[mswobo]

I am going to be purchasing a Rega DAC and plan on hooking up an older Macbook Pro with an external drive to use as a juke box.

Is it really as easy as getting a USB cord and plugging into my DAC?

Any reference links you could recommend?

[WC]

Depends on how good you want the SQ to be. The Rega DAC is limited to 16/48 via USB. This is not the DAC I would choose to play hi-res files from a PC over USB. Is that important to you? If not, than connecting the USB cable and selecting the Rega DAC as the sound device is all that should be required.

Depending on the age of the MacBook pro it could have a Toslink connection which would be able to handle hi-res files to the DAC.

[budcook]

I am going to be purchasing a Rega DAC and plan on hooking up an older Macbook Pro with an external drive to use as a juke box.

Is it really as easy as getting a USB cord and plugging into my DAC?

Any reference links you could recommend?

Yes, you can do that.  Note that there are two types of USB connections.  In one case, the computer is in control of the clocking and isn't very good at it.  The other case is called Asynchronous USB and in this case, the DAC controls the clocking.  With Asynchronous USB, the sound quality can approach a direct digital connection to the DAC.  I have a DAC that has an Asynchronous USB  input and the sound quality is quite good when streaming music from the iTunes library on my Retina MacBook Pro.

http://www.audiophilleo.com/definitions.aspx?asynchronous%20USB

[skunark]

You can use the headphone/mini-toslink combo minijack with an optical cable to reach 24/96.  There's some data information here http://benchmarkmedia.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page for configuration, but it will show you what you need to do with OSX to get bit-perfect playback.   

If you want more than 24/96 you can look into the m2tech hiface 2 coax adapter or any usb-to-spdif like that.

[mswobo]

Depends on how good you want the SQ to be. The Rega DAC is limited to 16/48 via USB. This is not the DAC I would choose to play hi-res files from a PC over USB. Is that important to you? If not, than connecting the USB cable and selecting the Rega DAC as the sound device is all that should be required.

Depending on the age of the MacBook pro it could have a Toslink connection which would be able to handle hi-res files to the DAC.

What DAC would you recommend for high resolution files?  I have a windows and IOS system I can use. My files are currently in windows WAV lossless on an external had drive.

I have a quality 2 channel set up.

[budcook]

What DAC would you recommend for high resolution files?  I have a windows and IOS system I can use. My files are currently in windows WAV lossless on an external had drive.

I have a quality 2 channel set up.

I am selling my Bryston BDA-1 DAC.  Email me if interested.  Bud

[skunark]

bda-1 doesn't have a better USB input than the Rega Dac.     

mswobo,

There's several threads on this forum that discuss USB dacs that you can look into.  Also Computer Audiophile's website is a great resource.  The Bryston BDA-2, Teac HD-H01 both support the hi-resolution USB Audio Class 2.

Personally I would recommend the BDA/BDP combo (-1 or -2) over a windows or mac setup.

Jim

[budcook]

bda-1 doesn't have a better USB input than the Rega Dac.     

mswobo,

There's several threads on this forum that discuss USB dacs that you can look into.  Also Computer Audiophile's website is a great resource.  The Bryston BDA-2, Teac HD-H01 both support the hi-resolution USB Audio Class 2.

Personally I would recommend the BDA/BDP combo (-1 or -2) over a windows or mac setup.

Jim

I agree.  I bought a BDA-2 in order to get Asynchronous USB.  It provides a convenient source of music that sounds quite good.  My main source of music is a BDP-1.

[jarcher]

As others have suggested, you can just run a USB cable from the MBP to the Rega DAC, but other options may result in better sound (and allow for higher resolution files if you ever decide to try that).  For starters, if your MBP does optical over the audio out port, a mini-toslink to toslink optical cable hooked up to the Rega DAC should sound better.  These are available at Radio Shack or online for little money. 

Best of all with the gear you have though would probably be a USB to SPDIF RCA convertor,with the RCA SPDIF cable going to your REGA dac.  Somewhat more of an investment, but good USB / SPDIF convertors such as the Music Fidelity 192 Vlink and the M2TEch Hiface 2 are available for around $200 new, and good USB + SPDIF RCA cables for perhaps another $100.  I guess that investment is what begs the question of just putting the money into a DAC that has a good asynchronous DAC, starting with ones such as the Schiit Audio Bifrost that go for $450 new.

Lastly, would suggest trying better player software vs itunes.  For Mac it seems Audiovarna and Pure Music are the most popular.  Both have free trial versions.  I found Pure Music in Memory Play mode to be a worthwhile upgrade over itunes - though it works on top of itunes, so you don't have to give up itunes.

Anyway - let your ears decide for you.  But I would at least try the mini-toslink cable option vs the straight USB if your MBP allows it as this is a low cost experiment. 

Best of luck.

[K Shep]

Is it really as easy as getting a USB cord and plugging into my DAC?

Yes it's that easy.  I have 3 different Dac's and all of them sound wonderful over USB from my Mac Mini.  I too have my files stored on an external hard-drive.  I have tried a few Hi-Res downloads and my results have been hit and miss with regard to sound quality.  I am a fan of Pop, Electric and Rock music.  The Hi-Res providers don't have music in my genre. 

If you're on a budget try the Schiit MODI Dac, async over USB.  I own the Dac and love the sound it delivers.

[avta]

You might consider the Micromega Mydac. I've had one for about a month and am enjoying it quite a bit. Here is a review although there are others.      http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2012/10/micromega-mydac-review/

[sounddog]

You also should consider the iDAC, which sounded very good at RMAF:

http://www.ifi-audio.com/en/iDAC.html

[newzooreview]

There is a Tranquility SE USB DAC for sale here http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=115473.0

I own the same DAC, and it is excellent. Very detailed, very smooth, very musical. For the price it would be an excellent value.

All high resolution files will play, but they are converted to 16/44 by the Mac before going to the DAC. With that said, 95% of my music is not high resolution and will never be available in high resolution. Although dB Audio is nearing release of a high resolution (and battery powered) DAC, it does not quite match the fluid reproduction of 16/44 music on the Tranquility SE. There's a tradeoff in high resolution performance and being optimized for standard Redbook (likely because newer DAC chips that handle high resolution do not have the same refinement in handling 16/44 as the dedicated 16/44 chips). I don't know why db Audio would say this unless they believed it to be true. It would be better for them if they could say the upcoming DAC is better across the board, so I tend to trust they believe what they are saying on this point.

In any case, another option for you. Happy listening!

[Bazinga]

Depends on how good you want the SQ to be. The Rega DAC is limited to 16/48 via USB. This is not the DAC I would choose to play hi-res files from a PC over USB. Is that important to you? If not, than connecting the USB cable and selecting the Rega DAC as the sound device is all that should be required.

Depending on the age of the MacBook pro it could have a Toslink connection which would be able to handle hi-res files to the DAC.

Im looking to use a Mac Mini for a Source into a Dac  " USB"

Is there going to be a big difference between these

24-bit 192kHz Asynchronous USB input

Asynchronous USB input supports 32-bit 384kHz and DSD64 + DSD128


DSD64 and DSD128 compatibility via USB
Max USB resolution increased to 32 bit 384kHz

[jarcher]

Im looking to use a Mac Mini for a Source into a Dac  " USB"

Is there going to be a big difference between these

24-bit 192kHz Asynchronous USB input

Asynchronous USB input supports 32-bit 384kHz and DSD64 + DSD128


DSD64 and DSD128 compatibility via USB
Max USB resolution increased to 32 bit 384kHz

For 99% of "redbook" music you're likely to use, I'd say the answer is "no".  As usual the hardware is leading the software. Too many feel DSD is a "must have" but few actually have DSD files to play!

If I were looking for a DAC now, my chain of preference from least to most expensive would be :

1) Schiit Audio Bifrost w/ USB + upgraded analog section.  No DSD
2) TEACH UD-501.  Has every bells & whistles out there, sounds smooth (have heard it last week), and cheap : under $800 if you shop around. DSD yes.
3) Oppo 105 : great dac, great blu ray player, decent media server, good price $1,100? DSD yes w/ free firmware upgrade.

[Bazinga]

For 99% of "redbook" music you're likely to use, I'd say the answer is "no".  As usual the hardware is leading the software. Too many feel DSD is a "must have" but few actually have DSD files to play!

If I were looking for a DAC now, my chain of preference from least to most expensive would be :

1) Schiit Audio Bifrost w/ USB + upgraded analog section.  No DSD
2) TEACH UD-501.  Has every bells & whistles out there, sounds smooth (have heard it last week), and cheap : under $800 if you shop around. DSD yes.
3) Oppo 105 : great dac, great blu ray player, decent media server, good price $1,100? DSD yes w/ free firmware upgrade.

Got deal on a Eastern Electric Minimax Dac Plus which from what I read is decent , so either I want to get a Mac Mini or a SB Touch

[jarcher]

Seems like a decent dac + the tube rolling option is fun. Congrats!

I'd get a Mac Mini - even an older one - so you can run Pure Music / Audiovarna / etc player software.  Those with memory mode really make a substantial difference.  Some of the pre-2010 ones are crazy cheap, and if you only need it for music, you don't need anything fancy.

P.s. suggest a Belkin Gold minimum for the USB cable.  Wireworld Ultraviolet or Starlight would be the next step.  Ultraviolet is reasonably cheap.  Unfortunately USB cables do make a difference.  For one the sound won't be as shrill even with a the Belkin or Ultraviolet vs a cheapo computer one.  Don't know that you need to go much higher though.

[Brandon]

Re getting hi-rez via USB has anyone tried the Stello U3? I've read one great review in a usually reliable source, but no one else ever mentions one...