Mac to DAC
- Thread starter sandford
- Start date
Does your DAC support USB, if so I would just go straight in like that. The older Mac Mini's used to have an optical out via the the 3.5mm headphone port but the newer ones sadly don't. I feed my Mac mini into a Meridian Explorer2 which is fine for the little streaming I do as most of listening is vinyl.
Yes it’s got a decent USB but from what I’ve read the I2S is better one of the reasons I may go the DDC route
tuga
Legal Alien
Which DAC do you have?
I'd go for USB if possible. Which DCC do you have in mind and budget?
For best sound quality I'd consider HQ Player.
I’ve been running a MacMini M1 headlessly with Roon and Qobuz into a Chord MScaler/DAVE and am very happy. No hassles, not locked in, excellent. New stuff comes out, like HQPlayer, can be tried without grief. If you are at all worried about bad karma/voodoo/evil spirits because of USB then there are any number of USB exorcists/re lockers/converters to s/pdif available at modest cost.
I’m using a Gustard A26 so a U18 would make sense, HQ player is on the us and will happen.
I prefer USB to Lan into the DAC at present.
tuga
Legal Alien
Sounds good. I wouldn't waste time and money with I2S but it might be worth considering an Intona USB filter.
I used a Mac Mini 10 in my hifi system 10 years ago, but wouldn’t go anywhere near one now for usability reasons. The Mac Mini is designed to be used as a desktop computer with a screen , keyboard and mouse connected. Controlling it in headless mode can be done, but it was an awful experience.
IMO there’s no reason to use generic computers now that there are dedicated audio servers with stripped down OS and software interfaces specifically designed from the ground up to be fully controlled remotely. For Mac mini money I would look at an Innuos Zen Mini or a used Auralic Aries Mini.
IMO there’s no reason to use generic computers now that there are dedicated audio servers with stripped down OS and software interfaces specifically designed from the ground up to be fully controlled remotely. For Mac mini money I would look at an Innuos Zen Mini or a used Auralic Aries Mini.
But will it sound any better? I hear great reports on the Lumin U2 but will it sound any better? It’s a minefield of options that are tricky to try.
The two inexpensive alternatives I mentioned will probably not sound significantly different, but there is no substitute for trying yourself.
Avon
pfm Member
I’m using a headless late-2014 Mac mini and it’s superb. I control it from a Windows laptop. Because it has a two core mains power lead, it’s impossible to have “earth loop” problems with its USB 0V line, though I am using a Schiit Eitre USB to SPDIF converter (no longer available). I’ll probably buy another when macOS Monterey stops updating at the end of 2024, though I’m far from being a Mac fanboy. Just because one person hates it, isn’t a definitive reason for it being bad. The Mac can be put to other uses too, obviously, whereas some dedicated audio device cannot and it may not get ten years of support either.
Mike Hanson
Trying to understand...
For me, USB-to-DenafripsIrisDDC-to-PontusDAC is better than USB directly to the Pontus.
However, I've had a really tough time getting clean I²S, so I'm currently running AES/EBU at 192KHz. According to one reviewer who got the I²S to work with that same combo, he couldn't hear any difference between I²S and AES/EBU. If your source files aren't higher sample rate than that, then it's probably "good enough".
FWIW, I'm not sure why I can't get I²S to work. I've tried four different HDMI cables, from cheap to moderately expensive (100 quid). I've been told that the Audioquest Dragon HDMI cable is the one to use, but it costs more than the Denafrips Iris DDC.
tuga
Legal Alien
For me, USB-to-DenafripsIrisDDC-to-PontusDAC is better than USB directly to the Pontus.
However, I've had a really tough time getting clean I²S, so I'm currently running AES/EBU at 192KHz. According to one reviewer who got the I²S to work with that same combo, he couldn't hear any difference between I²S and AES/EBU. If your source files aren't higher sample rate than that, then it's probably "good enough".
FWIW, I'm not sure why I can't get I²S to work. I've tried four different HDMI cables, from cheap to moderately expensive (100 quid). I've been told that the Audioquest Dragon HDMI cable is the one to use, but it costs more than the Denafrips Iris DDC.
The problem with AES is it's limited to 24/192 and @sandford will use HQ Player which is at it's best upconverting to high-rate DSD.
I think that his Gustard will take up to DSD512 so he might have to get the Mac Mini M2 Pro or the Studio M1. I don't think that my mini M2 is powerful enough to do DSD512.
Barkiss
pfm Member
I started with a bottom-of-the-range 2014 Mac mini that was going begging. I really only used keyboard/mouse/screen for initial set-up. Controlling it from my iMac via Screen Sharing was tedious. Recently replaced by the base spec Mac mini M2 and the tedium has gone. Runs Audirvana Studio controlled from an iPad. But of course I'm working with an all-Apple set-up. Not clear whether this is the case with the OP.