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Using a Mac Mini as a digital source

JTC

JTC

PFM Villager...
Thinking of this as a replacement for my Squeezebox+, I'd like to find out how well it fares as a digital source - both in terms of sound quality (if I go down this route it'll likely go into a Benchmark DAC1 HDR or similar) - but also in terms of how easy it is to manage and operate your music collection.

I'm familiar(ish) with iTunes, but only really use it as a way of getting music and podcasts onto an iPod. I gather it can't play FLAC (which all my lossless music is encoded in) and I'm not sure how easily it will stream from a (non Apple) NAS drive (a QNap TS119 Pro to be precise).

So, pros and cons??
 
Pros: USB output for async dac. Discrete and reliable. Good remote.

Cons: expensive, itunes (plus bolt on players) best option despite seemingly to be hated by many, need third party sofware for hi res unless you switch manually.

And plenty more I can't think of ATM
 
I didn't know you had to use iTunes on a Mac Mini. Amazing that there's no other music playback software. The Mac used to be used my musicians. Now I guess it's just for soccer mums.
 
Why do you have to use iTunes?

The lack of knowledge can sometimes be a real hindrance.
 
You don't have to use iTunes on a Mac - it's just that it is easy.

I've got a Mac and a DAC (and I use iTunes), but TBH I rarely use it to play music.
And I can't be bothered with the iPod as a remote thing, even though we have a spare one; I keep forgetting to charge it.

My kids watch movies on in though (we use VLC as the player).
 
Pros - Easy to use, iTunes works well (not tried others, and it doesn't work well on Windows), integrates well with an iPod, most have optical or USB outputs.

Cons - With either the MF VDAC and a Meridian 566 DAC I couldn't get a Mac Book Pro to sound as good as my CD transport. I will be trying a Mac Mini soon, but don't expect it to better the transport.
 
Macs make excellent transports, you don't have to use I tunes, I would try either Async USB or FireWire connection.
Keith.
 
Apologies, you don't have to use itunes of course. Dunno what I was on about. :)

What I meant to say was something rather different in that IME all of the (free-ish) alternatives are turd but with a PC you have some nice alternatives.
 
A computer is a computer. I like Mac but it doesn't really matter which for SQ (although Windowes is a weak OS imo.) However, OS aside, the mini is an excellent machine, and a great audio and media player. Discrete, problem-free, and very very very easy to set up.
Playback can be any number of software options, incl the very nice and free iTunes. I use a mini with async USB into a DAC from Purite/Keith. The eventual SQ largely relies on how you set up the playback, providing you've got full-res CD rips. Toslink is simple, but jitter prone. I've not tried Firewire but believe it to give same result as USB async.
 
It's good once optimized. Go to the computer audiophile website, register, and post for opinions and search around.

Optimization involves maxing out the memory, going to better music playback software (I use Pure Music), replacing the internal spinning hard drive with an SSD (go aftermarket rather than the overpriced OEM option) and storing your music on an external HDD.

You don't have to do all of these things but I'd say maxing out the memory and going to Pure Music (or Amarra, Fidelia, Decibel, etc.) instead of Itunes are most important. Saying that, the biggest bang for buck improvement I got was replacing the stock HDD with an SSD.

The other option is the Macbook Pro, which is what I bought. It has less RFI generation than the Mac Mini according to Gordon Rankin and has an integrated keyboard and monitor. I know the cutesy Mac Mini is the current fav but I think the Macbook Pro is a better bet, especially the faster ones.

Speaking of which, the experts will tell you this: max out the memory and buy the fastest CPU model you can afford. Those two things seem to be the main arbiters for sound quality. I went with the 15" Macbook Pro model for that specific reason (2.0 GHz Quadcore). All but the server model Mac Minis only use Dual Core processors.

You'll get a lot of iffy, even crap opinions here, no offense. If you want good advice then ask the experts like I did -- go to the computer audiophile website. And email or call Gordon Rankin and Pure Music and Amarra.
 
Greg, I don't understand the CPU argument, and don't believe it either. My mini uses 1% processor through PureMusic (nice player btw!). There's very little processing involved in taking music from a HD, thought PM and out to a DAC. You're wasting your money getting anything other than a basic new Mac.
Andy
 
greg788 said:
It's good once optimized. Go to the computer audiophile website, register, and post for opinions and search around.

Optimization involves maxing out the memory, going to better music playback software (I use Pure Music), replacing the internal spinning hard drive with an SSD (go aftermarket rather than the overpriced OEM option) and storing your music on an external HDD.

You don't have to do all of these things but I'd say maxing out the memory and going to Pure Music (or Amarra, Fidelia, Decibel, etc.) instead of Itunes are most important. Saying that, the biggest bang for buck improvement I got was replacing the stock HDD with an SSD.

The other option is the Macbook Pro, which is what I bought. It has less RFI generation than the Mac Mini according to Gordon Rankin and has an integrated keyboard and monitor. I know the cutesy Mac Mini is the current fav but I think the Macbook Pro is a better bet, especially the faster ones.

Speaking of which, the experts will tell you this: max out the memory and buy the fastest CPU model you can afford. Those two things seem to be the main arbiters for sound quality. I went with the 15" Macbook Pro model for that specific reason (2.0 GHz Quadcore). All but the server model Mac Minis only use Dual Core processors.
,
You'll get a lot of iffy, even crap opinions here no offense. If you want good advice then ask the experts like I did -- go to the computer audiophile website. And email or call Gordon Rankin and Pure Music and Amarra.
Click to expand...

Oh Indeed! Belly laugh here :D
 
Another happy Mac-mini/DAC user here. I replaced my CDX2/XPS2 with it & haven't regretted it.
I use Pure Music & an ipad to run it headless & have a 1TB external storage as well as a back up storage. This was my 1st foray into computer stored music & also my 1st dip into the world of Macs. I'm certainly no computer genius, but I only needed one or two gentle hints to get it all up & running.
One of the advantages for me with a Mac-mini over a PC is that it's pretty near silent in operation which allowed me to site it in the equipment rack in my music room without excess cooling-fan noise distracting me. It's also much quicker to start up than my PC's were.
A good mate of mine uses a Macbook & he's equally happy with it. Whether it sounds any better, I couldn't tell you.
Best of luck
Matt.
 
I'm using a ten-year-old PC with 1GB ram, a 1.7GHz single core Pentium 4 running XP Pro, a web browser (Firefox 3.6.something), a couple of other applications sitting around in memory, 35-odd processes running, and my music player of choice decoding a flac off one of the hard drives and sending the output to the sound chip - the CPU is still 90% idle. You really don't need a lot of processor to play audio.
 
Hi John.

As I might have mentioned (can't remember ) I use a mac mini into my CDQ.

It is a 1Gb Ram 1.25 Ghz machine and I use itunes lossless from an external HDD. Frankly it's flawless. I lobbed on a usb isolator just to be sure, but it plays music beautifully. It was quite awesome through the Adams and even now Kate Bush is warbling wonderfully through your ex Trios.

Once I got used to the idea of computer against cd player it has become second nature.

You could flog your AVI cd player and get one of the spanking new Mdac's or a CDQ to use the analogue pre-amp and to also have an excellent cd player and headphone amp thrown in.

My macmini cost £105 and the extra hdd £35.

My best bargain in many years.

Oh yes, the processor and ram are not remotely taxed.
 
Guys, it doesn't matter how much %CPU is being used. It's about sound quality. Faster computer (and more memory) = better sound. This is true whether you're using software with memory play (e.g., Amarra, Pure Music) or not.

If you don't believe me, ask others who've tried it. And you stop and think about the reasons why, it makes sense.
 
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