Need some advice on DacMagic and subwoofer connections

[admin_exported]

Hi

I'm soon planning on buying a DacMagic and a Yamaha Subwoofer to go with my MacBook Pro and Lars & Ivan BK-21 kit.

The advice I need is what type and make of cables I need to connect it all together:

1. An optical cable from the Macbook Pro into the DacMagic - but recommendation on which make of cable to buy?

2. A two RCA to 3.5mm cable to connect the DacMagic into the Lars & Ivan amp - again which make of cable am I looking for?

3. What make of 3.5mm - 3.5mm subwoofer cable do I need in order to get a decent one?

(Okay, I'm sure someone will want to criticise my planned set up so go ahead! The system is only for a smallish study however and at the moment I'm not worried about streaming anything to other rooms. The MacBook Pro just purchased has been upgraded to 500Gb hard drive and all my CDs have been re-loaded in lossless format. The DacMagic seems like a good buy anyway for PC based music, the Lars & Ivan speakers get a big thumbs up from my girlfriend and for anything AV that's saying something so is a big plus, the Yamaha sub-woofer is needed with the set up as the L&I speakers are very good but need a bit more bass and this sub can also be paired with my PSP-600 soundbar for when I want to watch a good film. I don't have room for putting the speakers on stands either so anything more hi-fi is limited)

Cheers

 

[nads]

http://community.whathifi.com/forums/t/369455.aspx

been over this before?

looks like there is no output for a sub so what Sub is it?

 

[tenergy]

Hi Jarnesque,

Just picked up the belkin pureAV optical cable last saturday to go with my dacmagic-

Here's a link : http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=174417

It outperforms my previous cable which cost almost three times the price. SQ improved and I was rather surprised considering the cost. My previous optical cable had terminals that were a little smaller, so the output to my NAD 545 was a tad loose, but just fine on the dacmagic. The pureAV is just right though,

Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Nads

Yes, partly though it's more what type/make of cables I needed now. I appreciated your previous comments though and I'm still debating whether to cut my losses with the current set up and get a different amp and speakers. The style thing can't be underestimated though and when my partner says she 'loves' the L&I speakers and I know she'd think I'd gone mad ditching it for some 2010s, that has to be a factor in my thoughts. The dac plus sub (Yamaha YST-FSW050) seemed like a way forward.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Tenergy - I'll have a look

 

[nads]

I dont believe that the YST-FSW050 will work as it only has a phono in and your amp has no sub out that i can see.

which would mean wiring any sub with the speaker cables.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Nads

The PA-21 amp (that comes as the Lars & Ivan BK-21 kit) does have a sub out - though it's definitely not a 3.5mm jack as I'd thought but must accept a male RCA cable (you can see why I was asking about cables as I'd be in danger of buying the wrong thing). The Yamaha sub definitely takes a subwoofer cable as - along with a supplied 'system connector' - this is what it uses to connect up to the YSP-600 soundbar. So I was assuming I could connect the sub and the PA-21 amp together with a - presumably - male RCA to male RCA subwoofer cable but also use the sub on occasion to connect up to the soundbar when I might be watching a film that warrants it.

The L&I speakers do sound very good but I was going to 'maximise' this with a DacMagic and sub - thinking that even if I did change the set-up later the Dac would still be useful and the sub can just get permanently connected to the soundbar. Difficult to tell I know, but how would this desktop set up compare with a budget amp and 2010s or Epoz Actimate Minis?

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

As for optical cables, anything goes. Even the cheapest ones will get the signal through. It doesn't matter if the plug don't fit tight; as the signals are transmitted by light, there's no contact issues.

Buy a more expensive cable only if you're going to du a lot of plugging in and out, or expect the cable to be handled roughly. If not, by the cheapest one you'll get.

If you want quality cables without paying through your nose, check out a web shop that sells professional sound equipment. They're much less expensive than hi-fi vendors.