iMac to A/V digital connection and playback

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iMac to A/V digital connection and playback

I have a 2018 iMac running O/S Mojave 10.14.5. I am trying to get my iMac connected to my Marantz A/V amp for playback of Apple Music, etc. Online suggestions are confusing - example: Toslink cable out of headphone jack (supposed to go in far enough to connect to something to change to optical out) then to optical in on the back of my A/V. I bought that type of cable https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T8HWV62/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and then set up my A/V amp to recognize the input. But the iMac output through the headphone jack has not changed automatically as some online have suggested would happen, nor can I find any settings in System Preferences to manually make changes. Looking back through previous posts were not at all helpful and they were 2012 or 2013 posts. It's 2019, I need up to date help. Has anybody been though this recently that can offer me some help on this.

iMac 27" 5K, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jul 17, 2019 10:56 AM

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Answer 1

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Tesserax

Level 10

148,913 points

Jul 17, 2019 12:28 PM in response to crabbski

I understand the "why" is that there wasn't enough demand for it. Trust me. I'm just as equally disappointed with that decision as you are. Nice receiver, BTW!

With the iMac's headphone port, you are limited to analog stereo output. A 3.5 mm stereo to twin analog RCA plugs should work to get the audio to the AVR. Alternatively, as you suggested, an Analog to Digital Coaxial/Optical audio converters are available ... here's one from Monoprice. In this case, you would need a 3.5 mm stereo to twin RCA cable between the Mac and the converter and a Toslink cable between the converter and the AVR.

For anything digital, one option might be to use one of your Mac's two Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports, with a USB-C to HDMI adapter. Then run a HDMI cable between the Mac and one of the HDMI input ports on the AVR. I would venture to guess that you could use the MEDIA PLAYER, AUX2, or CD HDMI ports on the AVR for this for audio only. Otherwise, the other available HDMI ports would be used for both audio & video. What I don't know is if this will work, and if it does, will it provide higher quality sound vs. the converter method to be worth it.

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Answer 2

crabbski Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 17, 2019 1:29 PM in response to Tesserax

Thanks so much Tesserax. Your suggestion for the Monoprice converter is the best suggestion since I already have the Toslink cable. Apple's USB-C to HDMI adapter got all negative reviews online. https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MJ1K2AM/A/usb-c-digital-av-multiport-adapter?fnode=8b&fs=f%3Dadapter%26fh%3D4595%252B45b0

I found this on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Thunderbolt-Solution-Aluminum-DisplayPort-Projector/dp/B0757JWW81/ref=sr_1_6?crid=39WW1HHW595KV&keywords=thunderbolt+to+hdmi+adapter&qid=1563394911&s=gateway&sprefix=Thunderbolt+%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-6By It has the circuitry built in it to prevent all of the complaints that I read on Apple's adapter site.

By the way, I discovered that the iMac and the Marantz will communicate via ApplePlay and the audio isn't too bad, and it transmits all the track data from iTunes only, not with Amazon Music or Pandora, with them just the music only. I really like the Monoprice converter solution and at $12.86 or the cable at Amazon. I try them both and see which works best.

Thanks for your help and quick response.

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

148,913 points

Jul 17, 2019 11:25 AM in response to crabbski

Let's start with the exact model of your iMac. I'm not aware that Apple has a 2018 iMac. It could either be a 2017, or just recently, a 2019 model. It doesn't matter when you actually purchased it. There are four 2017 iMac models: iMac Pro (A1862), 27" Retina 5K (A1419), 21.5" Retina 4K (A1418), & a 21.5 non-Retina LED model. None of them sport the analog/digital combo audio out port that previous models had. They are analog-only 3.5 mm headphone ports ... so a TosLink cable will not work and depending on the audio input type(s) you have on the Marantz is what you would need.

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Answer 4

crabbski Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 17, 2019 11:40 AM in response to Tesserax

What type of connection will work? Why would Apple remove advanced technology like optical out and not offer a better option? I would like to have digital music playback (maybe some kind of reasonably priced converter) rather than just analog.

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Answer 5

Tesserax

Level 10

148,913 points

Jul 17, 2019 1:43 PM in response to crabbski

You're very welcome! Let me know what you finally end up doing. Fortunately, my 2014 Mac mini (as all of the previous models, whereas the 2018 model is in the same boat as your iMac) still employ the combo analog/digital ports so getting it connected to my old Denon via a direct digital connection has not been an issue. Unlike your Marantz, my Denon is pre-AirPlay so that's not an option for me.

To get around the AirPlay "restrictions," you can use an app, like Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil to stream any audio content from your Mac.

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Answer 6

Jul 17, 2019 11:18 AM in response to crabbski

The 2018 (actually 2017 model) iMac doesn't have optical audio. The 2015 iMac did.

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Answer 7

crabbski Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 17, 2019 11:29 AM in response to Tesserax

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017); Marantz SR7010 (with every imaginable input)

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iMac to A/V digital connection and playback

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