icit

So, I'm trying to figure out a good HIGH quality mobile option for my macbook, which doesn't have firewire -there's a different thread on that going on right now. But one thought I had, I thought merited a new thread.

I've read that the macbook's input and headphone our are actually also spdif, or some kind of digital connection. So if I get the right cable I should be able to plug a small high end pre/converter directly into the macbook and skip any other interface.

That sounds like a great option for someone lamenting over a missing firewire port.

BUT

What's the catch? Is there a quality degradation somehow by using the macbook's built-in digital in? Is there in any way some reason I wouldn't want to use the digital in on the macbook and instead use usb or firewire?

Besides it being limited to only 2 channels (I'm only looking at 2 channel interfaces right now anyway)