03-19-2010, 11:49 AM

I have a new Mac and it only has the 1/8" headphone jack for sound output.
What can I do to get a better sound signal output that I could hook to a separate receiver and use a small subwoofer and bookshelf speakers rather than being stuck using computer setups.

I bought a set of nick Polk monitor speakers and hooked them to my Logitec sub and the sound was a lot better than the supplied speakers.
I think the sub has 125 watts and the speakers each get 45 watts but the sounds sometimes seems like the speakers are bottoming out even at very low levels.

So if I bought a new sub and used my old Sony ES receiver how could I get a better signal than a 1/8" to RCA adapter? I cant imagine that being a great source for quality?

Thanks

David

03-19-2010, 12:26 PM

It's good enough. You won't hear a difference between that plug and like... something else. If you're that concerned, there are USB audio interfaces that can add another couple of hundreds of dollars to something that's already very expensive

03-19-2010, 01:22 PM

Does the Sony Receiver have SPDif (TOSLINK) port?

XtremeMac XtremeHD Toslink Audio Cable - Apple Store (U.S.)

The Headphone jack on all modern iMacs is also a SPDIF (TosLink) port.

03-19-2010, 02:02 PM

Using an Airport Express with Airtunes, you can wirelessly send the music over to pretty much any stereo system you want.

And yes, that 1/8" headphone jack is also an optical port. It's actually much better than people think it is (particularly if they're focused on size, which is really pretty meaningless in the audio world).

03-19-2010, 06:06 PM

That is perfect!
Yes it has a digital input and that way I can get away from the Logitec altogether!

Originally Posted by dtravis7

Does the Sony Receiver have SPDif (TOSLINK) port?

XtremeMac XtremeHD Toslink Audio Cable - Apple Store (U.S.)

The Headphone jack on all modern iMacs is also a SPDIF (TosLink) port.

03-21-2010, 02:10 PM

To get a better sound on an iMac where money is no object, get a MOTU 828 firewire mark 3 interface, and use a powered pair of neutral powered studio monitors, like Mackie or Event makes.

Urls: MOTU.com - 2408mk3 Overview

Urls: Mackie HRmk2 Overview


This is what I plan to listen to music on my iMac with...

There are however cheaper ways of doing this like just running the 1/8 jack cable to your stereo system. This works for lots of ppl too. Most Radioshacks have gender changer adapters to match the inputs your stereo has. Best of luck!