

 

[jeffca]

Don't forget to open up the Audio MIDI Setup utility and set the sample rate to 96khz.

 

I'm not familiar with the new Macbooks, but, if it doesn't give you 96khz as an option via optical (which the hardware may not support), the Core Audio layer of OS X will resample to whatever the AMS Utility is set. This, obviously, is less than ideal.

 

Then your only option is buy a new DAC or spring for something like Blue Circle's USB Thingee ( a USB to digital convertor).

 

Good luck,

jeff

 

[xenophilic]

I was looking for a mini-toslink to toslink recently, and I was disappointed that there were no high-quality cables that had the two different types of connectors built-in. It seems like an adapter is introducing an additional opportunity for jitter when just putting the correct connector on each end in the first place would be a much better solution.

 

I finally found two options. Cables To Go sells a mini-toslink to toslink, so I ordered one of those. But the cable was off center within one connector. I returned it for a refund. Then someone else here recommended the Lifatec cables (http://www.lifatec.com/toslink2.html). Metal connectors on high purity plastic optical fibers used in the medical industry. So far this is the best option I've found. I don't have anything to do with them, and they don't yet supply glass cables which some people think are better, but I thought it might help.

 

[slogan]

Nice find on the Lifatec cables, I'll have to try one.