Mac mini to NDX2 usb/digital link: Is it possible?

Hi all, Bauer Radio, having removed all their direct web feeds, have given me the dilemma of not being able to listen to Planet Rock through my main system unless using a blue tooth feed off a phone or tablet.

Does anyone have a solution for linking a Mac mini using usb or another solution so I can have an alternative? Yes, I know the feed is very low quality but I’d just prefer to make the best of it.

I’ve tried just connecting the Mac using a usb to the front usb port on the NDX2 but it’s not seeing it as an audio out.

The Mac mini isn’t old enough to have the old audio Jack that doubled as an optic out.

Any thoughts?

Yes, as you’ve found you can’t use the NDX2 in this way.

As you don’t have the toslink port on the Mini, I’d suggest a USB to Toslink converter to connect the Mini to the NDX2.

Another thought - I don’t know what player you are using for your radio feeds on the Mini - could you Airplay them to the NDX2 ?

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Hi James,

Brilliant, thanks for the ideas. :+1:t2:

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Any reason you can’t just Airplay it from your phone?

(The 2nd gen streamers lost the ‘Works with iPhone’ certification that the old models had, as they use AirPlay instead.)

Hi Chris, Yes because if you happen to open an app on the phone that sometimes uses video/sound it automatically pauses the sound for the planet rock app.

No idea if it will allow you to access radio, but Audirvana on a Mac Mini with USB output is very good. I’ve described my setup in a number of tgreads, this the most recent:

As for USB into a Naim DAC or other device if it doesn’t have USB Gustard U12 is a very good isolator/converter (outputs optical, S/PDIF and AES/EBU), yet onlybabout £120 last I looked. Richard Dane was playing with one once…

Thought I’d close this down with what I found as a solution. Picked this up for £25. Considering the quality of the Bauer Media feeds it does all that is required!

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Hi James, took your advice. See post above… seems to work well. Thanks! :sunglasses:

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