dlclaytor

BTW, in an earlier segment of our conversation, I referred to the thin sound resulting from the Bluetooth connection. I should clarify. I was referring to the fidelity of the sound emanating from my iPhone via Bluetooth to the R-15PM. When my iMac is the source, the fidelity of the sound via Bluetooth is full and rich and indistinguishable from digital audio-in. I was impressed!

I have some work cut out for me. YouTube does have a ton of stuff, thanks. The AVSForum has a helpful piece on the Klipsch R-15PM by Mark Henninger. (I should have given him the credit for establishing the sub's optimal gain and crossover settings.)

Thank you again. Are all of the tracks on a given CD set at the same sample rate? I have additional questions, but rather than pester you, I'm wondering if you could recommend an introductory-level book or two about the "digital domain," as you put it, so I that I might educate myself? And do you have a preferred streamer? (BTW, were you aware that "boutique streamers" also refer to the colorful ribbons and glittery bangles that young woman use to gather their ponytails? Ha!)

Thanks for your helpful reply. I agree with your opinion of the Bluetooth option, i.e., convenient but a rather thin sound. I opted for the USB ==> digital audio-in connection and I followed your advice for the volume settings. (Who designed that dinky remote anyway!?) I also set the sub gain to 6 and the crossover at 80Hz, which is just about right to my ear. The sub is absolutely necessary for full fidelity, in my opinion. What I don't understand, however, is the DAC issue. I'm guessing that if I chose the analog-in option (using the headphone port), then the DAC in the iMac would be activated. But if I chose the the USB port, then the DAC in the R-15PM would be activated. Mac DACs are notoriously poor quality, but I can't distinguish a difference here. The only other setting I can see is the equalizer in iTunes, which can be set on or off and, if set to on, can be used to shape the sound. That EQ can make some startling differences, but clearly that's happening internally before the digital signal goes to the Klipsch DAC for conversion to analog. I need to read up on this! The whole point is true-to-sound clarity, not just volume. The Klipsch system does a nice job.

I really loved my mini, but it was eventually outpaced by the OS X system upgrades. My HD crapped out at one point, so I replaced it with an OWC solid state drive. Could not have been happier BTW, as far as I can tell, there doesn't seem to be much discussion here about sound systems for computers.

It's my understanding that Apple has removed digital optical out from the 3.5 mm audio jack.

I recently complemented my mid-2017 iMac with a pair of Klipsch R-15PM studio monitors and a R-10SW subwoofer. Given the variety and type of hookup options available to me, my problem is determining which will provide the truest fidelity. For outputs, the iMac provides a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a USB 3 port, and a Thunderbolt 3 (USB C) port. For inputs, the R-15PM provides a 3.5 mm analog AUX jack in, digital optical in, and USB B digital audio in. For the subwoofer connection, the right R-15PM provides a single RCA type SUB OUT and the R10SW provides either a single L/LFE RCA type Line In or R and L/LFE RCA Type Lines In. Any advice and guidance would be greatly appreciated. I am attaching PDF diagrams of the plugin configurations. 7iMacPorts.pdf R-15PM Studio Monitor.pdf R-10SW Subwoofer.pdf