Problem with Macbook Optical Out

oteoi

New Member
Hi all,

I'm trying to run a Macbook into a Denon DM-41 receiver via Optical (mini-Toslink on the Macbook end to Toslink on the receiver). I have tried playing music from iTunes, VLC, Youtube, Spotify and others, but I always just get silence and a message on the Denon that reads: "Signal Unlock".

In the Denon manual, it says: "'SIGNAL UNLOCK' is displayed when audio signals that are not supported by this unit are input, or the sampling frequency cannot be detected."

The Macbook recognises an optical connection has been made and is set to digital output, and I've gone into the audio settings and tried every sample rate available. Given the Denon says that it supports 32/44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz at 16/24 bits, I am stumped as to why it isn't working.

I've now tried two separate optical cables but to no avail.

I presume it is a problem at the Macbook end, but any ideas as to how to solve this would be much appreciated.

Thanks
 
Does your Denon receiver work with a different optical source? Does your MB's optical out work with a different receiver?
 
Does your Denon receiver work with a different optical source? Does your MB's optical out work with a different receiver?

No way of checking the latter, as the Denon is the only receiver I have with optical inputs. I will move things around and try the television optical out into the Denon tomorrow, although my suspicion is that the solution is probably somewhere in OSX, and hopefully quite simple.
 
Surely you have a friend or co-worker with an optically-equipped receiver to which you could take and connect your MB for test purposes. In a pinch, just grab your MB and an optical cable and head into a store that carries audio equipment. Nobody should mind a temporary optical connection since there's no danger of shorts, power surges, etc. Good luck.
 
I've tested the receiver with the TV optical output today and all is working fine on that end. I just plugged it in and out came the audio, so it would seem that the receiver isn't faulty. In my current location, there really isn't anyway of testing the Macbook with another receiver, so for now we're just going to have to work on the assumption that its hardware is fine and that it's most likely a software issue of some kind.

cpt_paranoia: what should be glowing? The ports?
 
cpt_paranoia: what should be glowing? The ports?

Yes; TOSlink uses a visible red emitter, so you should see a red glow from the mini-TOSlink port on the MB, and from the free end of the TOSlink cable when plugged into a source.

Since your receiver is working with the TV, clearly, the cable and receiver are okay; look at the cable plugged in to the TV to see what it should look like..

You may also need to make sure the MB really does have its TOSlink output enabled.
 
Also, the TV's optical out was presumably a full-sized TOSlink port instead of the mini port on the MB. It's possible that the mini adapter used to convert a standard optical cable for use with the MB has a problem and won't pass the optical signal (perhaps a protective cap is stuck in it). The visual check for a BRIGHT red optical signal (and comparing the TV's visible output to the MB's) is a good idea.
 
I have two separate cables that I've trialled: one mini-Toslink to Toslink and another Toslink to Toslink with a mini-Toslink adapter on the end that goes into the Macbook (it was this cable, without the adaptor, that worked in the TV to receiver trial). I'll give it another go this evening and see if the red light is visible. Thanks
 
The plot thickens. I plugged one end of the Toslink cable into the TV and turned it on and, as advised, a red light came on at the other end.

I then did the same with the Macbook and played a song through iTunes. Bingo! Both cables I have displayed a red light on the other end as the song was playing.

So it seems that the cable is definitely sending a signal of some kind from the Macbook to the receiver. For some reason, the receiver doesn't recognise it but does recognise the TV output.

Any ideas?
 
Is the OS up to date on your MB? You may have to download specs on both devices to find out what the deal is. Is the volume all he way down on the MB for some reason?
 
can you try a different format that the receiver likes ?

I've cycled through all of the sample and bit rates that the Macbook will output at, all of which the receiver should be able to receive. Per the manual, it supports 32/44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192 kHz at 16/24 bits. I've tried each and every one of those without success.
 
Is the OS up to date on your MB? You may have to download specs on both devices to find out what the deal is. Is the volume all he way down on the MB for some reason?

Yep, all up to date. The Macbook outputs digital as a digital line out, so there is no volume control. The Macbook lets you choose the sample and bit rates it outputs at and matching those to the ones that the Denon manual says its accepts still doesn't produce any sound.
 
page 62 ....
Be sure to give files the extension “.MP3” or “.WMA”. Files with any other
extensions or files with no extensions cannot be played.
0 Mac OS X files assigned with filenames that begin with “._” are not music data and
cannot be played back.
0 In accordance with copyright laws, recordings you have made should only be used
for your personal enjoyment and may not be used in other ways without
permission of the copyright holder.
 
page 62 ....
Be sure to give files the extension “.MP3” or “.WMA”. Files with any other
extensions or files with no extensions cannot be played.
0 Mac OS X files assigned with filenames that begin with “._” are not music data and
cannot be played back.
0 In accordance with copyright laws, recordings you have made should only be used
for your personal enjoyment and may not be used in other ways without
permission of the copyright holder.

That relates to DATA CDs, not the digital inputs.
 
Does your MB have a spinner? If so, simply load a CD and listen to it through the MB's (analog) audio out jack using headphones or earbuds with a 3.5mm stereo plug. Then, once you're SURE you're getting audio output, switch from analog to digital by swapping in either optical cable (mini to standard optical port OR standard to standard plus mini adapter). Run the far end of the optical cable into your receiver set to the same input/mode as when it worked with your TV optical out. Good luck.
 
The Macbook lets you choose the sample and bit rates it outputs at and matching those to the ones that the Denon manual says its accepts still doesn't produce any sound.

I assume you're selecting these through Audio MIDI Setup on the MBP?

What year is your MBP?


Plugging the optical cable into the MPB automatically switches the output to Digital and the other end of the optical cable should be lit up red as long as something is playing. If nothing is playing, the light goes to sleep or something.

Plugged In:
Screen Shot 2018-07-31 at 3.00.53 PM.png



Unplugged:
Screen Shot 2018-07-31 at 3.01.54 PM.png
 
I assume you're selecting these through Audio MIDI Setup on the MBP?

What year is your MBP?


Plugging the optical cable into the MPB automatically switches the output to Digital and the other end of the optical cable should be lit up red as long as something is playing. If nothing is playing, the light goes to sleep or something.

Plugged In:
View attachment 1248030



Unplugged:
View attachment 1248031

The model is a Late 2013, Retina.

Yeah, the output automatically switches to digital, and I've then been using Audio MIDI Setup to change the sample and bit rates to see if I could get any of them working. The one difference I do note in comparison to your screenshot is that when it is on digital, the 1 and 2 streams are both greyed out, without the ability to set the volume level.
 
The one difference I do note in comparison to your screenshot is that when it is on digital, the 1 and 2 streams are both greyed out, without the ability to set the volume level.

Yah, if I collapse that frame and expand it again, they are also greyed out.

Are you using a regular toslink cable with a mini-toslink adapter? or a toslink to mini-toslink cable?
 
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