mrlemon

You will need a mic cable (XLR Female end to XLR Male end), a Mic Pre-Amp and an Audio Input on your computer. Something like the ART Tube MP https://www.amazon.com/ART-Tube-Project-Microphone-Preamp/dp/B000K6B59Y/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1539796073&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=art%2Btube%2Bmp&psc=1&smid=A2LXBKOLL3J3K6 or the Tube MP USB, although the reviews say that it kind of sucks. https://www.amazon.com/ART-Tube-MP-Project-USB/dp/B000G1E59U/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1539796073&sr=8-4&keywords=art%2Btube%2Bmp&dpID=41iVRi6LCBL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch Then you would get a cable that goes from 1/4" to your computer Mic Input which is probably 3.5mm. Problems... Pro-gear uses a different output level then Consumer gear, so their may be a sound level issue recording into your PC. Some of the Mic-Preamps do have switches to set the reference level. OR You could get a usb-audio interface like the Steinburg below. https://www.amazon.com/Steinberg-UR22MKII-2-Channel-USB-Interface/dp/B017MVUAHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539796413&sr=8-1&keywords=steinburg&dpID=41NuXCXoVGL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch The Steinburg has a Mic-Pre and USB, so it does all the Mic Pre-amp work and all the conversion for you without worrying about multiple boxes. This one has 2 mic inputs in case you'd like to live record stereo sound. Yes, your AT2020 will be a better mic then the cheap direct USB mics. TOM...

Hey Guys, I got a hold of one of these to try out. Look up PureAudio Lotus DAC1 on eBay for the spec run down. Relatively cheap, with 5 inputs that include AES/EBU and I2S. Supports 16/24bit and up to 192KHz, though the USB is limited to 96K. I popped it open, and the output stage uses opamps in sockets, so swapping em out (later) will not be much of a problem. Casework is quite good (and heavy) with lots of room on the inside for air flow. Looks to be about 16" wide, which surprised me since i figured it was half rack width. Anyone heard this unit? Anyone have any more information? So far it sounds good and doesn't make me run out of the room, but I will be playing it as much as I can for the next 3 weeks before I compare it to my other DAC. Thanks for any input! TOM...

stsi.com is the company that sells the mini-toslink to toslink cables. http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/stsi.com?_nkw=Toslink+to+MINI+OPTICAL&_sacat=0&_trksid=p3911.m270.l1313&_odkw=&_osacat=0 That is their ebay store and i did the search for the cables. They are the Gold coloured ones. I would avoid the mini adapter coz it just sounds awful. TOM...

Actually, both the M-Audio and the TC Electronics units do come with a power pack, but again, the M-Audio did not behave with or without outlet power. The USB hub is an interesting idea and with 4 out of 5 USB ports already used up, I will look into that in the future. I wonder if it sounds better?? Over all though, the performance of the S/PDIF out on the Konnekt 8 is much better then that on the M-Audio. While the M-Audio has a nice tone, good bass extension and doesn't get screechy on top, it does sound smaller and shrinks the space around instruments. Both the Konnekt 8 and the previously tested Focusrite Saffirce LE sound bigger, and give a more lifelike presentation. The Saffire's driver issues were a no go though. Oh, I didn't mention that of the three units the Analog outs on the Konnekt 8 are really good (for a cheap DAC). I guess TC Electronics uses a better built DAC. TOM...

Hey, I am also not a fan of the Optical connector, and I did try a mini-toslink to toslink adapter which was not a very good connection to my DAC. I also picked up a cheap Optical cable with Mini-toslink on one end, which means you get fiber straight-thru instead of a fiber break on the adapter end. It does sound better without the break. I borrowed an M-Audio Fastrack Pro ?around $200US?as a USB to S/PDIF converter, which sounded better the the optical cable. The problem with the m-audio (on my mac mini) was that it kept loosing connection and forgetting it's settings especially when the mac came out of sleep mode. I then tried a TC Electronics Konnekt 8 as a USB to S/PDIF converter. The Konnekt 8 is firewire (before i read the TAS article!) and it does sound better then the USB connection, but then again, it could be that TC Electronics products are higher quality products then a lot of entry level M-Audio gear. On the Mac the Konnekt 8 does not have any of the disconnect and memory problems that the M-Audio had. Oh and i did have the Saffire LE (firewire) very briefly (returned for the Konnekt 8) and it to did had trouble on the Mac OS. Once in a while it would crash my web browser if I played audio or video on some web pages. The Saffire LE sounded, at least in my system, very bright compared to the Konnekt 8. TOM...

I am hoping to try out a Dacmagic soon. My current experiments seem to also point to a 2 part output solution from my Mac Mini. First I'd convert USB to Coaxial(borrowed M-Audio FAstTrack Pro) and then go into an external DAC (Aragon D2A). I am actually using the Atlas Compass as my digital cable, and in my system is sound much better then a straight optical connection from the Mac Mini. Unfortunately, my cheap Toslink cable doesn't seem to be that good. Still looking for Glass. Thanks for the info on the Dacmagic though. TOM...

Hi, I am currently playing around with an M-Audio Fast Track Pro, which supposedly has 24bit/96KHz converters. Yes, it works with OS X and yes it does 24/96 output if you turn everything off. Unfortunately, it does not sound anywhere as good as the optical out going into my OLD Aragon D2A 16/48 converter. I bought the Aragon used for $500 and it destroys the plastic box Fast Track Pro. That being said, I also tried the M-Audio as a USB to Coaxial S/PDIF connection, which then goes into the Aragon D2A DAC. This beats out the Toslink Optical connection, but the toslink cable is cheap plastic, and I have no idea if a Glass Fiber optic cable would match the coaxial connection. Will there be a substantial difference between cheaper and more expensive DACs??My system is currently transparent enough for me to say Yes. It's best to invest in the Source component. You can't clean up a river down stream, and if your front end isn't up to par, no amp or speaker will make it sound better. Between the Devilsound and the Benchmark, I would go Benchmark. The future is downloads and that means 24bit/96KHz, which the Devilsound does not support. The benchmark Dacs will already be better then the 16bit dacs the Devilsound sells, so you are one step closer to amazing. TOM...

My Mac Mini is so new (March 8th) that it is mostly all up to date. iTunes version 8.1, which I am sure has the 'fixed' ripper. TOM...

Hi everybody, Not sure if this was covered, but I am new to Mac and OS X, but have been reading a lot of good stuff in these forums. If you are using iTunes to rip your CD's to a lossless format, remember to check the Error Correction box in the import settings. I believe this was info from someone at Empirical Audio. The imported uncompressed files sound much much better with the error correction engaged. With error correction you get a much smoother and more realistic tone to everything in the recording. I am using the Mac Mini optical output to an older Aragon D2A converter and was a little disappointed with the somewhat haze, somewhat unclear sound. Once the error correction is turned on, the rips sound great, or at least i can not complain about their sound quality. Now i have to see if a Glass Toslink cable will improve things. Currently, it's a plastic fiber using a mini-toslink adapter. Thanks... TOM...