Douk Audio U2 USB to Digital Audio Converter $55.19 ($53.81 eBay Plus) Delivered @ doukshop eBay

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decryption on 18/01/2023 - 09:47 ebay.com.au (215 clicks)
Last edited 18/01/2023 - 09:55 by 1 other user

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I needed a way to get optical audio out of my MacBook Pro so I can connect it to a home theatre receiver and this little guy will do it very nicely with the XMOS XU208 chip inside at 24-bit/192KHz. There are cheaper ones on Amazon (~$25) but going by some of the reviews and my own personal experience with cheap USB soundcards, they introduce a fair bit of jitter resulting in music "skipping" every now and then.

Can also use these types of devices to get digital audio out of a smartphone/iPad with USB-C/Rasperry Pi, etc.

Normally the Douk Audio U2 is in the $70-$90 range, so to get it at $55 on eBay, from an Aussie seller (apparently) is a solid deal IMHO.

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  [Deactivated] on 18/01/2023 - 09:50

  +1

  Unless something's changed in recent years, Don't MacBook pros have a TOSLINK build into the 3.5mm jack?

  EDIT: "Apple appears to have removed optical audio output support from the headphone jack on its new 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys, suggesting it is unlikely to have made the transition in the Touch Bar equipped models either."

  shame..

  FWIW HDMI can be used for audio as well if your receiver supports it.

  • 

    decryption on 18/01/2023 - 10:21

    +1

    Yeah, it sucks Apple removed the combo optical & 3.5mm jack on the MBPs :(

  • 

    poppingtags on 18/01/2023 - 10:55

    Wow, I didn't realise that - would have been a great feature to have, albeit not one a majority of users would need I suppose.

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  bongoman on 18/01/2023 - 12:25

  was under the impression that optical didnt have the same 'protocol bandwidth' as HDMI now had.

  eARC could do all the protocols and the dolby or dtx encoded content.

  • 

    bongoman on 18/01/2023 - 12:26

    https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/hdmi-audio-retu…

  • 

    decryption on 18/01/2023 - 12:35

    +1

    It's fine for stereo at 24-bit/192Khz (if the hardware supports it) but can't do 5.1 audio as there's not enough bandwidth for it - which is why you use HDMI for surround purposes.

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  outlander on 18/01/2023 - 12:39

  I know from past comments that you're a guy who's pretty sharp when it comes to tech, so if I needed one of these I'd buy it based on your recommendation alone.

  • 

    decryption on 18/01/2023 - 15:32

    Thanks random appreciator of my posts!

  • 

    WhyAmICommenting on 18/01/2023 - 18:23

    +2

    You should check out his newsletter 😂

    (Yes, I’m a subscriber, no I don’t know him personally)

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  humbala on 18/01/2023 - 14:26

  I thought this thing only does optical out, not optical in?

  I bought this to play digital music from my tablet by converting usb c to usb A, then usb A to micro usb to plug in this thing, then optical from this to old hifi. It works, but hassle.

  • 

    decryption on 18/01/2023 - 15:32

    Yes, it only does optical out. I didn't say it does optical input?

    • 

      humbala on 18/01/2023 - 17:05

      My bad, I thought MacBook have optical out and you are trying to get audio out of it

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  chingy213 on 18/01/2023 - 16:15

  This is perfect for people you still use (like me) the Logitech Z5500 with new motherboards that dont have Coaxial. But I have a cheapo china version of a similar product that does the job.

  • 

    narz on 18/01/2023 - 18:52

    Still rocking the Z5500 in the bedroom :)
    If using this or something similar, would you be able to pass 5.1 DD or DTS from a Shield Pro to the optical in on the sound system?

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      decryption on 20/01/2023 - 12:15

      +1

      Just got the Douk Audio U2 in the mail and plugged it in. Doesn't look like it does 5.1 out.

      That's not to say it isn't possible to get 5.1 out of an optical audio output - I have a Soundblaster X-Fi that'll do 5.1 over optical - but the Douk Audio U2 can't do it.

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        chingy213 on 31/01/2023 - 10:23

        bruh you just blew 60 bux for no reason considering you already have a solution!