DAC no longer recognized as a device

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DAC no longer recognized as a device

My MacBook Air is connected to a mobile drive with 55,000 song files and a Brooklyn+ DAC as the output to my amp and speakers. Normally I use a hub for both these devices so I can attach a BluRay drive or backup drive easily. Today when I shut down the laptop and started it back up again, it no longer recognized any device. As I debugged, using my office computer, I established that something had happened to the hub, such that when I took that out of the path the mobile drive was recognized. But that still left a big problem. Back at the laptop, I attached the two key devices directly to the two ports and neither was recognized at first. I tested different conditions until the laptop asked if I wanted to connect to the mobile drive. I said yes and from then on I could at least start up the Music app.

But I have not been able to get the laptop to recognize the device (the USB cable leading to the DAC) connected to the other port. I'm used to a little flakiness in the Sound settings on any Mac, so I have tried all combinations of restarting and/or shutting down with the DAC either on or off. In the System Report, in all cases, there is no evidence that any device is connected to that port. (The DAC itself is fine.) What else should I try to get the Mac to recognize the device at the port?

MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

Posted on Apr 17, 2023 6:17 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

playlist junkie Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 20, 2023 10:14 AM in response to Lee_ms

Thanks so much for the troubleshooting advice.

After much more fiddling around, I finally solved this problem by purchasing a hub for the laptop with two USB-4 and two USB-2 ports. Now that everything is working, I can reason backwards to realize that I had not been able to test all options properly before because I was using adapters to connect my two USB-2 devices to the new laptop. Because the adapters had worked at first, it did not occur to me that they might be the problem after the shut-down-restart issue developed. A cautionary tale: adapters may work under some circumstances but not others.

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Answer 2

Lee_ms

Community Specialist

Apr 19, 2023 10:48 AM in response to playlist junkie

Hi playlist junkie,

Here's some troubleshooting from the If a USB device doesn’t work with Mac resource you may find helpful:

"If you have many devices connected to your Mac: Disconnect all USB devices except the device you’re testing, an Apple keyboard, and an Apple mouse. Make sure that the device is connected directly to the computer, and that any hubs or extension cables are disconnected. If you can use the device now, the problem may be with one of the other USB devices or hubs you had connected to your computer. Try reconnecting them, one by one, to your computer. When you find the device causing the problem, review its documentation for further troubleshooting steps.
Verify that the device appears in System Information: On your Mac, press and hold the Option key, then choose Apple menu > System Information.
In the window that appears, see if the USB device is listed below Hardware in the list on the left. If the device appears but does not work, review the device’s documentation for further troubleshooting steps.
Reopen apps: Quit and reopen any apps that use the device.
Restart your Mac: Choose Apple menu > Restart."

If this doesn't help you can reach out for additional support here: Get Support

Take care.

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Answer 3

bryanr14

Community Specialist

Apr 20, 2023 10:31 AM in response to playlist junkie

Hi playlist junkie,

Thanks for getting back to us and for providing us that update. We're glad to hear you were able to resolve it.

Have a wonderful rest of your day and take care.

Best regards.

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DAC no longer recognized as a device

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