Airplay - use built-in audio output while mirroring

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Airplay - use built-in audio output while mirroring

Yesterday I tried to configure my headless mac mini to use airplay mirroring to my ATV3. This in general works beautifully.

The thing is, I use this machine as hifi-transport and want to continue using the local audio output (S/PDIF / Toslink / USB DAC) during mirroring.

I could not find any way of doing this. in Audio MIDI mixer, the sound output switches to Airplay as soon as I enable mirroring. If I then use the Audio MIDI utility to switch back oudio output to the built-in output, it automatically deactivates the mirroring session.

Even creating an aggregate and/or multiple output audio device in Audio MIDI utility and put together Airplay output and the built-in output, it does not work...

Anybody have any idea how to solve this?

Mac mini (Mid 2011), OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Jul 26, 2012 2:46 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 26, 2012 2:52 AM in response to KarmaKuma

That's interesting.

I assume you want to keep it local to play movies from VLC or the like and still have surround sound? I think because there is a syncing with airplay, I don't think this will work...

you might just need to try and get a toslink cable in the apple TV as well.

send feedback to apple to see if they will consider changing this.

http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

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Answer 2

KarmaKuma Author

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Jul 26, 2012 3:23 AM in response to TheSmokeMonster

Almost 😉

I don't want to use surround or any other style of digitally encoded audio stream output - just plain 'ole stereo via ditgital connection and use an standalone digital/analog converter instead of the one inside the mac mini in connection with iTunes. And use Software like XBMC for (Audio)Visual Multimedia and the like instead of the more restricted ATV options.

I would like to keep true Hifi-quality audio which airplay isn't quite too much - no flaming here at all, I LOVE Airplay, but audio quality via the built-in Toslink in the new 2011 mac mini connected to a standalone DAC is easily besting Airplay to ATV3 and then Toslink to the same standalone DAC by quite a bit. I tried and tested this more than once on more than one hifi-setup.

I guess it has something to do with the transformation of the audio signal by Airplay and/or the quality of the ATV3 toslink socket/output.

But the problem stays the same...

What I don't understand is that audio output to multiple devices during Airplay sessions seems to be built into Airplays logic/code. Otherwise iTunes et al could not use the multiple speaker output option... Maybe there is a technical difference between using mirroring and the old fasioned In-App-Airplay approach.

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Answer 3

Fredd-E

Level 1

10 points

Jul 28, 2012 3:17 AM in response to KarmaKuma

I like to chime in on this one too as I was just about to create a thread of my own.

My current home situation:

living room: airport express connected to receiver

work room: macbook pro with mountain lion in combination with Spotify

I would like to have the sound of spotify be sent simultaneously to the optical out of my macbook and the airport express in the living. So I created an aggregated device using this support file: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3956# - i ticked the box on both AirPlay and Built-in Output but there is no sound getting transfered to the Airport Express.

If I only tick the Airplay checkbox it works perfectly in the living room and if I only tick the Built-in it works perfectly on the macbook. But not both checkboxes combined.

Screenshots for clarification to be found here: http://imgur.com/a/K0KND#0

screenshot 1) works as intended: sound on airport express via AirPlay
screenshot 2) does not work as intended: only sound on macbook pro
screenshot 3) works as intended: sound on macbook pro via Built-in output

So any clue why the setup from screenshot 2 does not work?

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Answer 4

Nov 9, 2012 6:26 AM in response to KarmaKuma

se also https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4154352?answerId=20238906022#20238906022

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