Hi folks,

Two questions for y'all- 1. Have you ever experienced the following and 2. Do you know of iMac audio out extenders (that extend BOTH Toslink and minijack)?

More detail:

I've got a 24" Aluminum iMac in one room, wired to the home theater in another. It is wired using mini-Toslink -> Toslink (50ft) to my Onkyo receiver. Video is miniDV->HDMI->Sony Bravia.

I use the iMac without the home theater quite often, so I am constantly unplugging the audio cable to use the built in speakers or headphones. Recently the audio to the home theater has begun cutting out intermittently, for a second or two. A boat load of testing to reduce variables (different cable, mini-toslink adapter, and computer) has revealed that it is definitely the iMac. Since I can solve the issue by holding the cable in place, I have concluded that it is something to do with the jack.

So, my questions: has anyone else had their jack loosen up? And does anyone know of an extender cable that plugs into the iMac audio out, and replicates BOTH outputs? My thinking is if this cable existed, it would take the brunt of the plugging in and out. Maybe a computer speaker setup with a pass-through? I will get this fixed, and I am just trying to alleviate this weak point for the future.

Otherwise I am LOVING my setup! I use Bootcamp for gaming, wife gets to watch Gossip Girl and Lipstick Mafia on the bigscreen whenever she wants, coverflow itunes on the LCD at parties- it is really perfect. You know, except for the failings. :)

Thanks!

You should take a look at this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=970407), which goes extensively into this topic.

Thanks for the heads up. I only read the first page of that thread and only after p2 do they get into content that seems related to my experience. I added a post to that thread. Cheers!

Hey Trekkengruven,
I posted my conclusion in the thread I started (see wildrock link).

For those who don't like to read, on iMac's the optical signal is to weak to support lengths over 12'. If your setup works, then that's great. Although, it will eventually fail.

SOLUTION: Move your setup, limit digital transmission, or buy a signal booster. Please read through my thread to make certain that your problem is the same as mine. We went through many settings that could solve your issue without buying new equipment.

Hey there watsdm4,

I did go back and read all the way through. I've been trying to figure out if our problems are the same, related, or unrelated. My issue is an intermittent drop out... which makes me think maybe the actual jack is loose? Next I will do a short-run test to see if the drop out occurs with a shorter cable. Thanks!