I have Roon server set up on my Mac mini. I recently got my BP 17 upgraded with the DAC card which gives the preamp two optical inputs and two coax inputs.
Roon sees my Mac mini as “Connected to Core. These devices are connected to your Core directly.” Two options are available: System Output and CoreAudio. I enabled CoreAudio and Roon seems to be playing, my optical cable glows red, but I get no sound out of my speakers!
Do I also need a digital player like a BDP-1 or something of the sort?
bottom right corner what is the number above speaker should be 100? Before you turn up turn down your preamp
In device setup I select fixed volume prefering to adjust volume with my preamp.
Other than the volume setting in Roon and on the BP-17^3 preamp, you might want to double-check the correct input is selected on the BP-17^3. You could also try using “System Output” to see if that works as a troubleshooting step.
I added System Output but that one won’t always play - the blue progress bar just quickly rolls back and forth as if loading, takes forever if it even plays but if/when it does, it never sounds through the speakers though Roon says it’s playing.
I’ve done many instances of reseating cables, power down and up cycles of all equipment. My Bluray player is already connected via one of the coax inputs and that works fine…of course that is not Roon. I do have a TV that I will connect tomorrow when I get another Toslink cable, plus a new mini Toslink to Toslink for the Mac in case it’s the cable.
I’m worried it could be my Mac…it is a mid 2011, so just about ten years old! I didn’t get sound even trying to play from iTunes.
I have a Mac Mini (Late 2012) i5
For the MAC-DIGI connection In device setup under advanced, limit it to 24bit 96khz for PCM that would be near bottom of screen. This is limit of Toslink if I remember correctly. Make sure under multi channel mixing downmix as needed is chosen. I have Exclusive mode selected so I don’t hear noises from MAC.
I had trouble until I did away with HDMI port out of MAC, I used Mini Display port (now called Thunderbolt) to HDMI cable I purchased at computer store. Ask for Mini-Display Port to HDMI cable this Mac only supports 1080p. Sure I have had this before with trying to connect Mac to Optical port on Self Powered speakers. I did confirm in Sound Preferences that I had both HDMI and Digital options. Assuming Mac detects this.
I noticed you mentioned that you are selecting the Mac Digital connection and using its Device Setup otherwise how could you confirm your bit rate. Did you check under volume preferences to see if you had both a digital connection and HDMI?
Go system preferences. Click on speaker (volume) near bottom of window that pops up make sure show volume control in menu bar is checked. you need to plug digital jack into port with headphones.
Then left click over speaker icon on menu bar make sure Digital out is there. As mentioned I could not get it working while connected HDMI. Started working when I used Mini DP to HDMI cable. The Mini Dp end would plug into mac. Have you connected the TV with another optical cable?
There is no TV plugged in to the Mac mini. HDMI and all other video ports are unplugged.
The volume icon is grayed out. I unplugged the optical cable and plugged in a headphone…the output device changes from digital to analog, then I plug it back it and goes back to grayed out but I still don’t get any sound through Roon. I might have to move my Macbook, or iMac to confirm that my mini is the culprit.
OK, I moved my iMac over to the stereo and plugged the optical cable into the combo headphone/optical jack…the Macbook only has headphone!
The settings on the iMac are 2-ch 24 bit 44.1k and I was able to play and hear 16/44 - 24/96 through the finder with no problem; same cable, same optical input on the preamp.
I tried replicating the settings on the mini and nothing. At this point, I’m assuming there is something wrong with the optical out on the mini. What I didn’t try and should before I go and replace my mini, is leave the mini on because that is where the Roon Core and server live, then try play from Roon on my iMac…then I’ll know for sure it’s my mini and not some missing setting.
