Switching from USB to HDMI won’t make a difference. They are both just transporting data. Assuming there are no fundamental problems bits are bits. The first place you can make an audible difference is at the digital to analog conversion which the P6 is handling. (And probably well though I don’t know that unit) The next step is at the speaker connections and then the speakers themselves and eventually the room acoustics. Is there something specific you are unhappy with and are trying to improve?
Very many thanks, @Headphonomenon; I used to be up in audio. But it was so long ago and I just haven’t kept in touch with developments… I am happy with my Martin Logan Aerius speakers from the ParaSound A23.
I follow your argument about the way digital data has to be transmitted. At present, though, because of the layout of my room, I have to use a USB hub and two cables - one with an active repeater.
My thought was that - now that I have HDMI - I could make a ‘cleaner’, simpler, one-step connection from the Studio computer to the P6, without breaks, hubs and multiple plugs/sockets etc.
I’m actually quite satisfied with the way (Dorico sends) data to the P6 via USB. But I’ve also been told that USB is ‘old technology’ and that not even all USB cables and connectors are the same!
I’ve been led to believe that the DAC circuitry of the P6 is… ‘superior’, so I’d be better off feeding a digital signal into it, rather than analog, wouldn’t I? If so, doesn’t that in fact suggest not using HDMI and converting its signal to analog RCA inputs?
I think the context of the conversation matters when they say something is “better” regarding USB. If I am interested in power delivery - meaning that I want to power one or more of my devices by usb as well as deliver data, then yeah there can be some differences. Not enough power/starvation is one reason using midi devices with a hub used to not be recommended, but a usb c hub made for power delivery and a good power brick changes that.
if I’m trying to get extremely low latency because I’m recording live and even a little bit of lag throws me off - Then yeah there are newer faster USB ports out now, and for cost reasons a lot of devices have one or two fast ports and some slower ones so it can matter which you connect to. That matters also if you are using an external SSD.
And nothing has really changed when it comes to anything with wires, electricity and the possibility of ground hum/loop. Though I’ve had that happen most when there is also analog audio involved. While I could technically blame the usb ( and unplugging the USB eliminated the hum) it was just as effective and easier to fix the ground problem on the audio side.
Those aren’t usb issues per se though. In your case a bit is a bit as was said, and it doesn’t sound like there is anything you need to improve. I hope that helps?
For what it’s worth, I get really nice sound from my Mac Studio M2Max the old fashioned way. I run a 1/8" stereo plug cable to L/R RCA plugs to my old BOSE Home Theater System with a lovely powered subwoofer. When this goes bad, as all electronics eventually do, I will be spoiled because I have yet to find another sound system that can compare in quality or simplicity (and BOSE has apparently gone the way of the DoDo bird in this respect). But 20 years and counting on the BOSE!
Nevertheless, I’m eager to hear what you pros have to say!
I’m definitely not an audio pro but I have a Mac M1 Mini. I have a Yamaha mixer attached via a USB port to use either monitor, mains or headphones. The system sees it as one output device. (A recent change to my setup has the mixer routed through a KVM switch so that I can run from the Mini or my Win11 desktop.)
Yes you are correct. Adding an additional step to convert the HDMI signal and feed the P6 with analog is counterproductive. That converter would need to be as good or better than the P6 to make sense and that is a waste of money! For long or complicated digital audio runs the standard is ethernet but that sounds like overkill for your situation and also would require some additional hardware. Your USB setup may not be aesthetically pleasing (which can be important, I understand!) but it sounds like it isn’t really a technical problem unless, as I said, you have specific issues you want to address.
Mac Studio to Parasound P6 to Parasound A23 to Martin Logan Aerius sounds like a pretty respectable set up! To define better, what exactly are you unhappy with? If you’re looking to spend $$$ on your Dorico setup, you might get more noticeable results spending it on some different VST samples, although I certainly understand the occasional itch to upgrade gear too!
I’m honestly not unhappy with the sound I get from Dorico on my M4 to the Parasound Aerius… especially since I’ve had those speakers - day in, day out - for nearly 30 years!
I think what I mean is: simpler - avoidance of hubs, single cables (no repeaters/boosters), independent of other USB devices; perhaps even cleaner.
The HDMI port is there for a reason (it’s the first Mac that I’ve had which has HDMI) and I’m using Dorico much more than ever. (I also feel fortunate to say that I have a great range of (mostly VSL Synchron) VSTs.
The thought of a single, clean, one-cable, dedicated path to the P6, which has unused, possibly lonely (!) inputs just waiting. Why not try it!
But if it’s also more a case of, “If it ain’t broke…”, then I’ll abandon the idea.
So my sense that the P6’s DAC is one of the stronger links in the chain is roughly correct?
Ethernet
I also use Roon. Another set of wires in the mix. There I have an Ethernet cable (again, it has to be over 25 feet… winds its way around walls) from a TL-SG108 switch. That goes to my WiiM Pro (then co-ax to the P6); could that be used in some way… HDMI on the Mac to the WiiM Pro?
I recently moved, and for the first time in my entire adult life actually have an office! I’ve tried to wire everything as efficiently as possible (I also have an M4 Mac Studio) with cable routing, but at a certain point there’s just a limit to how simple it can be, LOL!
Me too, and I think it’s great! Being able to access any music remotely with Roon ARC is a great feature too, as I have so many CDs and bootlegs that aren’t on any streaming services. I have a Roon Nucleus One plugged into my router, hiding to the right of my printer in the image below:
This is the place to spend some time. It’s really not as much about the esoteric gear, converters, etc as it is the space you’re working in. There’s really not much gear on the market that isn’t good these days. Personal taste plays into it, but only a little. But here’s the simple truth:
Mediocre speakers in a well-treated room will sound better than premium speakers in an un-treated room.
There are so many things in a room that can work against you: That little bit of slap-back between walls without deadening or diffusion will ruin your imaging. Untrapped bass will sound different anywhere in the room and will force you to make unnecessary changes to EQ. Uncalibrated speakers simply won’t tell you the truth about how your mix really sounds.
The black foam you glue to the wall is acoustically useless and the toxic adhesive will make your eyes water. You can get very attractive acoustic panels and bass traps that will make the room a pleasure to listen to and look at. There are many software/hardware packages that will help you calibrate your monitoring path. And most vendors will have some helpful videos or tutorials to help you do the job. All my paneling came from ATS (https://www.atsacoustics.com) and there are many other makers of similar affordable stuff. You can spend a lot more, but you can improve the heck out of your room on a budget.
Don’t worry about HDMI, USB, converters or any of that stuff until you know your working space is telling you the truth.
I haven’t had that many issues. Initial setup was a bit of a bear, but making sure both the Roon Nucleus and the Mac Studio were assigned a static IP was a key component IIRC.
How do you typically use your WiiM? If you look on the pic with my turntable setup, I have a Bluesound Nano next to my Rega Brio, but I just use that for whenever I feel like streaming to my bookshelf system, which I mostly use for vinyl anyway. If you have the WiiM going to the P6 you could obviously stream to it from any device, but you could also just play your Roon app from the Mac Studio to the P6 and not have to worry about switching inputs.
I actually ordered a couple of panels from GIK Acoustics back at the end of April. As they are made to order, it looks like they won’t ship until the first week of June, but I am looking forward to seeing what sort of effect they have. Plus they sorta match my LP shelving units.
