Lilje

Your best bet is to do some extensive listening of both DAC's and let your ears decide. The ASUS board certainly is spec'd quite well and is a step above most other internal soundboards, but Cambridge Audio isn't a slouch either. DSP effects are typically snubbed by most audiophiles. A great audiophile system will reproduce the original recording as faithfully as possible. DSP processing can effect everything from timing and phase to added reverb and muddled imaging. This all said, if your listening experiences are personally enhanced using DSP effects go for it. Music is to be enjoyed - don't let others tell you one way or the other is better.

Thanks for the technical explanation around the benefits of optical in this case. The more I read I'm convinced taking on a project like the C.A.P.S. v2 server may be my final solution. The Mac mini will make due for now though I also appreciate that each individuals system is unique and experimentation will be needed to determine the best solution in each case. I intend on testing both HDMI and optical purely out of curiosity. Any advice around optical? My reading so far has pointed to glass being a better choice in optical cables. Should I be considering a USB to SPIDF solution instead of using the toslink output on my Mac?

I'm currently using a Mac Mini (mid 2010) as my music server and would like some advice on which digital output to use. My long term goal is to buy an outboard DAC but in the meantime I will be making due by connecting directly to my Anthem MRX-700 AVR. Is there any benefit of using the optical out on my Mac rather than using HDMI? My instinct is to use HDMI as I also use my system to occasionally watch movies. My focus is on 2ch audio but I have limited space so my system does dual duty and HDMI allows me to use the Anthems upscaler and other video benefits. I would gladly switch to optical if it benefits my 2ch music experience. Suggestions on best approach is greatly appreciated.