• Registered: 2021-04-22
  • Posts: 2

Topic: For connecting Mac Mini to *powered speakers*?

Hello. My source is digital (Mac Mini)...Tidal or Spotify. I am also playing with Roon.

My speakers are, and will likely will be, powered/active. Right now Dynaudio Xeo 20 in home situation. I am considering HEDD and Genelec for living room.

Question: while Mac Mini can be connected directly to Genelecs, would it improve sound a bit by running the via RME ADI-2 Pro? I hear great things about how the DAC/interface "cleans up sound", but I am not sure I understand how that would work.

Thanks!

2 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2021-04-22 03:07:26)

  • waedi
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: Swiss Zürich
  • Registered: 2020-12-08
  • Posts: 3,463

Re: For connecting Mac Mini to *powered speakers*?

when you have digital output on the computer and digital input at the speakers almost no improvements will happen from any equipment hooked up between there. Except that the steady clock from RME does rebuild the signal jitter free, but this not a big deal from a Mac mini to the tspeakers.
The ADi-2 is famous for its converter sound, that means for connecting speakers analog.

M1-Sonoma, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

3 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2021-04-22 07:21:11)

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,152

Re: For connecting Mac Mini to *powered speakers*?

phoenix.kiula wrote:

Hello. My source is digital (Mac Mini)...Tidal or Spotify. I am also playing with Roon.

My speakers are, and will likely will be, powered/active. Right now Dynaudio Xeo 20 in home situation. I am considering HEDD and Genelec for living room.

Question: while Mac Mini can be connected directly to Genelecs, would it improve sound a bit by running the via RME ADI-2 Pro? I hear great things about how the DAC/interface "cleans up sound", but I am not sure I understand how that would work.

You’re about to use studio monitor speakers, which are built to make tiny differences audible.

So the answer is, yes, there might be a tiny difference.
Don’t expect wonders, the internet is full of mumbo-jumbo about “night and day difference” between electronics, which is feed only by pre-justice, not facts.

But - if you start to use ADI-2 Pro’s various options and DSP functionalities you can get real sound improvements.
I.e. selecting a different than the standard DAC-filter, or even use EQ to fit the speakers to the room/placement situation.

KaiS's Website

  • Registered: 2021-04-22
  • Posts: 2

Re: For connecting Mac Mini to *powered speakers*?

KaiS wrote:

But - if you start to use ADI-2 Pro’s various options and DSP functionalities you can get real sound improvements. I.e. selecting a different than the standard DAC-filter, or even use EQ to fit the speakers to the room/placement situation.


Thank you. Very informative. I might have to check if the DSP stuff in RME is better than the inbuilt DSP in Dynaudio Xeo 20.. and at least not have double-DSP. How would one "disable" DSP in speakers?

5 Reply by KaiS (edited by KaiS 2021-04-25 07:22:06)

  • KaiS
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-02-05
  • Posts: 3,152

Re: For connecting Mac Mini to *powered speakers*?

phoenix.kiula wrote:
KaiS wrote:

But - if you start to use ADI-2 Pro’s various options and DSP functionalities you can get real sound improvements. I.e. selecting a different than the standard DAC-filter, or even use EQ to fit the speakers to the room/placement situation.


Thank you. Very informative. I might have to check if the DSP stuff in RME is better than the inbuilt DSP in Dynaudio Xeo 20.. and at least not have double-DSP. How would one "disable" DSP in speakers?

The DSP in the speakers, and the one in the ADI-2 have different purpose and different functionality.

It wouldn‘t make sense (and isn‘t possible to) disable the Dynaudio‘s DSP, as it‘s integral part and essential for the speakers functionality.

ADI-2‘s DSP lets you optimize your listening experience in a lot of additional ways: Parametric EQ, Bass/Treble controls, Loudness Function, Selection of DAC-filters, ...

KaiS's Website

  • rawac
  • AES/EBU artist
  • Offline
  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2020-09-23
  • Posts: 114

Re: For connecting Mac Mini to *powered speakers*?

I can add something, because my experience with the Dynaudio Focus 600 XD.

The Dynaudio Xeo 20 is "pure digital". Therefore there is no DAC involved (or no "classical" DAC). The DSP there does something else. The DSP calculates a fast sequence of zeros and ones for the woofer and an other for the tweeter. The coil of the speaker chassis is an inductance, it adds up the positive ones and the negative zeros to an analog signal. The DSP does the calculation in a way, that the sum of the tweeter and the woofer waves is as far as possible what it should be. The Dynaudio volume control changes just the Voltage of the positive Ones and negative Zeros. You get the full resolution at any level.

Using an external DAC is not helpful, because then the internal ADC of the Xeo 20 has to undo this operation at first.

Using the ADI-2 Pro may be helpful, if you use the DSP for additional room correction. The XEO 20 can do one correction itself: Neutral / Wall / Corner. The ADI-2 Pro can do more. But you should use the optical SPDIF connection, aka Toslink. (I use the  coaxial SPDIF connection for my Dynaudio Focus 600 XD, the XEO 20 hasn't).

An other good use for the ADI-2 Pro would be as Headphone amplifier or for "pure analogue" active speakers!

Third possibility would be the use of the ADC in the ADI-2 Pro, if you want to listen to an analogue source like a good vinyl record player (with preamplifier). IMHO the ADC of the ADI-2 Pro is (a little) better then the one in the Dynaudio.

Ralf
(ADI-2 Pro FS with ThinkPad Yoga L13, Dynaudio Focus 600 XD or Focal Clear — and a lot of Jazz)

rawac's Website