Toslink to Coaxial converter, any good?

[HiFiInsider]

You can get a Optical Toslink to Coaxial (RCA) Digital Audio Converter for $10. Will it do me any good/improvements over mini optical using it on my new Mac Mini?

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

My guess is no.

 

[DSD_mastering]

Or you could get a Z-Systems Digital Detangler...

 

 

Regards,

 

[HiFiInsider]

what about this one? I need two digital out from the Mini, one to DAC & the other to HT receiver.

 

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Transit.html

 

or

 

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/CO2.html

 

Is there a way to tell OS X to output both USB & optical so I don't have to make the change in Audio setup?

 

[markr]

It looks like you're just looking for an inexpensive way to get a double SPDIF output from your mini (which is optical) and at least one of those two streams output as RCA coax, right?

 

The second unit you list here: http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/CO2.html , looks like a reasonable starting point for a very reasonable price. You might even find that you'll be happy with it and be done with it. Street price for a new one right now looks to be $59 in the US.

 

This unit has a Coax input and a Toslink input. It also has a Coax out and a Toslink out. From what the manual says, you can run a toslink out from your Mac to the input of this and get 1 toslink out AND 1 coax out from this M-audio C02. The outputs operate simultaneously. If that is OK, I don't see any reason that this shouldn't do the trick. You can download the manual in PDF format from the link. It is a simple straightforward looking manual. Check it out for yourself.

 

I have absolutely no idea of how well this thing works, but every M-Audio product that I own has been much more than satisfactory for me.

 

Your last question: I don't know of any way to get OS X to output audio data to both USB and SPDIF simultaneously, if that is what you are asking. I don't think it is possible. Did I guess right? IS that what you are asking?

 

regards, and good luck - markr

 

[souptin]

"Is there a way to tell OS X to output both USB & optical so I don't have to make the change in Audio setup?"

 

In the Audio Midi Setup program, go to the Audio menu and open the Aggregate Device Editor, which lets you send sound to more than one output. This might do what you want, I'm not sure. Worth a look, anyway.

 

[markr]

... you learn something new every day (if you stay up late enough) - Welcome to Computer Audiophile souptin! And .... NICE one!

 

I wasn't aware of this, as I've never needed it (I've got 18 channels with the one dac that I have). This looks pretty cool. I hope it will accomplish what Dj_AmTrax is hoping for it to do!

 

sleepy,

markr

 

[HiFiInsider]

That may be what I am after. I've read the "help" and I'm a little confused as to clock or no clock. I want optical to DAC for 2 channels, USB to receiver for HT receiver. Thank you for showing me this menu. You learn something new everyday.

 

From help menu:

To combine audio devices:

 

 

In Audio MIDI Setup, choose Audio > Open Aggregate Device Editor.

 

 

In the editor, click the Add (+) button to create an aggregate device. You can select the device and rename it.

 

 

In the Aggregate Device Structure list, click the Use checkbox of each device you want to include in the aggregate device.

 

The list shows the currently connected audio devices and the number of input and output channels for each.

 

 

To use the clock of a device as the master clock for all the combined devices, click the Clock radio button beside the device name.

 

 

After selecting the devices you want combined, click Done.

 

 

 

[shamu144]

Does anyone here have experience with this build-in function of Core Audio...

 

It apparently let you sync different devices connected through USB, FW or build-in to the one device of your choice, that will act as a master clock.

 

I was thinking maybe you could use optical build-in output on Mac computers slaved to an external high quality but inexpensive clock device (Hiface for example?)... That should be in theory a vast improvement over the stand alone computer clock. I am really surprised noone tried that before.

 

Thanks for your inputs,