Apple 24 Bit 96 KhZ

Yes you can. Most USB solutions do not support 96/24, but some do. Audio Midi will tell you when it recognizes the device. Toslink does support 96/24 if your DAC does.

The thing that's a bit frustrating is that you ideally want Audio Midi set to a lower sampling rate (24 bit is okay, however) when you playback redbook CD files. You don't have to, but I think the sound quality is better (not everyone agrees). Which means going back into Audio Midi to change that setting and then, if you are using iTunes, closing and reopening iTunes to make sure it adopts the new settings. I am hopeful that Apple or someone will make these steps unnecessary with a future software upgrade.

I can switch the sample rate of the Audio Midi on the fly with my Mac Mini using the latest iTunes software. I don't have to close iTunes and launch it again when the sample rate setting has been changed. The reason I know this is I am using an Apogee Mini DACand it has sample rate settings up to 192kHz. The DAC has indicators on the front panel that shows the incoming sample rate. Whenever I change the sample rate in Audio Midi, the Mac farts and scratches its' butt, the the music resumes with the DAC indicator now showing the selected sample rate.

I am using FireWire from the Mac Mini to the DAC. Maybe that has something to do with it?

Good to know, thanks.

Thank you very much for the great info. Do you think USB is better sound quality than via the Toslink? Thnx again,
Big Stew

It's not as simple as one interface being better than another. There is a lot going in with computer audio and there are good and bad solutions for both. If you already have a good DAC with Toslink input, my recommendation is to start there. Get a good Toslink cable, such as the Wireworld (you'll need an adapter for the mini Toslink jack on the Mac) or the van den Hul, which you can get with a mini Toslink on one end. If your DAC has a USB input, odds are it sucks. To get good USB, you need one of the specialty USB DACs or one of the speciality converters (converts USB to other interfaces), such as those from Bel Canto and Empirical Audio.

In my experience, there are no clearcut answers in computer audio (heck, in audio in general). I recommend experimenting, if that interests you.