[Lost240]

Hello,
Is there anyone out there using their new M1 mac mini as the hub for their streaming systems? I have over 2TB of audio that I need to move from my last mac over. What is the best solution? NAS? Internal drive? External?
Thanks!

[newzooreview]

I tried my M1 Mac Mini as a Roon server and it worked poorly. High resolution tracks suffered dropouts because Roon is just emulated on the M1. Maybe you're not interested in Roon, but if so then a Roon ROCK server is by far the best way to go. Roon is built on Linux and emulated on every other platform. Roon ROCK is a stripped down Roon-only version of Linux (no background systems operations interfering with audio). I can play DSD 512 files directly from the Roon ROCK server via USB to my DAC and it sounds glorious.

Removing a general-purpose computer from the playback chain always improves things.

If you are asking about storage media (SSD vs. NAS) then it somewhat depends on your use case. The SSD will wake up instantly vs. the NAS which will often need ten seconds to spin up when you first start to play music. I use a NAS because it is fault tolerant: if a disk fails, I don't lose my whole library. Disks will all fail at some point. Backups are important either way, but the NAS adds a bit of extra security.

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone changed from SSD to NAS or vice versa in their system and found an improvement in the sound. I think it could go either way depending on the system.

[planet10]

I see an Mx macMini as a music server in the future. The software is still catching up. Dedicated sw that takes the machine over completely and uses memory play can rival dedicated servers (typically linix in a box).

I keep all my music files on a separate disc and mving it just means plugging it into the new Thunderbolt port. If you have your music on your old Mac you can copy it to a new HD and do that or use the Apple Migration Assistant if you want to move it from one system disk to the other (via network or Thunderbolt).

Note: here in Canada Roon is kinda hobbled, so i have set aside any interest until they sort that.

dave

[cody69]

I keep audio (and video) files on Syno NAS and read from mini to play directly in media room or stream ala airplay to other devices in the house. Using standard Apple products that have been rock solid for years and sound quality is fine for my use.

Good luck