MiNe 109 wrote:
In article ,
Eeyore wrote:

Rob wrote:

I'm not convinced that the DAC/analogue amplifier in my Mac Mini is all
it might be - the sound, while not unpleasant, appears to be rather
dull, at least compared to the DAC of an AV amplifier when fed the
optical output.
Most onboard 'computer audio' is distinctly second rate AT BEST.


So, I'm thinking of a DAC to improve the sound. It does appear the sky's
the limit, but this caught my eye:

http://www.homehifi.co.uk/TC-7510/about.html

Any thoughts?
Massive overkill.

Shipped with a US power supply it's under $200!

Since you've boxed yourself into a situation by buying a Mac, there's little
you can do about it though. PC owners OTOH have a vast variety of options
open to them.

The Mini has a toslink digital output as well as USB and Firewire. There
are plenty of so-called "external sound cards".

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Sound_Cards_5220759_4-external

Stephen

Yes, thanks, I'd seen similar and I gather M-audio's Mac drivers work.
I've had mixed results from USB on a PC, however, and firewire bumps up
the cost and lacks the versatility of the Beresford. Really, I'm not
sure that an external soundcard is quite as capable as a direct digital
link - hence the question!

Rob