Hi,
I've never used computer audio and considering adding a macbook pro retina (the one with the flash drive) to the system. At the moment, I use optical out from AppleTV to a SM with an optical cable, and to Metrum Octave dac with HiDiamond digital reference cable (IMO HD > Cabledyne silver reference, as it should at more than 3x the price).
My question is, what would be the better way to use with a macbook pro, optical out or USB? Obviously, if I use optical out, it will go with my SM. For USB, I'd need another converter such as Offramp or AP2 with PP supply (at least $1k). I'm leaning towards using optical out (since I would not need another converter) but want to see what people think. I'm planning to use Amarra software.
Best,