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Mid-2017 iMac ==> Klipsch cabling questions


dlclaytor

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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

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Used the digital optical for the r-15pm and get a nice rca for the sub. You don't have to go crazy on paying hundreds of dollars for cables. I make mine with rg6 cable the type with 100-% cooper center core wire and 100% cooper shielded wire


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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.

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I have a MBP and R-15PM speakers as well.  I just use Bluetooth which is convenient and sounds very good for background listening in my office.  On occasion for more critical listening, I have used both flavors of digital-in as well as analog-in, and I think (no scientific evidence) they are both a step up from Bluetooth.  Whether analog-in or digital-in is better depends on if you prefer the DAC in the R-15PM or the DAC in your iMAC.  I would just hook up either the USB or optical (not sure if there's an advantage either way - both appear as 96/24 digital-outs on your iMAC), max out the volume on your iMAC, and let the R-15PM do it's thing - control the volume via the klipsch remote.

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On 9/28/2017 at 7:53 PM, pbphoto said:

I have a MBP and R-15PM speakers as well.  I just use Bluetooth which is convenient and sounds very good for background listening in my office.  On occasion for more critical listening, I have used both flavors of digital-in as well as analog-in, and I think (no scientific evidence) they are both a step up from Bluetooth.  Whether analog-in or digital-in is better depends on if you prefer the DAC in the R-15PM or the DAC in your iMAC.  I would just hook up either the USB or optical (not sure if there's an advantage either way - both appear as 96/24 digital-outs on your iMAC), max out the volume on your iMAC, and let the R-15PM do it's thing - control the volume via the klipsch remote.

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.

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9 hours ago, dlclaytor said:

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.

Yes, when you use the USB option, the DAC inside the R-15PM is doing the conversion to analog.  iTunes does a good job of shaping the sound in the digital-domain with its built-in EQ, and it also can be configured to stream bit-perfect to your DAC if you disable all the options under playback preferences and turn off the EQ.  (Sound check is a good option to enable on the latest versions of iTunes though.)  The other requirement for iTunes bit-perfect playback is to ensure your DAC sample rate (set using the Audio Midi Setup application on your MAC) matches the sample rate of your digital audio file so that iTunes does not have to do any sample-rate-conversion (SRC).  iTunes does a good job with SRC though too.  But, like you said, sometimes it's fun (or necessary) to play around with EQ, SRC, or other sound enhancements in the digital domain and bit-perfect is not the desired goal in this case.  iTunes can do many of the basics but there are other boutique streamers out there.  Have fun and enjoy your new speakers.

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On 10/1/2017 at 7:01 AM, pbphoto said:

Yes, when you use the USB option, the DAC inside the R-15PM is doing the conversion to analog.  iTunes does a good job of shaping the sound in the digital-domain with its built-in EQ, and it also can be configured to stream bit-perfect to your DAC if you disable all the options under playback preferences and turn off the EQ.  (Sound check is a good option to enable on the latest versions of iTunes though.)  The other requirement for iTunes bit-perfect playback is to ensure your DAC sample rate (set using the Audio Midi Setup application on your MAC) matches the sample rate of your digital audio file so that iTunes does not have to do any sample-rate-conversion (SRC).  iTunes does a good job with SRC though too.  But, like you said, sometimes it's fun (or necessary) to play around with EQ, SRC, or other sound enhancements in the digital domain and bit-perfect is not the desired goal in this case.  iTunes can do many of the basics but there are other boutique streamers out there.  Have fun and enjoy your new speakers.

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!)

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2 hours ago, dlclaytor said:

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!)

On a physical CD, yes all tracks are 44.1Khz sample rate @ 16 bit depth.  16bits x 44.1khz x 2 channels (stereo) = 1.411Mbits per sec = 176KB per second = about 74 minutes of music on a CD which meets the CEO of Sony's requirement to fit Beethoven's 9th Symphony on a single side.

 

If you download an album from iTunes, all tracks are also 44.1Khz sample rate @ 16 bit depth but Apple uses a lossy compression technique called AAC to "package" the music so it uses much less disk space.  Websites like HDTRACKS have "hi-res" music at 96/24 and higher.  If you right-click (or two-finger click) on the iTunes library column bar, you can select additional columns include bit depth and sample rate.

 

I think iTunes does a great job if you set it up like I mention above.  The main downside to iTunes is it doesn't do automatic sample-rate-switching / conversion.  What you have set in Audio Midi is what gets sent to the DAC in your R-15PM, regardless of its capabilities.  I use a program called "Audirvana" that syncs up with my iTunes library and does a great job - sometimes I even convince myself I can hear a difference ;-)   I have no affiliation with Audirvana but I think it's worth a try.  There are others as well.

 

I'm glad I didn't get you fired searching for boutique-streamers!  Search youtube for "digital audio 101" - there's lots of info out there.

 

 

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20 hours ago, pbphoto said:

On a physical CD, yes all tracks are 44.1Khz sample rate @ 16 bit depth.  16bits x 44.1khz x 2 channels (stereo) = 1.411Mbits per sec = 176KB per second = about 74 minutes of music on a CD which meets the CEO of Sony's requirement to fit Beethoven's 9th Symphony on a single side.

 

If you download an album from iTunes, all tracks are also 44.1Khz sample rate @ 16 bit depth but Apple uses a lossy compression technique called AAC to "package" the music so it uses much less disk space.  Websites like HDTRACKS have "hi-res" music at 96/24 and higher.  If you right-click (or two-finger click) on the iTunes library column bar, you can select additional columns include bit depth and sample rate.

 

I think iTunes does a great job if you set it up like I mention above.  The main downside to iTunes is it doesn't do automatic sample-rate-switching / conversion.  What you have set in Audio Midi is what gets sent to the DAC in your R-15PM, regardless of its capabilities.  I use a program called "Audirvana" that syncs up with my iTunes library and does a great job - sometimes I even convince myself I can hear a difference ;-)   I have no affiliation with Audirvana but I think it's worth a try.  There are others as well.

 

I'm glad I didn't get you fired searching for boutique-streamers!  Search youtube for "digital audio 101" - there's lots of info out there.

 

 

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.)

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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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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