Is there a way to share audio output device from one Mac to another?

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Level 1

62 points

Is there a way to share audio output device from one Mac to another?

I have two Macs (both are 2020 M1 devices).

Mac One has a USD audio interface, with speakers hooked up to it.

Is there a way I can stream or AirPlay audio from Mac Two to the audio device on Mac One?

Both are running macOS 12.6. In System Preferences > Sharing, I have "AirPlay Receiver" activated on both computers. I figured that feature would likely mean I could at least Airplay from one computer to the other. But it doesn't seem to. Ideally, what I want is one Mac Two to set the sound output device to the USB audio device on Mac One.

I figured with all the hand-off and interoperability features macOS has built into now that this would be achievable. Yet I've been unable to figure out if it is.

MacBook Air

Posted on Nov 14, 2022 11:21 AM

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Answer 1

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InspiredLife Author

Level 1

62 points

Nov 14, 2022 12:46 PM in response to dialabrain

Actually, over Airplay it is possible.

I've since discovered that a firewall app (LuLu, which is on both computers) was blocking Airplay when it was enabled on the sending computer. Seems to be a bug in LuLu. So long as I disable it in the sending computer (it's not a problem having it enabled on the receiving computer), I can send audio from "Mac Two" over to the output device on "Mac One". The USD audio device obviously needs to be set as the output device on Mac One.

Also, on "Mac Two" I can add "Mac One" as an output device for "Mac Two" in System Preferences > Sound. In this way all audio from M2 can be sent to M1 as the output device. As opposed to only using Airplay on an app-by-app basis (e.g., in Apple Music, for example) to select Mac One as the receiver.

So the problem in my case was the LuLu firewall. I'm taking that up with its developers.

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Answer 2

dialabrain

Level 10

122,711 points

Nov 14, 2022 1:09 PM in response to InspiredLife

Perhaps we are talking apples & oranges. For example, I have an Audio Quest DAC plugged into one of my Macs that has external speakers plugged into it. I can certainly send the Mac audio through AirPlay to any of my other Macs. What I can't do is AirPlay the processed sound from the DAC.

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Answer 3

InspiredLife Author

Level 1

62 points

Nov 14, 2022 1:39 PM in response to dialabrain

Yes, sounds like we're talking about two different things.

When you say, "Airplay the processed sound from the DAC" I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Are you saying you can't Airplay to that computer and have sound come out through the external speakers you've got plugged into the DAC?

In my case I have a Zoom U-44 USB MIDI and Audio interface. And (firewall issues aside) I am sending audio from another device to that Mac, and playing sound out through the external speakers plugged into the U-44. Which works.

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