# asio, do i need it on the mac?



## Anouk

Hello, I know it is said htat for the pc using asio is the best way to go if you use an external dac. I now have a macbook pro and i wonder if this the seem way here and what is the better connection for it, usb or optical?
 Thanks, Greetings, Anouk,


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## EnOYiN

You don't need ASIO for a Mac. ASIO wasn't meant to be used for playback purposes either way, it's meant for recording where you want to be able to set a low latency. Many people use ASIO for playback on Windows machines because the audio architecture made by Microsoft isn't all that great. Macs don't have that problem for as far as I know. Please tell me if I'm wrong though.

 The Optical vs. USB debate is something completely different altogether and I must say that I don't know everything about that so I'll leave that for someone else to comment on.


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## AdamWysokinski

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Anouk* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Hello, I know it is said htat for the pc using asio is the best way to go if you use an external dac. I now have a macbook pro and i wonder if this the seem way here and what is the better connection for it, usb or optical?
 Thanks, Greetings, Anouk,_

 

Hi Anouk,
 You don't need ASIO in OS X. Some companies are trying to sell their proprietary drivers for OS X, but I doubt if these change anything. 
 However, in order to keep you signal bit-perfect, you should remember to set OS X volume to maximum and set appropriate Audio Output Format in Audio MIDI Setup.

 Cheers,
 Adam


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## bixby

Optical works beautifully on a Macbook. Just get a decent toslink to mini toslink cable and run it to a good dac and you will be amazed at how good it can sound.

 USB is not the best way to transport bits, much harder to do right than Toslink.


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## EnOYiN

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *bixby* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Optical works beautifully on a Macbook. Just get a decent toslink to mini toslink cable and run it to a good dac and you will be amazed at how good it can sound.

 USB is not the best way to transport bits, much harder to do right than Toslink._

 

Any chance you are going to back that statement up with something?


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## Sherwood

ASIO is useful (necessary?) on a windows machine because it bypasses KMixer, which is bad, bad news. Thankfully, OS X is engineered differently, and CORE audio is built into every MAC application, which is bit perfect. Ripped HDCDs played directly out of itunes (at full volume) will trigger the HDCD light on compatible DACs, for instance, which is an easy way of verifying perfect playback.

 So, in short, ASIO is unnecessary, and actually unavailable.


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## AdamWysokinski

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Sherwood* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_So, in short, ASIO is unnecessary, and actually unavailable._

 

For only 99 EUR they are going to ignore this simple truth


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## Sherwood

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *AdamWysokinski* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_For only 99 EUR they are going to ignore this simple truth 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 

Oh my. Thanks for the link, Adam. From that page's list of fallacies:

 "2. that the APPLE sound system Core-Audio, which sounds intrinsically better than the windows sound system, cannot be improved with special drivers."

 I would ask -- Improved how? I'm recording with latency under 10ms and bit perfect output. Arguments can be made about the quality of USB transfer, or digital receivers in DACs, but drivers address neither of those.

 There's no "improving" on perfect. There's just detracting in ways that people find pleasing.


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## AdamWysokinski

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *Sherwood* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Oh my. Thanks for the link, Adam._

 

You're welcome, they made me laugh, too.


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## bixby

Quote:


  Originally Posted by *EnOYiN* /img/forum/go_quote.gif 
_Any chance you are going to back that statement up with something? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


_

 


 I should not have said that usb is not the best way to transport bits. Their are lots of very good methods to do so. But I will stand by my comment about Toslink and the lower cost USB implementations that are so prevelent. This is not to say that firewire or SPDIF coax or AES are inferior overall as well.


 Read lots. Read reviews of dacs that have both, and use your own ears. All I am saying is that most USB implementations that are using a cheap solution sound mediocre and that the really good ones are much more expensive. And that many dacs that have both have listener preferences toward toslink when compared to usb. And of course many audiophile listeners prefer Spdif coax to usb on those same dacs. 

 It all depends on the implementation. Look at what some are saying about USB and how it sounds

Audio Asylum Thread Printer

 see that Apogee discontinued their USB implementation on their Mini Dac (not for want of a huge demand for that sort of thing).

 Mac with FW dac + external master clock. Anyone? google that thread on Audioasylum for some interesting discussion.

 Not saying it cannot be done very well, just that in the mainstream dacs it seems weak.


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