Computer Audio Asylum

Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

Return to Computer Audio Asylum

Message Sort: Post Order or Asylum Reverse Threaded

Seeking Help With Late 2014 Mac Mini USB Hi-Speed Bus

67.189.125.227
Posted on January 26, 2015 at 20:58:31
Maxxwire1
Audiophile

Posts: 49
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: July 24, 2011
 So far I have not been able to get my SOtM DX USB-S/PDIF converter to "grab" a dedicated USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus as Abe mentioned in his recent post describing the process...

"This will likely happen automatically on the new Mac if you use a USB 3.0 external drive. This drive will 'grab' a "USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Bus" while the DAC will 'grab' a USB High-Speed Bus (which is USB 2.0). If this doesn't happen automatically, you can experiment with plugging your devices into the different USB ports on your computer while using the System Information utility to monitor the USB Bus & Hubs."

The external USB 3.0 flash drive did 'grab' a SuperSpeed USB bus as described, but I have tried plugging the remaining USB 2.0 equipment into every combination of USB ports possible on the Mac Mini in order to get the SOtM on it's own USB 3.0 Hi-Speed USB bus without success.

[IMG]http://i468.photobucket.com/albums/rr44/Maxxwire_Photos/USBHi-SpeedBus.jpg[/IMG]

I have never seen more than one USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus listed in the system information utility of this late 2014 Mac Mini even back to when initially due to my ignorance all of the USB devices were listed under the same single USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus which was before I discovered that inserting the USB 3.0 drive first would enable it to run on the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Bus.

I would very much appreciate any suggestions about how to enable an additional Hi-Speed USB Bus on my Mac Mini for my SOtM DX to use by itself.







 

Hide full thread outline!
    ...
RE: Seeking Help With Late 2014 Mac Mini USB Hi-Speed Bus, posted on January 26, 2015 at 22:51:24
pixelphoto
Audiophile

Posts: 655
Location: So. Cal.
Joined: December 15, 2009
 Just a suggestion; have you checked out http://www.computeraudiophile.com?

 

RE: Seeking Help With Late 2014 Mac Mini USB Hi-Speed Bus, posted on January 26, 2015 at 23:12:03
Maxxwire1
Audiophile

Posts: 49
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: July 24, 2011
 pixelphoto- Thank you for responding. Yes I have searched the Computer Audiophile website for information on how to create another USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus in my Mac Mini. So far the answers that I have found are always similar to the one Abe gave regarding switching which USB port the equipment uses until another USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus appears and so far this has not worked on my late 2014 Mac Mini which makes me wonder if something has recently changed in the the Mac Mini's USB 3.0 Bus architecture as it has with the new soldered in RAM feature?

 

find out the chipset for the motherboard and read up, posted on January 27, 2015 at 01:25:47
bullethead
 I don't know what else to say, a lot of these machines use low cost hardware, perhaps it can't support more than one due to hardware limitations?

there's a reason computers can get really expensive, I think the Mac Mini if I read correctly is an entry level Mac?

 

RE: Seeking Help With Late 2014 Mac Mini USB Hi-Speed Bus, posted on January 27, 2015 at 08:09:26
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46302
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
 I never said the SOtM DX USB-S/PDIF converter will grab a USB 3.0 bus. It appears that the SOtM DX USB-S/PDIF converter is not a USB 3.0 device so why would it? It is a USB 2.0 device.

Wow! You have a ton of 'stuff' on your USB ports. Have you tried disconnecting some of the items or disabling them before connecting your SOtM DX USB-S/PDIF converter? Why do you have a USB Logitech keyboard, a USB Apple Keyboard, USB Optical mouse? Can you run these off Bluetooth instead?

A USB 3.0 disk drive or flash drive would be a good choice for the HiSpeed or SuperSpeed USB 3.0 bus as I see your Kingston flash drive attached there.

If you want your SOtM DX USB-S/PDIF converter on a separate USB bus, it can be on another USB 2.0 bus. In fact, the SOtM DX USB-S/PDIF does not even have to be on a separate USB 2.0 bus if the other devices on the bus are dormant. I would first try disconnecting other USB 2.0 devices. Not sure why you have so many items connected to your Mac if this is just a music server.

Here's the output of my USB device tree. I use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse so I leave Bluetooth enabled. If you do not need Bluetooth or the IR Receiver those can be disabled. The Inateck Generic USB Device below is my Samsung SSD inside a Inateck USB 3.0 case.


BTW, here's the html for how to include your image in the body of your post:




 

RE: Seeking Help With Late 2014 Mac Mini USB Hi-Speed Bus, posted on January 27, 2015 at 11:29:46
Maxxwire1
Audiophile

Posts: 49
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: July 24, 2011
 Abe- First I would thank you very much for replying to my post. I regularly read your posts here on the forum and I value your opinion very highly.

"Wow! You have a ton of 'stuff' on your USB ports. Have you tried disconnecting some of the items or disabling them before connecting your SOtM DX USB-S/PDIF converter? Why do you have a USB Logitech keyboard, a USB Apple Keyboard, USB Optical mouse?"

Yes, I realize that I do have a ton of 'stuff' connected I prefer the lighted Logitech keyboard listed for everyday use and keep the Apple keyboard connected in case I need it for it's unique features. I have disconnected all of the peripherals (most of which are on the external USB 3.0 hub) with the exception of the Kingston 3.0 USB flash drive which runs on the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Bus and re-connected them one by one in every possible order into each of the remaining 3 USB ports without activating an additional USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus.

The work around that I am now using in an effort to try to isolate the SOtM DX on the single USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus is that I have connected all of these devices along with the USB 1.1 Musical Fidelity V-Link to the USB 3.0 external hub thus leaving only the wired mouse and the SOtM DX on the USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus along with the IR Receiver and Bluetooth Hub (which are disabled) while the external hub is switched off.

"In fact, the SOtM DX USB-S/PDIF does not even have to be on a separate USB 2.0 bus if the other devices on the bus are dormant."

I take it that this means I could skip the work around and leave the external hub on with all of the connected devices idle while running only the SOtM DX and the wireless mouse on the USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus along with the IR Receiver and Bluetooth Hub which are disabled and that the SOtM DX would be considered isolated when the wireless mouse was not in use?
















 

RE: Seeking Help With Late 2014 Mac Mini USB Hi-Speed Bus, posted on January 27, 2015 at 12:42:06
AbeCollins
Audiophile

Posts: 46302
Location: USA
Joined: June 22, 2001
Contributor
  Since: February 2, 2002
Obviously it's a lot harder to achieve what you're trying to do with so many USB devices connected.

Have you ever been able to get the SOtM DX to connect to a USB 3.0 controller/hub, possibly with no other USB devices attached? I'm not sure that it will connect to USB 3.0.

While not ideal, you CAN have your SOtM DX connected to USB 2.0 with other USB 2.0 devices on the same controller/hub. If the other devices are not actively in use while playing music the chance of conflict are pretty slim.



 

RE: Seeking Help With Late 2014 Mac Mini USB Hi-Speed Bus, posted on January 27, 2015 at 14:30:20
Maxxwire1
Audiophile

Posts: 49
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: July 24, 2011
 Abe- Thanks again for your help in this matter. Under any conditions the battery powered SOtM DX will only connect to what is shown as the USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Hub which appears to be a different term for what I have known as a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Hub.

Thank you for your advice that "If the other devices are not actively in use while playing music the chance of conflict are pretty slim." I did discover though that moving the 128GB Kingston HyperX USB 3.0 flash drive from the USB 3.0 Hi-Speed Bus to the USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Bus made a profound improvement in sound quality probably because as you put it the flash drive was in conflict while the SOtM DX was in use.

I would like to say that from recent listening experience my personal opinion is that the new late 2014 Mac Mini runs very much quieter and sounds worlds better than either of the Windows 7 desktop or Windows Vista laptop computers that I own ever did. Thank you for helping me to hopefully get the Mac Mini to sound even better as the digital front end in my audio system.

 

Page processed in 0.022 seconds.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]