Mac users of QQ - HELP..!!

[fredblue]

One thing I need to mention again though is the transfer job you have (ie. ripping that disc) is not call to purchase such a thing. You'd be spending time and money to do it wrong and have loss at the end of the day. DVD Audio Extractor will get you a perfect copy of a DVDA disc and it's only $45 I think. If it's DTS 24/96, that's a little more work for a proper decode, but you still want to avoid an analog generation loss. Reordering the channels is easy peasy.

Perhaps you have other plans for this unit though like analog transfers.

Yes! That's exactly what its for :upthumb
(Analogue transfers of Surround Master decoded SQ vinyl..
there's a possibility I may possess the only absolutely mint copies bought new and sealed and transferred just once of things like Isley Brothers/Go For Your Guns, Wild Cherry/Electrified Funk, Redbone/Beaded Dreams Through Turquoise Eyes, etc..
there were more I forget now )

Oh I can just about do all the DVD-Audio Extractor stuff, etc.. though one or two hundred SACDs may get put thru that interface over the passage of tiiiime..

Do you have a surround receiver right now? And you connect a thunderbolt to HDMI cable to it to listen to music from the computer? If the receiver also has analog inputs you could compare the DACs in the MOTU to your receiver. Go with what sounds better. If you have some $1200 or more surround receiver it just might give the MOTU converters a challenge. If it's a more budget unit, the MOTU might be an upgrade for playback too.

Well I connect both the MacMini in the living area (to a Yamaha RXV 2067 - was approx $1500 when I got it) via HDMI and the Mac Mini in the bed area to a Denon AVR via HDMI (not sure how much the Denon AVR-2310 was, steelydave would know he bought it new in the first place!) since both computers have HDMI out.. happy to report it all works fabbo spiffo for multchannelio audio... its just other stuff I suck at doing like ftp but thats a whole other story and not for here..!!

 

[jimfisheye]

I've had a MOTU 828 mk II for 8 years now...as for inputs, , it'll work fine,
BUT:
-my Mic 2 input (one of the 2 in the front ) developed a "noise" a few years ago and is not usable anymore (the Spanish) MOTU folks were very ...friendly..but I NEVER got a word back from them to replace or repair it...
- it does not pass ANY DTS/MCH info OUT.

Just a a few words in case you get a used one...

FYI, MOTU has a fixed price repair program. Last I checked it was $100 to repair the 828mk2. They simply send you a different already repaired unit and add your broken one to their queue.

The 828 has no DTS encoder/decoder built into it, no. You would need a specific app to do that conversion. You can of course PASS a digital DTS encoded signal out the digital outputs if you desire. That's a function of whatever media player app you use.

 

[jimfisheye]

Yes! That's exactly what its for :upthumb
(Analogue transfers of Surround Master decoded SQ vinyl..
there's a possibility I may possess the only absolutely mint copies bought new and sealed and transferred just once of things like Isley Brothers/Go For Your Guns, Wild Cherry/Electrified Funk, Redbone/Beaded Dreams Through Turquoise Eyes, etc..
there were more I forget now )

Oh I can just about do all the DVD-Audio Extractor stuff, etc.. though one or two hundred SACDs may get put thru that interface over the passage of tiiiime..



Well I connect both the MacMini in the living area (to a Yamaha RXV 2067 - was approx $1500 when I got it) via HDMI and the Mac Mini in the bed area to a Denon AVR via HDMI (not sure how much the Denon AVR-2310 was, steelydave would know he bought it new in the first place!) since both computers have HDMI out.. happy to report it all works fabbo spiffo for multchannelio audio... its just other stuff I suck at doing like ftp but thats a whole other story and not for here..!!

That's all nice stuff. To the point that any upgrade discussion would probably be more about speakers or room treatment.

The next level up for analog capture would be a unit from Apogee or RME. And you absolutely are NOT going to get one with 6 or more inputs for $200!

 

[fredblue]

That's all nice stuff. To the point that any upgrade discussion would probably be more about speakers or room treatment.

The next level up for analog capture would be a unit from Apogee or RME. And you absolutely are NOT going to get one with 6 or more inputs for $200!

Thanks matey! Everythings always done on a budget, if i were a rich man and all that I'd have big beasts of speakers (I have something of a fetish for speakers.. )
..but should be ok for the time being (though upgradeitis always looms )
Monitor Audio BX 5's @ Front, BX 2's @ Rear, BX Centre and REL Sub..



and in the boudoir Dave's FABULOUS KEF's (of which this is the best pic I could find, the fronts and sub are slightly different but you get the.. picture...)

 

[jimfisheye]

Thanks matey! Everythings always done on a budget...

Same here!

The interesting thing these days is, a carefully thought out system can be pieced together (with some used bits) for $500 - $1500 that will run circles around $10,000 worth of garbage from Worst Purchase (or whatever big box store you prefer).

We have more options than ever before and perfect delivery of music with HD formats but there's also more snake oil sold than ever before too.

 

[drphibes]

Re: your Bolded text - I have had to go to Applications - Utilities - Audio Midi Setup and had to force the output to encoded digital audio to get DTS encoded files to work properly. This wasn't generally an issue in previous versions of the OS, but it seems more finicky

Based on some comments here, I started playing around with multi-channel flac and ALAC again. I wasn't able to get multi-channel ALAC files to import into iTunes, and my trusty Cog app seems to have bit the dust in the latest OS upgrade. Thinking maybe something was wrong with my setup, I fiddled with the Audio Midi Setup utility....

and promptly lost all ability to play DTS/DD encoded audio. Inexplicable, frustrating, and apparently unsolvable.

I've no idea what I changed or what I did, but I'm gutted. I've tried every setting available, and I can't get it back. I'm going to see what I can salvage by rolling back with time machine to yesterday. I'll try figuring out what I did wrong first so I can un-@##$% this if it happens again.

Part of the problem seems to be that the Mac Mini doesn't recognize the Yamaha amp in the HDMI chain, but another part of the problem is setting the Mac Mini to "encoded digital audio" makes the mac ignore the HDMI out entirely. Infuriating.

Vox seems to be an option for multi-channel Flac, maybe I'll go that route. I don't like changing programs, but I want what I want.

 

[fac23]

Getting Multichannel ALAC to work in iTunes is tricky but possible. iTunes will only play those files in .mov (no video track needed) or .m4v format. .m4a won't work.
If you already have a multichannel ALAC file you can use the freeware tool subler to save it in the correct format.
Unfortunately most apps seem to mess up the channel order when producing Mch-Alac files. I usually split the source into single channel files, then use Apple Compressor to get a Mch-Alac Mov and finally add metadata and chapters in subler. It's a convoluted, messy process and if the music industry got around to offering multichannel downloads in a convenient manner i'd stop this nonsense in an instant.

Issues with the HDMI output disappearing from Audio-Midi Setup can best be solved by a restart. Also it's a good idea to quit iTunes (maybe other audio app as well) between sample rate changes when you have trouble playing DTS-encoded files.

 

[drphibes]

Well, it gets worse, and better. I presumed I changed a setting somewhere but couldn't find it, so I tried to restore from yesterday's backup. The restore stopped halfway through and bricked the Mac Mini completely. It was under warranty, so it'll get fixed.

That's the worse. The better is that I went into the shed, pulled out the circa 2009 Mac Mini from the shed, hooked it up, updated iTunes, and it works flawlessly. It's slow as hell but stable as a rock. Just imported the new Steven Wilson mix of "Fragile" into the library. Loving it.

Oh well.

 

[fredblue]

Just in case anyone here is still following on from the original point of this thread.. ..I lucked out and won a MOTU interface on eBay for £125! I've only had a chance to do a couple of things with it.. but so far so good.

 

[quicksrt]

Thanks matey! Everythings always done on a budget, if i were a rich man and all that I'd have big beasts of speakers (I have something of a fetish for speakers.. )
..but should be ok for the time being (though upgradeitis always looms )
Monitor Audio BX 5's @ Front, BX 2's @ Rear, BX Centre and REL Sub..

View attachment 22976

and in the boudoir Dave's FABULOUS KEF's (of which this is the best pic I could find, the fronts and sub are slightly different but you get the.. picture...)

View attachment 22977

I can't handle my rear speakers not being the same size as fronts. I demand they be same size even if they are different brands, or a different model, I want something very much the same in the four corners. Why am I so demanding in this regard, obviously from the pictures shown not everyone else is.

 

[fredblue]

I can't handle my rear speakers not being the same size as fronts. I demand they be same size even if theyr are different brands, or a different model, I want something very much the same in the four corners. Why am I so demanding in this regard, obviously from the pictures shown not everyone else is.

I hear you..

2 little things..

1.) Timbre/voice-matching across all speakers is much more important to me than matching size (having all "large" or all "small"..)..
2.) Next time you're in London, come and see me, you'll find that I live in a SHOEBOX in the heart of town! Identical speakers all round (seeing as I like floorstanders that can handle some bass upfront) is simply not an option for me..

..So, imhe matching brands and models is more of a priority than ensuring all 4 are floorstanders or standmounters, ideally you want to ensure that all speakers are voice-matched and it all flows from there.. but I'm very happy you demand and get big ones in the rear and have the space to accommodate them back there