Day two with the mini
Ok, things are settling down a bit, and I’m getting more comfortable with OSX and Mac in general (thanks to all for the remote drives in startup tips). We’ve watched two movies on the Mac mini since it arrived, pretty much without a hitch. I say pretty much because the M-Audio Sonica theater has to go, even when it ‘works’ and I use the term liberally, I get occasional pops and dropouts in the signal.
I have to believe that with estimations of 100k plus mini’s sold so far, someone has to be working on a high quality USB to digital out audio adaptor for this thing. Some manufacturer should take a box about the same size (maybe half height) shape and color as the mini, and throw in a USB to digital audio adaptor and a few extra USB outputs. I think they’d sell a few.
Apple appears to be adding “Extensive Surround Sound support” to Tiger, which in theory at least can only help.
B.Greenway
February 5th, 2005 at 5:56 pm
Could Firewave be what you are lookig for?
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/firewave/index.php
February 5th, 2005 at 6:05 pm
To the best of my knowledge the Firewave has no digital out, so no Firewave for me.
February 12th, 2005 at 1:53 pm
I am using the Edirol UA-1X USB doohicky on my Mini, and it does 5.1 surround quite well. Be advised that the digital out is also the headphone jack so you need, A) to get an optical cable wit that weird toslink->rca mini adapter, and B) you can’t use both headphones and digital at the same time. But otherwise it runs seamlessly, doesn’t require any drivers, and requires zero configurtion.
-J
February 24th, 2005 at 12:05 am
Man, I wish I’d seen all the negative feedback before ordering the Sonica Theater. I just placed an order for the Edirol product as recommended above, for use with my Mini. (What a bummer! Buzz buzz buzz, buzz hum (faint audio) buzz crackle buzz.)