Does the iMac have a digital input?

The End wrote:

Hi,

I have been searching for ages for the answer to what I thought was a simple question - does the iMac have a digital input (optical or otherwise)?

...

I have an iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007).

Thanks to anyone that can assist.

AL

The iMac (20-inch, Mid 2007) does have a dedicated audio input. That is a combination analog/optical audio input.

iMac (Mid 2007) - Technical Specifications

The End wrote:

Hi Duane,

Thank you for your reply.

As I understand it (and I think this is true of even the latest iMacs), although the headphone port does haveanalog line in and line outs, it also works as a digital optical output - but as far as I'm aware, it doesn't allow optical input, which is what I'm after.

I just want to input a digital audio signal to my iMac.

Many thanks,

Alan

The 20-inch mid 2007 has 2 physical ports.

• Audio output/headphone port - analog or optical
• Audio input port - analog (line level) or optical

If you have a different model iMac the ports may be different.

yeah usb audio out and in are really full external soundcards they can have any type of input and output the maker wish them to have

and if they make a osx driver for it it's just a matter of connecting it installing the driver and choosing the input in your system preferences to being that

https://flipboard.com/@mariahlolas/top-10-best-usb-external-sound-card-adapters- for-windows-and-mac-2016-2017-npa5lltvz

if the minijack audio which also support the mic from iPhone headset I believe support the input in digital I don't know though

As Duane says, your Mac does have an optical input and all you need to do is to plug the lead in and any audio program will be able to use it: no extra drivers are required. You will need a mini-Toslink adaptor, or many cables come with TOSlink connectors plus the adaptors.

If at a later stage you upgrade to a current iMac you will find it has no audio input at all, and you will need an analog-to-digital converter. Oddly enough the best place to ask about this is in the GarageBand forum - there are people there with a lot of experience. There are many such converters available, though most aren't cheap. I've been using an Edirol for years, but unfortunately they've been swallowed by Roland and I don't think the range is as good as it used to be. Most USB converters don't need a driver, they use the inbuilt 'core audio' (something worth checking).

Both the Intel Core 2 Duo white polycarbonate iMac of late 2006 and the aluminium iMacs from mid 2007 have a combined audio input 3.5mm/miniToslink audio input. In the case of the aluminium one it's next to the headphone socket, second from the left when you view the back. Modern iMacs have, annoyingly, removed this facility, requiring an external interface if you want to do any audio recording other than the microphone.

I will however try the headphone port

It's not the headphone port, it's a separate one. Its icon is a square with a small solid triangle at each end. I have a 2007 aluminium iMac and was recording audio into it only this morning.

The End wrote:

... from everything I've read over the past hours though it sounds like that model 2007 model was optical out only. I'll let you know how I get on!

...

Obviously you haven't read the information at the links that I have posted.

Duane wrote:

Roger Wilmut1 wrote:

... I have a 2007 aluminium iMac ...

I have a 20" and a 24" mid-2007 iMac. 🙂

When I bought another iMac in 2014 I was annoyed to discover it had lost the audio input. Fortunately I have an Edirol UA-3FX left over from older Macs, and this still works perfectly, no driver required. The Edirol range wasn't particularly expensive, and it's annoying that now if you want to record audio you probably have to go for a quite expensive interface complete with XLR mic inputs you probably don't need. Some mixers provide a USB feed, though the Alesis one I have is useless as it imposes a high-pitched whine on everything. I feed its analogue output to a Sony Minidisc recorder, using that to provide the optical output which is fed 10m round to the other side of the room and into the Edirol. It all works a treat.

Aluminium iMac, 2007:

The late 2006 polycarbonate one is the same. The early 2006 model has analogue audio in only.

Roger Wilmut1 wrote:

... I have a 2007 aluminium iMac ...

I have a 20" and a 24" mid-2007 iMac. 🙂