MP 7,1 Is the pre-installed sound out port good quality ?

[gerrard0804]

Wonder if how to build a wired connection(no latency problem) to my KEF LSX which has aux/optical input?

Is the sound out on the pre-installed sound card good quality or should I get an extra sound card?

I will use my Mac Pro for windows 10 bootcamp for gaming as well

 

[orytek]

There is only a headphone port on the 7.1 that doesn't include digital output.
A 3rd party sound card might work in Bootcamp but won't work in Mac Os.
Something like this would be better for compatibility and includes optical output.

FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC Headphone Amp

Body { font-family: Verdana GENEVA sans-serif; font-size: 11px } TD { font-family: Verdana GENEVA sans-serif; font-size: 11px } FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC headphone amp the FiiO K3 pocket-sized power flexibility headphone amplifier & USB-C DAC boost your computers sound with capable decoding equipped...

www.amazon.com

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Unfortunately the KEF LSX do not have a USB digital in. That's why I got the LS50w:

KEF LS50 Wireless Powered Music System (Black, Pair)

The LS50W is a complete, high-fidelity music system that will cost you far less than you’d spend putting together the separate components necessary to match the performance of the LS50W. LS50W gives you all of the connectivity options you’ll need to get the most out of your music, including 2.4GH...

www.amazon.com

Best USB speakers you can get IMO. I also have the LSX and have them via optical on the TV. They are fantastic.

As for optical, I agree with @orytek. I tried optical on my old 5,1 Mac Pro for a while and it was always problematic. It didn't 'just work' all the time like system speakers that would play beeps etc. at sound levels and controllable by the keyboard volume keys (if am remembering correctly). Sadly, you really want a USB in type of speaker set for it to 'just work' with macOS.

You might try hard-wiring the network cable in and using them via Airplay2. I've tried that with HomePods, and you CAN use HomePods as the system's main sound source, the problem is there is always lag on YouTube videos etc. Perhaps that's because of the wireless latency, and perhaps that goes away via hard ethernet connection? It's worth a try.

Anyway, good luck regardless.

 

[bsbeamer]

Be careful with the USB input on SOME speakers. There was a warning out around the time of NAB 2019 that the USB cards being used in SOME speakers was compromised in some fashion and dated back several years. I assume this had something to do with unidentified drivers being used or similar, but worth mentioning for those that need to keep security at the forefront. Might be better using a quality DAC and wiring directly or through a mixer.

 

[Krevnik]

There is only a headphone port on the 7.1 that doesn't include digital output.
A 3rd party sound card might work in Bootcamp but won't work in Mac Os.
Something like this would be better for compatibility and includes optical output.

FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC Headphone Amp

Body { font-family: Verdana GENEVA sans-serif; font-size: 11px } TD { font-family: Verdana GENEVA sans-serif; font-size: 11px } FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC headphone amp the FiiO K3 pocket-sized power flexibility headphone amplifier & USB-C DAC boost your computers sound with capable decoding equipped...

www.amazon.com

I agree that if you want digital out, or a good quality DAC, going USB is your best bet. Even with all these PCIe slots.

I like the Topping D30 better than the FiiO K3 though. But I don't need headphone output. I also use my DAC behind a USB switch though, and the K3 is fussy handling the reconnections.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Be careful with the USB input on SOME speakers. There was a warning out around the time of NAB 2019 that the USB cards being used in SOME speakers was compromised in some fashion and dated back several years. I assume this had something to do with unidentified drivers being used or similar, but worth mentioning for those that need to keep security at the forefront. Might be better using a quality DAC and wiring directly or through a mixer.

The DAC on the Kef's are exquisitely balanced for the speaker. They come up perfectly, are identified, and the Mac Pro instantly pulls them up whenever you turn them on (they have auto power off settings if you don't want them running 24/7 (which you can) so they will turn off say after an hour of non use). These are clearly well crafted, and frankly, a 20k amp is roughly what you'd need to match what's going on inside the Kefs.

 

[gerrard0804]

Unfortunately the KEF LSX do not have a USB digital in. That's why I got the LS50w:

KEF LS50 Wireless Powered Music System (Black, Pair)

The LS50W is a complete, high-fidelity music system that will cost you far less than you’d spend putting together the separate components necessary to match the performance of the LS50W. LS50W gives you all of the connectivity options you’ll need to get the most out of your music, including 2.4GH...

www.amazon.com

Best USB speakers you can get IMO. I also have the LSX and have them via optical on the TV. They are fantastic.

As for optical, I agree with @orytek. I tried optical on my old 5,1 Mac Pro for a while and it was always problematic. It didn't 'just work' all the time like system speakers that would play beeps etc. at sound levels and controllable by the keyboard volume keys (if am remembering correctly). Sadly, you really want a USB in type of speaker set for it to 'just work' with macOS.

You might try hard-wiring the network cable in and using them via Airplay2. I've tried that with HomePods, and you CAN use HomePods as the system's main sound source, the problem is there is always lag on YouTube videos etc. Perhaps that's because of the wireless latency, and perhaps that goes away via hard ethernet connection? It's worth a try.

Anyway, good luck regardless.

how does the wired network cable connection work? I plug in the network cable to the network port of the speaker and my router? then how the mac and bootcamp find the speaker to use?

 

[DerekFlint]

The Mac should communicate with your KEFs without any problems if you connect the speaker network port to your router. From what I read in the LSX manual, the network port is used when you have a weak wireless signal from your router. And as stated earlier in this thread, it might eliminate latency issues (but remember that there is also 40ms latency when the two speakers are connected wirelessly to each other).

Using Airplay 2 when also using bootcamp could be a real problem. Maybe someone else here has a solution.

If you instead connect a USB to Toslink converter to your computer, that problem will be avoided, and latency problems as well, unless of course the converter introduces some. The previously mentioned FiiO K3 looks like a good choice, but according to the manufacturer the Topping D30 doesn't have an optical out. A less expensive, single purpose device might be all you need. You just want to avoid the ones that only support 48 kHz 16 bit. The Reiyin DA-3 looks promising, and is only $26.

https://www.amazon.com/Reiyin-Converter-Toslink-Optical-External/dp/B07VSFBT82/

 

[gerrard0804]

The Mac should communicate with your KEFs without any problems if you connect the speaker network port to your router. From what I read in the LSX manual, the network port is used when you have a weak wireless signal from your router. And as stated earlier in this thread, it might eliminate latency issues (but remember that there is also 40ms latency when the two speakers are connected wirelessly to each other).

Using Airplay 2 when also using bootcamp could be a real problem. Maybe someone else here has a solution.

If you instead connect a USB to Toslink converter to your computer, that problem will be avoided, and latency problems as well, unless of course the converter introduces some. The previously mentioned FiiO K3 looks like a good choice, but according to the manufacturer the Topping D30 doesn't have an optical out. A less expensive, single purpose device might be all you need. You just want to avoid the ones that only support 48 kHz 16 bit. The Reiyin DA-3 looks promising, and is only $26. https://www.amazon.com/Reiyin-Converter-Toslink-Optical-External/dp/B07VSFBT82/

Thanks. I don’t understand how this converter works? How does the Mac recognise to send the sound signal to this converter? Is it actually a sound card？ works both Mac and windows bootcamp?

 

[Krevnik]

If you instead connect a USB to Toslink converter to your computer, that problem will be avoided, and latency problems as well, unless of course the converter introduces some. The previously mentioned FiiO K3 looks like a good choice, but according to the manufacturer the Topping D30 doesn't have an optical out.

it mostly depends on if you want to use the DAC in the KEFs or have a separate DAC you can use for other things (the KEF has an AUX in). Nothing wrong with either approach, other than you’d want to not go too cheap on a DAC if you get one, since the KEF’s DAC is very likely better.

Thanks. I don’t understand how this converter works? How does the Mac recognise to send the sound signal to this converter? Is it actually a sound card？ works both Mac and windows bootcamp?

It is a ”sound card”, yes. Just one without a DAC or analog outputs.

 

[gerrard0804]

it mostly depends on if you want to use the DAC in the KEFs or have a separate DAC you can use for other things (the KEF has an AUX in). Nothing wrong with either approach, other than you’d want to not go too cheap on a DAC if you get one, since the KEF’s DAC is very likely better.



It is a ”sound card”, yes. Just one without a DAC or analog outputs.

what should I do if I wanna use the DAC in the KEFs?

 

[DerekFlint]

what should I do if I wanna use the DAC in the KEFs?

Except for the Topping D30, all of the options that have been mentioned so far send a digital signal to the KEFs.

I just noticed this brief Amazon product review for the Reiyin DA3:

 

[gerrard0804]

Except for the Topping D30, all of the options that have been mentioned so far send a digital signal to the KEFs.

I just noticed this brief Amazon product review for the Reiyin DA3:

View attachment 889236

They Reiyin DA3 is USB 2.0. Is it fast enough to deliver HD audio?

 

[kjohansen]

I have a Soundblaster Z on my PC, I have always routed the sound off my Mac Pro to it via the optical interface. I have yet to find a way to get sound off the new Mac Pro to my studio monitors....

 

[DerekFlint]

They Reiyin DA3 is USB 2.0. Is it fast enough to deliver HD audio?

On the Amazon page it states "supports up to 192 kHz 24 bit high resolution sound source", so I presume so.

 

[Krevnik]

They Reiyin DA3 is USB 2.0. Is it fast enough to deliver HD audio?

192kHz = 192,000 samples/second. 24-bit = 3 bytes. Sample rate * sample size = Data rate per second.

So 192,000 samples/sec * 3 bytes ~= 576,000 bytes per second.

This is less than 1MB/sec. Less than 4.4 Mb/sec. USB 2.0 maxes out at 480 Mb/sec (on paper). There's more than enough bandwidth.

If all you want is optical out for the KEFs, this thing is fine, and probably what I'd recommend in your case.

I'd really only recommend a full DAC if you want to use it as a DAC. Otherwise, you're paying a decent chunk of change for a DAC chip just to pull the optical or coax digital outputs that don't need it.

 

[gerrard0804]

192kHz = 192,000 samples/second. 24-bit = 3 bytes. Sample rate * sample size = Data rate per second.

So 192,000 samples/sec * 3 bytes ~= 576,000 bytes per second.

This is less than 1MB/sec. Less than 4.4 Mb/sec. USB 2.0 maxes out at 480 Mb/sec (on paper). There's more than enough bandwidth.

If all you want is optical out for the KEFs, this thing is fine, and probably what I'd recommend in your case.

I'd really only recommend a full DAC if you want to use it as a DAC. Otherwise, you're paying a decent chunk of change for a DAC chip just to pull the optical or coax digital outputs that don't need it.

What full DAC would you recommend in my case？

 

[DerekFlint]

What full DAC would you recommend in my case？

It depends on what features you want and how much money you are willing to spend. If you want to be able to drive just about any headphones and do serious room e.q., I'd recommend the one I own. But it costs $1100 and unless you feel you need those features you probably should use the one in your KEFs.

 

[Krevnik]

What full DAC would you recommend in my case？

Honestly, that's up to you, like DerekFlint says. If you are set on a Mac Pro, or have already ordered one, it's worth just running a 3.5mm cable to the KEFs and see what it sounds like. No extra out of pocket expense.

Mostly, the point of having an external DAC is flexibility, and isolation from noise (for the somewhat niche good that does). Although on something like the KEF, I'd imagine the DAC is good enough for most needs if you do want better than the default output. Apple's output is generally pretty good for a built-in.

But generally, it depends. If you want headphone output or not. If you want/need digital output from the DAC/Sound Card as well as analog, need external volume control, and so on. I picked mine specifically because it handles being switched between two different computers nicely, making it so that I have one DAC for both my Mac mini and Gaming PC. It doesn't need headphone output, I don't use the digital out, and the volume is controlled on the PC or speakers in my case.

 

[orph]

tad sideways i used HDMI to a amp to drive sound, worked well for me.
im not sure if it's studio quality but works

no display just sound via HDMI for the setup

 

[chfilm]

Hm I'm using an Thunderbolt 3->2 adapter to connect to my Promise Pegasus Raid and have my AV Receiver behind that Raid via TB2-> HDMI Adapter. It works fine, and I did the same with my trashcan, but I noticed that the sound is a) very loud, and b) somehow lacks low frequencies. My subwoofer won't even bother powering on if I output music from the Mac Pro. If I watch movies it fires up eventually, or even if I airplay the music from the mac pro to the AVR it also works, but not through the cable connection. Any idea what the reason for that could be?

 

[Krevnik]

tad sideways i used HDMI to a amp to drive sound, worked well for me.
im not sure if it's studio quality but works

no display just sound via HDMI for the setup

These KEFs are powered speakers, so have a built-in amp.

Neat idea for folks with passive speakers they want to use, though. I like it.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

The Mac should communicate with your KEFs without any problems if you connect the speaker network port to your router. From what I read in the LSX manual, the network port is used when you have a weak wireless signal from your router. And as stated earlier in this thread, it might eliminate latency issues (but remember that there is also 40ms latency when the two speakers are connected wirelessly to each other).

Using Airplay 2 when also using bootcamp could be a real problem. Maybe someone else here has a solution.

If you instead connect a USB to Toslink converter to your computer, that problem will be avoided, and latency problems as well, unless of course the converter introduces some. The previously mentioned FiiO K3 looks like a good choice, but according to the manufacturer the Topping D30 doesn't have an optical out. A less expensive, single purpose device might be all you need. You just want to avoid the ones that only support 48 kHz 16 bit. The Reiyin DA-3 looks promising, and is only $26.

https://www.amazon.com/Reiyin-Converter-Toslink-Optical-External/dp/B07VSFBT82/

That does look cool. Is it the only Toslink type adapter of its type? I couldn't find any others like it. Others like this seem to have their own DAC so not as great an option for the LSX:

FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC Headphone Amp

Body { font-family: Verdana GENEVA sans-serif; font-size: 11px } TD { font-family: Verdana GENEVA sans-serif; font-size: 11px } FiiO K3 Type-C USB DAC headphone amp the FiiO K3 pocket-sized power flexibility headphone amplifier & USB-C DAC boost your computers sound with capable decoding equipped...

www.amazon.com

 

[Synchro3]

Not the cheapest but the easiest solution is the Caldigit TS3 Plus. Native Digital Optical/Toslink.

 

[flowrider]

I'm running a Klipsch system from the Headphone out jack. They sound GREAT IMHO. My speakers are the powered R-15PM along with a 10" sub.

Lou