macmini spdif out vs. usb

Well, you guys make some great points. My system so far is krell 250m monoblocks going to nht 2.9 speakers, so am a little concerned about the overly analytical sound. I'm pretty sure I want balanced outs of the dac, so should probably do some more legwork on figuring out the dac options. So far i have done a little reading on:
wavelength brick
apogee mini dac
grace headphone amp

I know that benchmark has a 30 day audition, pretty sure i can get that with the apogee, if I can swing that with the wavelength i might give that a try a the same time.

Haven't heard the benchmark, but have had lots of experience with both the Brick and the Cosecant, (both being used with apple lossless files on a mac mini) and the Cosecant is one of the best sources I have ever heard- right up there with the infamous Meridian signature reference 808 CD player (the best CD player I have ever heard). Either way- USB is the way to go, being that it is bi-directional and essentially syncs itself, eliminating any clocking or jitter issues that you might find on an SPDIF device.

This forum seems like the place to ask this question: What is the best combination of outputs/cables/inputs to go from a MacBook Pro to a CD player with coax and optical digital inputs? I'm currently using a Van den Hul cable that is a miniplug at one end (plugging into the MacBook), and Toslink at the other (plugging into the digital inputs to my MF Tri-Vista SACD/CD player). Is there some better way (i.e., better sounding) of connecting the computer to the Tri-Vista? Is there a cable that is USB on one end and coax or Toslink on the other than would give better sound than mini to Toslink?

Bruce - your current arrangement is less than optimal, IMO. You should use an external USB/SPDIF convertor. This would add a standard USB cable to the equation, as well as a digital cable of your preference (Toslink or Coaxial) depending on the device. The latter would go to the digital input on your MF. Empirical Audio's Offramp would serve that purpose. I use a Waveterminal U24 for the same purpose, but those are no longer avaialable, or I would recommend them. I believe Hagtech offers an alternative, as do several other companies, both in pro-audio and specialty audiophile. They are available at various pricepoints, as most things in this hobby. You can get a convertor from PartsExpress for $20, or spend $1K+ on one from Empirical or spend several thousand on a new USB DAC from Wavelength. Since the conversion and clocking is critical I'd say it's an investment you shouldn't take lightly (skip the Parts Express route). The idea is take the conversion of your computer audio files output, into SPDIF, outside of the electro-magnetically noisy environment of your MacBook (where it currently is taking place given the arrangement you describe). USB seems to be the best interface for doing that. I'm no expert, consult someone like Steve from Empirical, or Gordon Rankin from Wavelength for various points of view on the subject, complete with technical details up the Wazoo. There are also plenty of threads in the archives here and over at PCAudioAsylum that may give you additional real-world opinions and advice. I think most would agree that getting the coversion/re-clocking out of the noisy computer environment will be a significant improvement.

Marco

Marco,
Thank you very much for the very informative reply. I don't know if I was the only one helped by your response, but you certainly helped me. I will begin researching what is the most cost effective way of converting a USB signal to SPDIF. Given my level of involvement in this hobby, I'm afraid I know which end of the cost scale I'll end up at! Thanks again for your help.