Digital music players with a Mac Mini

[asindc]

Originally Posted by bakerman

It works great as a dedicated server. Use it to store your music or stream from an external drive/NAS device. Set it up to run "headless" and control it with an iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone or with another Apple computer. I love the small footprint of it also. For me it's a great source to use for all my digital files.

I'm not that familiar with the Apple TV so I can't comment on the pros and cons for each. Does the Apple TV play back Hi-Res files? That was one of the biggest factors in setting one up for me. I use an external drive via firewire to play my files and plug it into my DAC via USB. I'm very happy with the outcome and hope to make some minor tweaks to make it even better sounding in the future.

No, Apple TV is limited to 16/44 and can only output to a DAC through its Toslink port. It has a USB port, but that cannot be used to output content. I just switched from a PC-to-AppleTV-to-DAC system to a Mac Mini/external HDD-to-USB to Coaxial Converter-to-DAC system, and the latter is several levels better than the former. I use an iPad and iPhone to control the Mac Mini. I also have a wireless keyboard and mouse to use when I want to perform heavy duty functions by viewing it through my HT system.

Since switching to the new system, I have used Pure Music, Decibel, and Audirvana Plus. I didn't hear enough difference between iTunes and Pure Music to sway me, but I admit that I might not have had PM setup properly before trial period expired. Decibel and Audirvana sound very comparable in my system, with maybe Decibel being a touch more realistic. Both are clearly better than iTunes, and it was immediately noticeable in both cases. Audirvana Plus is getting the nod, though, because I can use the iPhone or iPad Remote app to control it, whereas with Decibel that is a no-go. My Halide Bridge USB-to-Coaxial adapter between the Mac Mini and the DAC is limited to 24/96, but those files sound as good as SACD through either program. There are others I want to try before deciding on one playback software, but I'm really liking Audirvana.

[Pider]

You know, even at 16/44, it's not bad. Can't wait until I upgrade from the D/A in my B&K 507 receiver, which is my "DAC" at the moment, and to HD level music files.

Anyone using the Mac Mini 2011 or later? Someone said to get the 2010 or earlier in order to, I believe, get an optical drive. I should think it not a problem ripping and storing if you're using an outboard HDD. Am I missing something? Thanks.

[bakerman]

Originally Posted by asindc

No, Apple TV is limited to 16/44 and can only output to a DAC through its Toslink port. It has a USB port, but that cannot be used to output content. I just switched from a PC-to-AppleTV-to-DAC system to a Mac Mini/external HDD-to-USB to Coaxial Converter-to-DAC system, and the latter is several levels better than the former. I use an iPad and iPhone to control the Mac Mini. I also have a wireless keyboard and mouse to use when I want to perform heavy duty functions by viewing it through my HT system.

Since switching to the new system, I have used Pure Music, Decibel, and Audirvana Plus. I didn't hear enough difference between iTunes and Pure Music to sway me, but I admit that I might not have had PM setup properly before trial period expired. Decibel and Audirvana sound very comparable in my system, with maybe Decibel being a touch more realistic. Both are clearly better than iTunes, and it was immediately noticeable in both cases. Audirvana Plus is getting the nod, though, because I can use the iPhone or iPad Remote app to control it, whereas with Decibel that is a no-go. My Halide Bridge USB-to-Coaxial adapter between the Mac Mini and the DAC is limited to 24/96, but those files sound as good as SACD through either program. There are others I want to try before deciding on one playback software, but I'm really liking Audirvana.

Thanks for the input regarding the Apple TV. I'm glad to hear that the MIni is working, and sounding, better for you.

I too thought Decibel sounded a bit better than Audirvana but like you, I use the Remote app to control everything.

[bakerman]

Originally Posted by Pider

You know, even at 16/44, it's not bad. Can't wait until I upgrade from the D/A in my B&K 507 receiver, which is my "DAC" at the moment, and to HD level music files.

Anyone using the Mac Mini 2011 or later? Someone said to get the 2010 or earlier in order to, I believe, get an optical drive. I should think it not a problem ripping and storing if you're using an outboard HDD. Am I missing something? Thanks.

16/44 does sound very good. The biggest difference I hear with Hi-Res files is more openness and clarity.

I think that the whole 2010 or earlier model Mini issue had to do with the OS. Some say that Snow Leopard sounds better than Lion. I upgraded to Lion before I hooked my Mini up to my system so I can't comment as far as the reality of that. My theory is that while SL may be better in terms of sound quality, I compare it to the difference you might hear between Amarra and Pure Music. It's a case of being purely subjective. Whatever you decide should be the right choice for you and what you want from your system.

[asindc]

Originally Posted by Pider

You know, even at 16/44, it's not bad. Can't wait until I upgrade from the D/A in my B&K 507 receiver, which is my "DAC" at the moment, and to HD level music files.

Anyone using the Mac Mini 2011 or later? Someone said to get the 2010 or earlier in order to, I believe, get an optical drive. I should think it not a problem ripping and storing if you're using an outboard HDD. Am I missing something? Thanks.

Originally Posted by bakerman

16/44 does sound very good. The biggest difference I hear with Hi-Res files is more openness and clarity.

I think that the whole 2010 or earlier model Mini issue had to do with the OS. Some say that Snow Leopard sounds better than Lion. I upgraded to Lion before I hooked my Mini up to my system so I can't comment as far as the reality of that. My theory is that while SL may be better in terms of sound quality, I compare it to the difference you might hear between Amarra and Pure Music. It's a case of being purely subjective. Whatever you decide should be the right choice for you and what you want from your system.

I have the latest version of Mac Mini, which comes with Lion. The prevailing view at Computeraudiophile is that the 2011 Mac Mini is better hardware than any previous version, while Snow Leopard sounds better than Lion. Apparently, Snow Leopard can be installed on the 2011 Mac Mini, but not without some difficulty.

I bought an external firewire DVD drive for ripping. I had considered waiting for a 2010 Mac Mini with a built-in optical drive to become available, but I read that the internal drives in Minis have a higher than usual failure rate.

[KahunaCanuck]

Originally Posted by Dj_AmTraX

Sorry, but that Mach Mini is ugly.

Hahaha, well thankfully it sits on it's shelf and does it's job!