Mac Mini - Amp connection

**Project07MACry** · 10-20-2009, 02:24 AM

I looked thru this site over and over, and didn't come across anything like it...

I began setting up my Mac to Amp connection, and with all these 20ft cable running around my Camry, I am no longer a big fan of the setup recommended. I drafted a slight modification, wanted to hear from the guys in the MacCar community to see if this makes sense:

Any thoughts? Could this work?!

All help is greatly appreciated!

**mentor** · 10-20-2009, 03:51 AM

I tried connecting it the way you described and found that I had to turn the gains on amp way high which meant that the output from my mac mini (intel july 2009) was not putting out high volts. Currently I'm feeding my mac mini's stereo output into a Kicker KQ9 equaliser/crossover which inturn goes into my amps. My gains are set to minimum and the sound quality is amazing. Hope it helps.

**Bugbyte** · 10-20-2009, 08:53 AM

I've heard that you can use a line amplifier to boost the output voltage to get around this problem. That said, the way you are connecting it is how I have mine connected and it seems to work just fine.

**VmtSquad** · 10-20-2009, 10:22 AM

IMO it looks good. In my setup I got it plugged in a Auxiliary device that goes inside my OEM Stereo, but I my sound volume is very low even at MAX. Any idea how to boost the volume with a software or hardware???

**soundman98** · 10-20-2009, 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by VmtSquad

IMO it looks good. In my setup I got it plugged in a Auxiliary device that goes inside my OEM Stereo, but I my sound volume is very low even at MAX. Any idea how to boost the volume with a software or hardware???

most software options don't do to good- they only increase distortion, and loose clarity. you will need a line amp between the computer output, and the factory stereo input.

**natedawgg** · 10-20-2009, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by soundman98

most software options don't do to good- they only increase distortion, and loose clarity. you will need a line amp between the computer output, and the factory stereo input.

yes please steer clear of any software solutions. It will destroy your sound. Your best bet is to have the mini's audio as flat as possible (no EQ turned on anywhere in software) and then use some sort of amp/crossover/eq hardware setup to tune your sound for your vehicle.

**brownaa82** · 10-20-2009, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by soundman98

most software options don't do to good- they only increase distortion, and loose clarity. you will need a line amp between the computer output, and the factory stereo input.

Excellent thread. I hadn't come onto this problem but wondered. I'll be testing the diagram you have above as well. I'll let you know how it goes.

FYI, if you install a mid line amp, you will want it as CLOSE to the Mac Mini's output as possible. This prevents the sound from being degraded by splitting the signal twice before it gets to your amp.

**Project07MACry** · 11-08-2009, 05:21 PM

Okay guys, here's the update: I modded this install that instead of the y-adapter & RCA cable, I got the right angle 6ft y-cable from Radio Shack. With gains from both front and rear set at 7 (out of possible 11 or 13), the sound is amazing! Now, the only kicker is that I get only rear sound (probably a speaker cable issue), but nonetheless, it is a cool setup.

@ Mentor: I did not use the EQ/crossover because of cash reasons. But I'm satisfied overall with the sound.
@ Bugbyte: Do you use the line-amp in conjunction with the amp for the speakers?

Thanks for all the input guys.