Getting Digital Audio Out from Mac Mini 2018

Hello Everyone,

I have a similar question.

I have a Mac Mini 2018, and want to connect to my external DAC that accepts USB-B / HDMI / Toslink etc. My preference is to use HDMI since I already have a HDMI 2.1 cable available.

This Mac Mini will be for this purpose only so I will not be connecting to any screen with the HDMI.

Most of my music files are wav format, and I just want to find a sure way that the Mini is sending in digital form (and not analog) to my DAC.

I guess there is no issue using the Apple Music App for playback? Not sure if I need another app (eg. Audirvana or Bitperfect) to at all. I just want to avoid a situation where the Mini is converting the wav into analog then back to digital before sending to the DAC.

Thank you.

Posted on Sep 20, 2022 6:05 PM

Top-ranking reply

woodmeister50

Level 7

21,081 points

Posted on Sep 21, 2022 5:26 AM

Using any of the afore mentioned options can only deliver digital data.

Depending on the sampling rates you desire, your best option would be HDMI or USB which can deliver a full 192 KHz/24 bit audio at up to 7 channels. For a TOSLINK interface, you would still need some sort of USB converter since the 2018 MacMini no longer has an optical output.

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Getting Digital Audio Out from Mac Mini 2018

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