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I've just bought the brand new 13" Retina Macbook pro. I'd like to hook it up to my USB DAC (An Audio Engine D1) When I plug in the USB to the Macbook it doesn't pick up anything. I've restarted the laptop to no effect. Nothing is being displayed in the Output section of Sound in System Preferences.

The DAC is supposed to be plug and play and has been working fine on my Windows machine for years.

How can I set up external audio on a Macbook Pro?

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  • Try booting with it attached.
    – Tetsujin
    Commented Dec 30, 2015 at 15:07
  • @Tetsujin This does not work either.
    – user163519
    Commented Jan 4, 2016 at 9:59
  • If you have another, or can get access to another, it would be great if you could try that out as well. If it doesn't work, it is most likely a driver related issue.
    – Flare Cat
    Commented Jan 5, 2016 at 13:14
  • In @Garex question, you mention it doesn't show up in any app, meaning it is not recognized by the computer. This can mean that it is faulty (which it most likely is not), or Apple doesn't have a good (or any) driver for it.
    – Flare Cat
    Commented Jan 5, 2016 at 13:16
  • Could it be a driver issue? From audioengineusa.com/Store/D1-24-Bit-DAC, FAQs tab: "(...) the drivers [the D1] uses are developed and provided by (...) your computer's OS. In the case of a Windows PC (...), these drivers are provided by Microsoft, and are a part of Windows." Have you tried this (same link)? "Try a NVRAM/PRAM reset. This resets the system configurations for some audio and video related settings and can many times help clear up problems related to audio. See the link below from Apple’s support page for information on how to do this. support.apple.com/kb/ht1379"
    – jaume
    Commented Jan 6, 2016 at 10:33

1 Answer 1

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First, it would be helpful to know the exact model and the brand.

Second, could you please give this a try:

  • Plug your DAC in,
  • open the Audio-MIDI-Setup utiilty from the Utilities folder and
  • check whether it appears?

If not, try to create a device for it... Just a crazy idea...

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  • The USB DAC is an Audioengine D1 audioengineusa.com/Store/D1-24-Bit-DAC When I plug in the DAC, all I see in the Audio-MIDI-Setup screen is Built-in Microphone and Built-in Output. I'm not sure how to create a device, this is the first time I'm using OSX and a Mac, I'll look it up and try.
    – user163519
    Commented Jan 4, 2016 at 12:18
  • To just add one, click on the Plus sign on the left bottom of the device overview....
    – Martin Allert
    Commented Jan 4, 2016 at 12:51
  • 4
    Is it in the list here? Open Terminal.app and enter: ioreg -p IOUSB
    – Martin Allert
    Commented Jan 4, 2016 at 12:54
  • No, it isn't there either.
    – user163519
    Commented Jan 5, 2016 at 7:13
  • Last ideas I have before I have to admit I cannot help you: :-) - Try another USB port. - Plug it in before booting. - reset parameter RAM and SMC and reboot.
    – Martin Allert
    Commented Jan 5, 2016 at 9:33

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