Digital audio to receiver from MacBook Pro

How best to get digital audio from my 2016 MacBook Pro to my receiver, using minimal $ and cable clutter? Ideally, this would be an adapter that attached to one of the 3 USB-C ports off the back of my 5K LG Thunderbolt 3 monitor, to maintain the clean one cable desk solution, but that USB-C to optical audio adapter doesn't seem to exist.

Actually, it would be best to just connect an audio optical digital cable with a 3.5 mm mini plug/TOSlink adapter on one end and the appropriate digital connector for your receiver.

The MacBook Pro's audio port supports both two-channel linear PC and Encoded Digital Audio formats, like Dolby Digital and DTS.

For PCM, it supports 16, 20, or 24 bits per sample at rates of 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz ... and for the newer (2013+) Macs, both 176.4 & 192 kHz.

For AC-3, it supports 16 bits per sample at same rates.

Ref: Apple Support - Play high sample rate digital audio on Mac computers

Unfortunately the OWC dock might not work. Looks like OWC cheated out on the hardware. I did pre order one for other reasons and am hoping the S/PDIF will output DD and DTS like the old Mac's did. So frustrated Apple removed the digital out. Of course they didn't really publish it so I found out once I bought the machine. I have already spend over $400 on accessories just to replace the functionally I already had in older macs.

OWC Knowledge base

Thunderbolt 3 Dock: S/PDIF Audio

Created on: July 10, 2017

Relevant Part Numbers:

OWCTB3DK13PSL, OWCTB3DK13PSG

Please note that S/PDIF is output-only. The S/PDIF connection in the Thunderbolt 3 Dock is driven by a CMedia CM6533N chipset.

This chipset provides the following capabilities over S/PDIF:

• Two (2)-channel DAC for audio output
  • mono and stereo source playback supported
  • a limited number of DTS playback environments may allow for 5.1 output, however this is not an officially supported feature.
• Sample Rates: 44.1K/48K/88.2K/96KHz
• Bit Length: 16/24 bits

Argh, you're right. Sorry about that! One more "nail for the coffin" on these new "improved" MacBook Pros IMHO.

The multi-adapter approach is mind boggling, but more importantly, can be seen as a detriment to getting high quality digital audio directly out of the Mac. In theory, there are supposed to be a number of zero-latency (sorry, but there will always be some latency introduced when using adapters) USB-C adapters with optical audio.

... and, you're right again, in that very little appears out there as for adapters to resolve this. The closest thing I found was the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter offered at the online Apple Store. In theory, then you would still need an HDMI-to-optical digital adapter. Maybe something like this from Monoprice? Wow, what a mess!

A similar issue appeared with the 4th gen Apple TV removing its optical digital for a USB-C port.

I agree 100% what a pain in the butt. The previous model MacBook pro had optical and USB as audio out options but as far as I can find the current MacBook Pro only offers USB-C to a HDMI adapter then a HDMI adapter to optical. Which is whole lot of crap to contend with compared to a simple headphone jack with optical out. I don't mind Apple pushing things along but they need to offer viable alternatives before implementation instead of putting us through this carp. If this is the best Apple can come up with it's just plain pathetic because there isn't a viable option until someone develops a USB-C to a quality audio out and not just to a 3.5mm jack.

Just a suggestion, but has anyone cared to try any of these items out?

AUDIO ADVANTAGE MICRO II

SYBA USB 2.0 External Stereo Sound Adapter Optical SPDIF Output Audio Dongle, Windows Mac Linux SD-AUD20101

If so, would anyone care to share their experiences using either of them?

TL;DR:

I liked S/PDIF output from my Macs, because it yielded great audio quality when the external DAC is on, and silence when the DAC is off. Apple is no longer including S/PDIF in the headphone jack of the new MacBook Pros. Fortunately, S/PDIF is included in the OWC Thunderbolt Dock.

DETAILS:

I just discovered that my "new" MacBook Pro 2016 does not include mini S/PDIF (optical digital audio) output. I will miss it. I used it all the time on the iMac that it replaces.

I connect to a Schiit Audio Modi 2 Uber D/A converter, coupled with a Magni 2 Uber headphone amplifier). I bought the "Uber" version of the Modi 2, because has three inputs: S/PDIF, USB, and analog audio. The S/PDIF input was important to me. The non-Uber version has only USB.

Why S/PDIF? Because the mini S/PDIF jack silenced the iMac output. If I switch the Modi on, then I get sound. If I switch it off, I get silence because the mini S/PDIF is still inserted in the iMac's headphone jack, and the iMac doesn't know that the Modi DAC is turned off.

I could use the USB input, but if the Modi is switched off, then the iMac (or MacBook Pro) will sense that it is not there, and automatically switch to the internal speakers, which I don't want. I guess I will be forced to use the USB input if I must connect directly to the MacBook Pro, because I don't want to use analog (the MacBook Pro's internal DAC and amplifier, yuck!).

I also have an OWC Thunderbolt Dock. It has a standard S/PDIF connector on the back. That should work - yielding silence when the Modi is turned off, but I will have to wait until I can get a standard/standard S/PDIF Toslink cable. (All I have at hand are mini to standard Toslink cables.)

I hope this information helps someone.

Thanks for the update. I'm sure it will help numerous others with the same issue with the latest Apple laptops.