robdrums2097

Ok, I tried flipping between HDMI & optical (via both OSX settings & BP settings) and could discern no difference in behaviour. Unfortunately my receiver does not have the capability of telling me what bitrate is coming in, but Bitperfect itself seemed to be changing as it should and there was no interruption to the sound coming out. I can also detect no real difference in quality between the two. So maybe HDMI is the way to go. And yeah, my TV lets me control the link functions it uses too. But the thing is that for every other input I want it to do that and it makes it easier for the wife to operate. So for the occasional time it causes me a problem, I can live with it. :-) Hope this helps. Rob

Yeah, my problem is self inflicted by my use of HDMI-CEC. So when I turn the tv off, the amp goes with it! Have a look at this if you haven't already: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f10-music-servers/mac-mini-digital-output-optical-or-hdmi-10293/ Nobody complains about HDMI for Blu Ray audio when mixed with video, so I can't see there should be any real difference in sound to worry about. I think a lot of people reported problems trying to use both HDMI AND optical at the same time. But probably one or the other should be fine. I do have both plugged into the same Yamaha receiver, so if you need me to try anything specific out let me know & I'll try it out tomorrow evening. Maybe I'll end up leaving it on HDMI too! Rob

I see no reason why it should be any different. Some have reported difficulty / instability with hdmi as an audio output, but I've not actually tried it. The main reason I stuck with optical in the end was so I could use it just as an audio input without having the TV on, controlled via iTunes Remote app. Rob

That's interesting, and possibly a good idea, David. Thank you, I will give it a try. Is that in iTunes? I had no idea you could do that. Is that still using the Home Sharing platform, or are you suggesting just dumping that small amount of music locally on to the phone? It is a shame if this is the case, because Apple very much give the impression that HS is designed to do exactly this: share large libraries over a network. It isn't sending several thousand files' worth of data to the iPhone, the iPhone is just accessing what's stored locally on my Mac as it needs it. But it could be worth a try. So you don't think BitPerfect is likely to be causing any issue at the Mac end? Rob

We'll see what happens tomorrow with the iOS 9 update, but does anyone have any other suggestions as to my unexplained crashes? Could BitPerfect and/or Rowmote be causing clashes on the network / iTunes which might cause iTunes to have a fit? Disabling BP last night seemed to work, but remains inconclusive as I only ran it for a few songs. Plus I would rather keep it if I can, without the need to manually enable and disable it every time I want to listen directly from my Mac. Thanks Rob

Hmmm, an interesting contrast to post #78 previously... (who interestingly is also using a 2015 Mac Mini like me). I have heard that JRiver is more PC-focused? But basically, if I can make this current iTunes / BitPerfect setup stable, I am quite happy. I am going to troubleshoot it now by disabling BP and see if Home Sharing works a bit better. JRMC would become an expensive hobby for the amount of devices I have on different Apple IDs...

Hi all, So I am finally up and running. After a not QUITE as smooth transition from Windows to Mac as hoped for (having to re-encode all my WAVs into AIFF, for example), I am now mostly happy. I have installed Bit Perfect which seems to sound pretty good, BUT... I set up Home Sharing yesterday, to use both the iTunes iOS Remote app to control the Mac directly, and to stream my library to an iPhone 4S in my dining room, that runs on an old Bose dock. Now, I am aware that iOS 9 is due to reinstate Home Sharing to audio on Wednesday, but this particular iPhone runs an old iOS software that still supports it. Ignoring the near-fifteen minutes it took to 'import' the library over the network (several thousand songs' worth), it was far from stable, and in one afternoon's use I had two crashes where the music just froze, seemingly at the Mac end, requiring a restart of both parts. I then had to 're-import' the library again, and.... well, it's just not the smooth experience I hoped for by changing to an all-Apple ecosystem (I have also bought an Airport Time Capsule as my new router). I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and do some elimination testing tonight, but what do you think could be the most likely cause? 1) The iPhone's old sfotware conflicting with the latest iTunes (I would rather not update this to iOS 9 but probably will on Wednesday) 2) BitPerfect causing crashes 3) The mixture of file types (AIFFs, ALACs, MP3s, AACs, etc) 4) iTunes not wanting to do Home Sharing with iPhones at the moment 5) iTunes just crashing for no reason 6) Other remote apps that are on the same network, such as Rowmote Pro 7) Home Sharing just not being as good as they say it is I know BitPerfect isn't designed to work with Home Sharing, but I assumed this just meant that I shouldn't expect the upsampled signal to come out the other end. Surely it should have nothing to do with it as it should be working on just the audio output stage at the Mac? Nothing else is really running on the Mac. Thanks Rob

OK, but if we have an HDMI output from our Mac Mini and an HDMI input on our receiver, that doesn't affect us, does it? That would seem to be a way for me to get 192/24 audio AND HD video at the same time without even using the optical. Or am I missing something? Rob

Thanks for all the input. Cambridge Audio have confirmed that the optical inputs are restricted to 24/96. Which is probably fine, if disappointing as it seems to cost much the same to download that as a 192 file. SO... Why do we never talk about using HDMI, as this must be perfectly capable of the data rates required, is connected directly to my receiver already, and I'd have thought is more geared up than USB for high resolution audio considering we use it every day for DTS & DD Blu Ray 24 bit audio? And am I crazy to own a DACMagic Plus with USB & be too lazy to use it (it too has often not been gremlin-free in use, especially with USB, in my three years of use with it on my PC. Funny noises, input drops, PC driver issues... Oh for a quiet life!)... Rob

Sorry, I meant the internal DAC of the receiver, not the Mac. Is your iMac listed in this list - if so, I really can't see how they could sell it as 192 capable unless they stated that their OS limits to 96... https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202730 Rob

Also, this article lists the late 2014 MM as ablel to output 192khz (but not the 2012 and before), so I'm guessing something has changed in there: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202730 I'm not sure how I'd know what the receiver's optical socket is capable of, but I'd assume (not safely, but ish) if the internal DAC is quoted as 192/24 capable, then the inputs SHOULD be, no? I could check with Cambridge Audio, I suppose. Whilst I could resume use of my DacMagic, which has asyncrous USB and upsampling, I really don't want to if I can get a good result straight from the amp... Rob

Thanks all. To say I'm finding this all a headache that almost just convinces me to stick with CD quality would be an understatement! I'm not averse necessarily to using another player - JRiver does possibly look interesting, for example - but at £7.99 for each app download of the remote, it'd need to present a very convincing case to make it worthwhile considering 95% of my collection is CD. I could use USB if I resumed use of the DACMagic, or HDMI if I changed my rig to go through the receiver (it currently goes straight to the TV, so the optical was the preferred choice for audio to my amp). On PC at least I always had very variable results using both of these connections, sound quality- and stability- wise. If iTunes + BitPerfect will work seamlessly & faultlessly with OSX (and hopefully with El Capitan when it's released), then perhaps this is the way to go. I think optical is capped at 96khz, so even if the software, the OS, the cable & the receiver input were all perfect, it seems it isn't possible. Makes you wonder, a bit like 'HD Ready' TVs, that patently weren't true HD or ever displaying an HD picture, even though their users thought they were a part of the future, how many people are paying for and running high definition audio and not actually getting it through the speakers as I have been!

Hi all, First post from a regular loiterer (if that isn't a word, it is now). I've always been impressed by the balance of passion & realism on these forums, so I'm going to give a question I have a shot. So I've just ordered a pretty much full spec Late 2014 Mac Mini, with i7, 16GB & 2TB Fusion Drive. Its main use will be music, connected by optical to my Cambridge Audio AV receiver via its digital audio output. This has a 192/24 capable Cirrus Logic DAC, that should be perfectly capable without the need for a separate upsampling DAC (of which I have one - a DACMagic Plus - but am looking to 'slim down'. I can't hear any particular benefit over my receiver's DAC apart from the filter adjusters). I'm keeping the DACM for now in case I do decide to revert to it. But it'll probably end up on eBay. Anyway, Google searches bring up many articles & threads that I believe to be outdated. I don't really want to start buying & wasting time & computer resources with plug-ins, apps & alternative players (JRiver, Audirvana, Pure Music & the like) if I can help it. I'm happy to keep things simple with the standard Mac setup & iTunes. Although I enjoy & respect good quality, I'm not the sort that sits listening critically for / imagining 'sound stages' and the minutest of details in my music when using different DACs, cables, players and things. I just want things to work & to work well with good sound and to enjoy my music, hence coming to my first Mac after years of PC use. But I want to both get decent sound quality (obviously) and get into HDTracks and listen to high res ALAC files. My question is this: if the output is set accordingly in the MIDI & iTunes menus, will the 2014 Mini with current software & Yosemite output a 192/24 signal? The vast majority of my music is ripped at 44.1/16 ALAC from CDs. Will this music either be upsampled (detrimentally or improved) if MIDI is set to 192/24, or worse, will it downsample high res stuff to the same if set lower? Or is the Mac / iTunes clever enough (these days, where I know it didn't used to be) to automatically change this setting on the fly? Or theoretically, if I understand what I've read about the likes of BitPerfect plugins, would I need to manually adjust the MIDI settings each time I play a high res track, or vice versa if set accordingly (far from ideal, obviously)? Will iTunes serve me well enough as an above average but not fanatical amateur audiophile? (I've no objection to its interface, I use Home Sharing and need it unavoidably for iOS management. Plus it's of course free) Or do I need to use something like JRiver or Audirvana to manage a large collection of varied sample rate music to hear everything seamlessly as it's meant to be heard? I've a feeling from what I've been reading that I've been doing it wrong for years through Windows iTunes, and that all music was probably outputting at the same quality, with some funny processing up and down going on to compensate. Many thanks in advance for any advice. Rob