How to Set Up a DAC with iPhone, iPad, and Mac
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- čas přidán 9. 06. 2021
- Jeff Gamet shows how to connect a DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) to your iPhone, iPad, or Mac to listen to Hi Res music.
Support Jeff on Patreon: / jgamet
Support Jeff on Buy Me a Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/jgamet
All about Apple lossless music: • Apple Lossless Music
DACs mentioned in the video:
• AudioEngine D1: audioengineusa.com/shop/compo...
• Schiit Modi 3+: www.schiit.com/products/modi-1
• iFi hip-dac: ifi-audio.com/products/hip-dac/
• AudioEngine D3: audioengineusa.com/shop/uncat...
Music apps mentioned in the video:
• VLC Player: www.videolan.org/vlc/
• Flacbox: apps.apple.com/us/app/flacbox... - Věda a technologie
Thank you so much for your videos! They were really helpful for me to setting up my DAC on my MAC.
Thanks Jeff. With the help of your Video, I was able to set up Schitt Modius with my 2013 iMac (as I was having difficulty). A bit background is that my M1 Mac mini recognized the Schitt Medius instantly. But was having issue with my 2013 iMac. Thanks again for your video.
Hi, great video. May I ask whether the IFi Zendac V2 will work with a basic model iPad? And, if so, would one need any cable adaptors? The Zendac comes with an input cable that one can plug directly into the usb port of an iMac (which I've already done), so can one not do the same with an iPad? Do iPads not have USB output? I am considering buying a bottom of the range iPad to use mostly as a streamer to connect to my power amp in my proper hi-fo system via the Ifi Zendac V2.
I'm getting pretty irritated at how vague the USB instructions are from everyone. Micro USB, USB-C, USB-B, all these are completely different and unspecified. The Back of the Schiit Modius has cutouts shaped like a different plug than the actual plug shape, and then they used the oh so very hip vauge graphic of a generic USB plug on the back without writing on the outlet WHICH USB it is. Their website is equally vague. It's a ridiculous wild west of plugs and types, and of course Apple just piles on their own. In this video, it doesn't show the IOS end of thing, which likely means a dongle of some sort. As common as iPhones are, I'm just amazed that there isn't a clear visual instruction of what is needed to connect Schiit's Modius to an iPhone.
The dongle he has pictured towards the end of the video is all you need and a usb cable that Looks like a printer cable. A b to a c? I can't remember the names of them.
Well you have the highest clear Pro sounding audio settings for your mic I'm pretty sure your microphone is good quality too but dang your crystal clear I love it!
great video! However, I have some problems with my external dac when connecting it to the macbook air 2019 13 inch model. my macbook could not detect the dac (mine is the venture electronics odyssey hd usb c dongle dac) Can you please help me with this?
Nice video, exactly what i am look for. Just a quick question, i am using sony PHA-3 and in the MIDI setting it only give me 16bit or 32bit to choose, if i go for the 32bit and in apple muisc, even 16bit songs show 32bit in my PHA-3. Now my question is, will this distortion the quality? Thx
Hi, I'd like to use my iPad pro (first gen) and iPhone xs max to listen to Tidal using a Bose Soundtouch 30. Please recommend a small DAC for this. Thank you very much!
Oh you have the perfect voice for a novelist!
thanks for the video. Can creative sound play 4 support Mac Apple Music High Res playback ? I wanna connect it to my iLoud MM speakers
Dear Jeff, will the iFi dac work if I connect it to the lightning port or mini jack port of a mini ipad 4 ? Thanks for your great videos.
Hi Jeff, nice video ! Did you compare the sound quality when playing Apple Music (with the Music app) either from a iMac to an external DAC or from an iPad (with USB-C) to a DAC. Would the SQ be better from the iPad because you can skip the Audio/Midi-stage ? Like to have you thoughts. My Doc is a Topping E50.
Thank You so much
Hey Jeff!!!!!! Your da man.
thank you very much
Does anyone know what is the best adapter for iPad mini 6, usb c to dac and a charging port ?
Does IT work with the dragonfly cobalt ?
Thanks !
Hi! Did You know if there are limitations with diferent adapters, I bought a camera adapter for my iPad on Aliexpress but I cant pass 44K on an external dac even with Tidal. The original one could make any difference? Thanks for your time.
HI, Can I bypass Iphone internal DAC using Apple adapter lightning to USB A and switch to the external hifi DAC? Thank you
Hi, I have a Sonos Playbar and I’m trying to use it as an external speakers for my iMac using the optical digital output, but it will not work. The Sonos works when plugged into the tv optical digital output. Is there a difference in signal from IMac and Tv? Would greatly appreciate any help
Which USB cable is needed to connect to MacBook Pro (lightning port)?
so confusing... still dont know how to connect my iPhone to my dac
Get a USB adapter. Make sure you have the one that fits your device on one end and the dac on the other end.
I think you will need first need an Apple Lightning to USB cable. You may then need a short USB adaptor to convert the USB-A of the Apple cable to whatever USB input your DAC uses. An alternative would be to get an Apple USB Camera cable (which are short) and then get an adaptor cable from that to whatever you DAC uses. Basically you need a cable, or combination of cables and/or adaptors that go from your phone’s Lightning socket to your DAC’s USB input. I have two DACS, one has a USB-B input, the other a micro USB input.
Watch this video to the end
hi i hope you can answer a question i just got a Schiit Modi 3E i hooked it to my mac mini and i still can control the volume on my computer even with the computer switched to the Schiit Modi 3E out put so on youtube and itunes i have the volume at 50% otherwise i have distortion isn't the stereo's volume supposed to be the only way to adjust the volume thanks
Thank you !!
Thanks Friend
Most Apple music is recorded in 16-bit / 44.1 khz ALAC , by using DAC , will it converts to Hi-Resolution audio ( 24-bit / 48 khz ALAC? Please kindly advise,Thanks
how about connecting the Phone to DAC to car sound system? nothing like that yet? thanks
Hoping someone can help me out, I recently got a DDHifi external DAC for my iPhone, which supports 32 bit/768kHz. It even has a small LED indicator on the DAC to show what quality sound output there is! I got the exact same for my MacBook Pro (just with a USB-C instead of the lightning connector). Using the Audio MIDI Setup on macOS, I got it outputting at its highest rate. However, on the iPhone, it seems to be stuck at 44.1kHz/48kHz and not performing to its maximum. I use Tidal for both phone and computer, as well as VOX for some downloaded 24bit/192kHz audio files. Any tips on how to get the iPhone to output higher?
Thank you for the informative video For shit modi 3+ I see only 24/192 on their website. How did you get 32/384?
Hi Jeff, old video but quick question: when you select the bitrate in Audio Midi Setup, does it force that for all songs (even when they are lower rates)?
Muito obrigado pela explicação. Abraços de um brasileiro.
Great video. What is the advantage of ‘by passing’ your device’s built in DAC? Do you NEED one of these DACs to take advantage of Apple Loseless?
Thanks for watching! Bypassing the built-in DAC lets you stream Apple Lossless tracks. The built-in DAC supports 24-bit 48 kHz and can play locally stored music files have a higher bit rate and sample depth, but they'll be downsampled to what the DAC supports. They'll still sound good, and could sound really good if the recordings are mastered correctly. Of course, the quality of your headphones or speakers makes a difference, too.
Another benefit of a quality external DAC is better overall audio quality. That said, the tiny little DAC in Apple's devices is actually pretty good.
@@JeffGamet ... is that why when my iem set is directly plugged into the mac 3.5 port it seemingly is louder than when i have my fiio dac in between my mac and iems?
Using Fiio Q3 wth IEMs…amazing experience
Hello, I have one question. The amplifier has 3.5mm Jack Aux in instead of RCA and when connecting Jack cable to PC, it causes ground loop... Will it cause damage and how can I avoid it? Can I connect amplifier to PC through USB?
How to add this dac through my iPhone 13 to my hi fi 1st gen Mu-so bi Naim please?
Definitely have learned more on your channel than any other about DAC. So, pardon my question but are the DAC devices compatible with AirPod or in the ear buds like the Sony XF 1000 buds?
No bluetooth earbuds are compatible with loss-less or hi res loss-less audio (not even apple's) I feel sure apple will solve this problem with a new generation of wireless buds. The lossless or hi-res lossless files are just to big for bluetooth. Bluetooth has to compress the audio to transmit so it can't work. Right now you have to use a wired headset
Can I use a DAC AMP such as the Ifi zen and plug into powered speakers (I have the Kanto YU2 with sub) ? Im not sure whether the powered speakers already have a DAC or not ???
The YU2s do have a built-in DAC.
How can i have ri res audio from apple Music app to AVR?
hey I have a question maybe eyou can help me with
Can you connect a shchitt stack with 2 usb hub conneted to both your pc / ipad so that you don't have to switch cables? Winddows 11 still hasn't gotten their shit together with apple music and I am tired of waiting to be able to get .wav files? is that a possibility. I know that I woulld have to use an external plug to power the unit instead of just through USB , but I don't wanna plug/unplug everytime wanna hear .
Great vid thanks. Subscribed.
Want to hook my iPad Pro (lightning connector) to my modi3 - do you know if older Pro will also put out 24/192 ?
Mine does … running iOS 14.6
@@valdiskrebs566 thanks.
the lightning port ist limited to 100mW, how much more do we get from an iPad Air 4?
Dude looking for a new fax for some trips I have coming up and you popped up. Hahahaha. Thanks for the information
Ha! Do I need to make a "how to fax" video just for you?
Does the speaker have to support Hi-Fi? Or it will work with any speaker?
Thanks for your video! Is there any problems with car audio applications? I have nakamichi 100td with aux and would like to use it with DAC and Iphone. Thanks in advance!
Thanks for watching! Don't use an external DAC with your car. There's a good chance it'll damage the audio system.
@@JeffGamet Thank you, will use aux only.. Good luck with your channel!
Nice video, I have a high end Marantz avr receiver and I am trying to get the full 192khz but Apple tv is limited to 48khz, according to your experience if I connect my iPhone or iPad via HDMI with my marantz and mirror the screen would I get full 192khz in audio that ipad is capable of? What do you recommend thanks
Thanks for watching! I love your question, and I don't have a definitive answer...but I'm working on it. I'll have an answer for you soon!
@@JeffGamet thanks for answering I am sure a lot of people with high end equipment is wandering the same
Can I connect this directly to my hi fi.
It’s a 1st gem Mu-so
Good video
I left Apple last year and bought a Windows Notebook and an Audioengine D1 which is plug and play.
I also moved from Apple Music to Amazon Music HD which is cheaper as I have a Prime account.
I'm glad you liked the video! I'm a big fan of the D1. I love that it includes a 3.5mm jack so you can use it with external speakers or headphones.
I use an external DAC fiio KA5 but Apple Music streams only up to 48Khz and I don’t know why
If you wanted to use an amp in this scenario does it go before or after the DAC?
After the DAC
Great video. The bad thing is neither VLC nor Flacbox are gapeless. I prefer non HI res music to gaps.
Hi Jeff.thanks for the information.you came so close to answering the question I've been asking for a week.software to set the correct audio format output on an iMac to dac! you mention vlc,(which i have) but not how to incorporate vlc into the audio chain...i can't believe apple haven't solved this problem with an update prior to the big release of lossless...thanks.great video
I'm glad you liked the video! When I use VLC, I typically just drag music or video files into the app's player window. That's not an optimal experience, and I agree that it would've been nice for Apple to have a more streamlined experience ready before launch day.
Hey Jeff-Are you familiar with the $9 Apple Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter? I've heard that accessory includes a built-in DAC. Then there is the Belkin Lightning Audio + Charge Rockstar for $39-which includes a built in DAC. If you are familiar with either of these I'm curious if you have had good experiences with the DAC or not.
how can i listen lossless w/ apple carplay, do i need a convertor? thx
I recommend using a Lightning to USB cable to connect to your CarPlay receiver if you can. You can play 24-bit 48 kHz lossless files without suffering from the lossy, and lower quality, you get with a Bluetooth connection. Don't use an external DAC because you could damage your car's audio system.
@@JeffGamet got it, appreciated!
Thank you! “On Apple Mac and IPhone the internal DAC is automatically bypassed when you plug in the external DAC.” I’ve been going round and round with Apple, trying to get the answer to that very question. And they can’t answer it.
thanks for an awesome video. now that we have lossless out, I have few questions for you if I may. Audioengine d1 (the one that you talked about) combining it with macbook pro 2019 macos big sur 11.5.1 when i plug the audioengine d1 via usb in preferences under audioengine d1 it shows me that selected device has no output controls (in your video you were able to choose 192) am I doing something wrong? with my current setup I can honestly hear no difference. Your guidance would be highly appreciated. thanks so much.
If you still looking for support. Try checking with a different data cable(usb cable). It might sound silly, but some of the cables only support charging and not data transfer.
By default the audio engine d1 should be auto detected. If not try selecting audio engine from system preferences -> sound. Cheers
@@duvasrealm thanks so much. I actually figured it out and while doing some research decided to return audioengine amd got ifi zen (I like it better-less cables). 👍🏻
You also need to go to the preferences of the music app and select lossless for the output.
@@pokerstar2004 did that, thank you.
I'll buy you a coffee and pants.
I recently got a Soundavo DAC. Definitely an improvement over the built-in DAC’s on my devices. But I don’t think I’m gonna pursue hi-res audio. The stats sound good, but there’s a limit to what human ears can perceive. And I can’t hear a difference between super hi-res and CD quality.
For me, the biggest improvement in audio quality comes from using an external DAC, not higher bit rates or kHz.
Can anyone help me with my situation… I’m seriously confused and here’s why. I have a nice aftermarket sound system in my car and I want to take full advantage of it. I use Apple Music on an iPhone. I directly connect my phone to my after market deck via usb. I have all my music in Apple Music downloaded as the highest quality they can be (yes after the update). Connecting straight from my iPhone lighting port to my deck via usb seems to be the best quality. If I go through a DAC then I have to go through my headphone jack correct? And going through the headphone jack isn’t as high of quality as usb correct? At least it sure sounds like it in my car, that usb is way better. So am I not getting full high res lossless to play straight through usb? Here is my point to summarize my confusion… if I’m understanding this correctly which I probably am not, if I don’t have a DAC I’m not getting high res lossless. But for me to do that I have to go through a headphone jack which is not as good quality. Seems like a lose lose. Any help would be great. Thank you!
Your iPhone's built-in DAC supports up to 24-bit 48 kHz, which is what Apple is calling lossless. It isn't, however, hi res audio. You can damage your car's sound system if you connect an external DAC to it, so I recommend sticking with the USB connection even though you that caps out at lossless instead of hi res.
@@JeffGamet I see. So basically I would be bottlenecked at the 24 by 48 but at least that isn’t bad per say. One other question for you. If I really wanted to get full high res in my car how would I go about doing that? Or is that not possible?
Thank you for responding and your time. Much appreciated.
Edit - also where did you find the Built in DAC supports 24/48 I’m not able to find that information.
I wanted to get schiit modi but not available in my region. There’s when I start my chi-fi journey using iFi Zen DAC. :)
Too bad the Modi isn't available where you are! I'm a fan of iFi's DACs, too, so I bet you'll be happy with the Zen.
@@JeffGamet thanks for your kind reply. Modi suppose to my my first purchase for my music interest journey. :(
Needs further system extrapolation. Hi-Res is producing all this bandwidth at extreme clarity but there's no subwoofer port on these DAC's. A better solution would be a home theater CD/DVD surround sound system with optical audio ports for compatibility with iMacs Toslink optical audio output. This level of fidelity deserves a subwoofer.
I hope Apple will incorporate a 24-bit 192khz DAC inside their products so that we don't need to buy external DACs.
I think that's going to happen. Giving us a a feature like hi-res audio that isn't directly playable on their own hardware isn't the Apple experience we expect. That tells me Apple has a DAC upgrade in store, and we might see the first product refreshes with it this fall.
This video is named "How to set up a DAC with iPhone, iPad and Mac" but does not cover how to set up DAC with iPhone?
I find it curious that none of these enthusiasts do actual comparison of the dac that is already in the mac to the external dac "upgrade". By comparison I mean chip by chip comparison plus more importantly a blind A/B audio comparison. These folks have DACs in their theater receivers. Are those insufficient as well? Are they "upgrading" them too? You smell snake oil?