I have a MacBook Pro 13” mid 2010 and I want to use it as a “music player”, connecting it to a Kenwood Stereo amplifier KRF-V4070D.
The amplifier has a digital audio input and I read that the MacBook Pro 13” mid 2010 has a “Combined headphone/line in (supports digital output)” MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2010) - Technical Specifications - Apple Support (VN)
I would like to know which cable I have to search.
The headphone/optical out is a combined, single port. You would need a Toslink cable with 3.5mm optical connector on one end and a standard Toslink connector on the other end ... like this one -> https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=1557
Note that as an alternative you can use a standard analog stereo cable to connect the headphone out to any of the analog inputs on your receiver (3.5mm stereo plug on one end, 2xRCA connectors on the other end ... like this one -> https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=5597
The headphone/optical out is a combined, single port. You would need a Toslink cable with 3.5mm optical connector on one end and a standard Toslink connector on the other end ... like this one -> https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=1557
Note that as an alternative you can use a standard analog stereo cable to connect the headphone out to any of the analog inputs on your receiver (3.5mm stereo plug on one end, 2xRCA connectors on the other end ... like this one -> https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=5597
Thank you for the answer, I will try with the first one, because I had already tried with the standard cable, plugging it into the Tape Input of the amplifier, and it had not worked. In the “Sound” System preference of The MacBook I find only “Digital output” and both Music and Vox do not produce any sound.
The same standard audio cable works if I connect an iPod to the amplifier.
Probably a malfunction in the audio output of the MacBook, if so I probably risk the digital cable not working as well :-(
Grant Bennet-Alder wrote:
the TAPE input is Line-level input. the Mac outputs a very low signal intended to drive headphones directly.
I tried also two earphones (Apple for iPod and Sony) and a headphone (battery powered) but it is the same, no audio and only "digital output" in the “Sound” System preference of The MacBook.
I'm waiting for a digital-optical cable, but I don't have much hope for it.
The headphone out can be a workable substitute for line level, as in connecting a headphone out to the Tape-in (line-in) of an amp. The headphone out voltage is good enough to work with a line-level input even though the impedances aren't ideally matched. (Note, this is specific to headphone outputs, not speaker outputs.)
It is possible for the headphone out to produce distortion if the user turns up the volume (gain) too far on the headphone output but that typically requires turning the volume up above ~80%, or higher, at which point you would just turn it back down to a level where the distortion disappears.
No dice--I tried using the Toslink optical cable, but it doesn't work. Nor do four different headphones/earphones I tried.
When I connect the headphones the Sound icon turns gray, and if I go to System Preferences > Sound I only see Digital output.
I then searched for solutions online and found that there are hundreds of posts from people who have the same problem with MacBooks. I have tried all the proposed solutions (here is a summary of the main ones: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/fix-mac-headphones-not-working/) but there is nothing to be done.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
<<. plugging it into the Tape Input of the amplifier. >>
the TAPE input is Line-level input.
the Mac outputs a very low signal intended to drive headphones directly.
MacBook Pro 13" 2010, which digital optic audio cable?
