In reply to:
I was under the impression that the Cube was unusual in not even having analog audio out capability. The Macs that do sound great. My G4 produces virtually no audible noise.
Yes, the Cube does have an analog audio out, not on the main box but on a little external dongle to which you connect the included ball-shaped H/K speakers. The dongle has a standard headphone output. So, maybe Apple skimped on the analog side of Cube design, and that may be why my inexpensive external DAC improved the sound.
I do agree with you that the Macs in general have a great on-board audio quality. But I guess it depends on models. Yes, I know G4 minitowers sound great, so does the flat-panel iMacs (the inverted lampstand). On the other hand, the CRT iMacs seem to have an audible level of "digital" noise sneaking into the audio output.
Cheers!
