Heckyman
pfm Member
I’ve mentioned this on other threads, but it’s such a nice, under appreciated mod I think it deserves its own.
The new Macminis (not the older Intel machines) are ideal for this treatment as:
1) the stock machine already sounds (surprisingly?) decent, in my system the stock M1 replaced an Allo USBridge Signature / Digione sig. plus a bunch of PSUs, including a Sean Jacobs DC3+,
2) the stock switching power supply is easy to remove without soldering,
3) the machine is powerful (generally this means good sound) yet power efficient — most audiophile 12V PSUs can provide sufficient current,
4) there’s a cheap, ready made DC conversion kit,
5) it’s also possible to run fanless and headless (should further improve SQ)
Basically all you have to do is follow one of the many Macmini teardown videos (iFixit etc) until you have removed the power supply. You can also remove the fan if you don’t run the machine hard, as I’ve done. Fit the conversion kit, screw it all back together, plug in your superior 12V PSU and enjoy the music.
Obviously, this mod depends on the quality of the replacement power supply. I chose a Farad Super 3 12V as it’s an LPS but also supercap based. Inferior LPS’s on digital gear can sound a bit flat and mushy sometimes, SMPS's tend to be nicely dynamic but can be a bit “digital/thin/harsh” sounding, like the stock PSU really.
It takes about 5 or 10 minutes and is easily reversible. Besides having suitable tools, the main thing you have to take care about is not to damage any connections by yanking them out aggressively.
The conversion kit I initially used was an old product from the days when modding Macminis was quite popular:
https://kamaudio.com/TeraDak-Mac-mini-power-module
After checking with Mattijs at Farad, I wanted to try using just a cable as the whole TeraDak filtering module seemed unnecessary. The Macmini's voltage regulators are on the mainboard, the power connector just has to supply a single 12V DC. So I got in touch with Kam Audio and I was delighted when they offered to make me just what I was asking for:
https://kamaudio.com/Mac-Mini-modified
This is the one I’d recommend if your chosen PSU already has good filtering, it probably sounds better and it’s certainly cheaper ;-)
To give some context to the improvement, besides a change of speakers, this is the only change my son (a decent amateur musician) has ever noticed. I’ve changed DACs (even between the Macmini’s internal DAC and my Holo May) and amps and in those cases, he’s never really been able to say there if was any difference at all (based on his auditory memory of how the system had previously sounded, i.e. not A/B-ing between the 2 components).
I’m not generally a fan of mods, but this one makes a lot of sense. You can “invest” in good power for the long haul, and just upgrade the computer part from time to time as chips get ever more powerful and efficient.
The new Macminis (not the older Intel machines) are ideal for this treatment as:
1) the stock machine already sounds (surprisingly?) decent, in my system the stock M1 replaced an Allo USBridge Signature / Digione sig. plus a bunch of PSUs, including a Sean Jacobs DC3+,
2) the stock switching power supply is easy to remove without soldering,
3) the machine is powerful (generally this means good sound) yet power efficient — most audiophile 12V PSUs can provide sufficient current,
4) there’s a cheap, ready made DC conversion kit,
5) it’s also possible to run fanless and headless (should further improve SQ)
Basically all you have to do is follow one of the many Macmini teardown videos (iFixit etc) until you have removed the power supply. You can also remove the fan if you don’t run the machine hard, as I’ve done. Fit the conversion kit, screw it all back together, plug in your superior 12V PSU and enjoy the music.
Obviously, this mod depends on the quality of the replacement power supply. I chose a Farad Super 3 12V as it’s an LPS but also supercap based. Inferior LPS’s on digital gear can sound a bit flat and mushy sometimes, SMPS's tend to be nicely dynamic but can be a bit “digital/thin/harsh” sounding, like the stock PSU really.
It takes about 5 or 10 minutes and is easily reversible. Besides having suitable tools, the main thing you have to take care about is not to damage any connections by yanking them out aggressively.
The conversion kit I initially used was an old product from the days when modding Macminis was quite popular:
https://kamaudio.com/TeraDak-Mac-mini-power-module
After checking with Mattijs at Farad, I wanted to try using just a cable as the whole TeraDak filtering module seemed unnecessary. The Macmini's voltage regulators are on the mainboard, the power connector just has to supply a single 12V DC. So I got in touch with Kam Audio and I was delighted when they offered to make me just what I was asking for:
https://kamaudio.com/Mac-Mini-modified
This is the one I’d recommend if your chosen PSU already has good filtering, it probably sounds better and it’s certainly cheaper ;-)
To give some context to the improvement, besides a change of speakers, this is the only change my son (a decent amateur musician) has ever noticed. I’ve changed DACs (even between the Macmini’s internal DAC and my Holo May) and amps and in those cases, he’s never really been able to say there if was any difference at all (based on his auditory memory of how the system had previously sounded, i.e. not A/B-ing between the 2 components).
I’m not generally a fan of mods, but this one makes a lot of sense. You can “invest” in good power for the long haul, and just upgrade the computer part from time to time as chips get ever more powerful and efficient.
Last edited:
