[mjock3]

I am thinking of setting up a Mac Mini for a headphone setup. What I would like to do is access music that is store on a NAS, and play it on a Mac Mini. Not sure what the software I would use to do so. Though I see Jriver has something for Mac. As you can tell by the Jriver statement I come from a windows background. All my files are in wav format, is that alright?

Looking for suggestions for minimum requirements for the Mac Mini, not wanting to compromise the audio I get out of it. Also suggestions in regards to software in order to pull this off.

Thanks,

Mark

[mresseguie]

Hi, Mark.

I don't have any suggestions...I just bought a Mac Mini a few days ago, but I'm very interested in using it to play my music.

Thank you for posting your question! I'm asking, too!

Michael

[skunark]

Wav is fine, but with any setup you lose tag information. 

You can go to benchmark's wiki for instructions on how to get bit-perfect playback with just iTunes.   

You might have to describe though if you plan to use a DAC and headphone amp, vs the built-in headphone amp of the mac mini.   Either away it should be a great starting point.

Jim

[jarcher]

I suppose by "minimum" you mean more on the software side vs what Mac Mini to get?

Hardware :

For music only just about any Mac Mini would work, but would probably suggest you get a 2010 or later model. In the last two years or so they no longer have a built in dvd reader / writer, which some don't like, although you can get a USB one for $25 or so.  Of course that won't be important to you if you've already ripped all the music you plan to play, but if you have yet to do so for your cd collection (or for future purchases) having a DVD reader is important.

I'd strongly recommend the USB out as the preferred interface to an external DAC (assuming you plan to use one).  Many try to use the optical out (from the headphone jack), but my experience is that this doesn't often sound nearly as good.  If your DAC doesn't support or have a good USB input, consider buying a UBS / SPDIF convertor. You don't have to go crazy expensive. There are many options under $200.

For headphone listening I don't think you'll be super thrilled using the headphone out of the Mac Mini.  I'd really invest in an outboard DAC / headphone amp, even if its a very modestly priced one.  Even the Audioquest Dragonfly at $150 is going to sound much better than listening out of the Mac Mini noisy headphone output.  I used the first version of that and was very pleasantly surprised. 

Software :

As for software, many people use iTunes combined with an audiophile player that works on top of iTunes.  Amarra, Pure Music and Audiovarna are all options.  Bitperfect is perhaps even cheaper but seems to have a much smaller user base.  I personally use Pure Music (now in version 2) because of the price to feature set and the fact that you can use the license on more than one computer.  Different people have a preference for the sound quality of Amarra, Pure Music or Audiovarna.  I didn't find a substantial difference in sound quality between the three.  You can always download any of these and demo to decide which you like best before you buy.  I wouldn't stress it to much : any will sound considerably better than iTunes, particularly in "memory mode" where the track is put in and played from memory (make sure to max out the memory capacity of your mac mini). 

Soon I'll be evaluating J River Media Center 19 for Mac.  Previously I think their earlier versions were a bit buggy for Mac, but it seems those early problems have been resolved with version 19.  The most major advantage of JRMC 19 is that you don't have to use or work on top of iTunes.  JRMC 19 is both media player and library.  Though you wouldn't be able to use the free Remote app on an i-device to remote control (which is exclusive to iTunes), there are other remote apps available to control JRMC 19 that work on all the major smart phones and tablets, Apple or Android.

For a long time I thought working off of iTunes was an advantage because I had already ripped to that and had built a sizable library of music.  But as time goes by you realize that because iTunes doesn't support FLAC or DSD, you have to use the tools of Pure Music etc to convert the FLAC's to ALAC (apples lossless version of FLAC) and import them to the iTunes library, and for DSD create "bookmarks" that Pure Music uses to find and play the file.  All of that feels kludgy to me, and honestly if you have a large FLAC or DSD library, frankly a huge time killer.  JRMC 19 can of course play FLAC + DSD natively.  Lastly, despite continual improvements to Pure Music to work out the bugs, I get annoyed about having PM crash on me frequently and having to restart it, or otherwise exhibit obnoxious behavior such as non-responsiveness, etc.  It's gotten to the point that if future updates to Pure Music don't solve those problems, I'll defect to JRMC 19, or even to a dedicated streamer from say Auralic (Airies) or equivalent.  Life's too short to be fighting the hardware when your trying to enjoy yourself.

So after all that : I'd say start with the evaluation / demo of JRMC 19, and if that makes you happy, stay with it.  If not, I would try Pure Music, Amarra, and Audiovarna. 

Hope that helps!

[JohnR]

AFAIK JRiver is the best option for files on a NAS - you just point at the directory and it scans and indexes the whole thing. Not sure what it does with WAV files.

[mjock3]

Thanks for all the input.  I just want to verify something. The processor speed and amount of memory is not going to come into play for just music. Is that correct?

The other thing that occured to me is if I want to use it for av. It looks like if I wanted to do that I would need a 2011 or newer model for hdmi. Am I on track with this?

Thanks,
Mark

P.S. yes I will be using it with amp/dac

[jarcher]

Thanks for all the input.  I just want to verify something. The processor speed and amount of memory is not going to come into play for just music. Is that correct?

The other thing that occured to me is if I want to use it for av. It looks like if I wanted to do that I would need a 2011 or newer model for hdmi. Am I on track with this?

Thanks,
Mark

P.S. yes I will be using it with amp/dac

Mostly yes on both counts.  If your going to use "memory play" mode on player software and do DSD or other very heavy files, it would be better to have a faster processor + more memory.  But for the usual 16 / 44.1 and below files, even an old Mac Mini can do the job.

If you do plan to use it for video, I would get the 2010 and beyond new iMac w/ HDMI and better / faster processor.  Mine is only a 2.4ghz core2duo w/ 8GB of memory and I use it for internet video (sling box) all the time.  Considering you can get yourself a brand new mac mini for only around $500, I'd probably just do that as you are unlikely to save a lot used.  Used may get you a faster processor / more memory / storage, but will likely not save you a lot of money & you have to worry about how much life is left on the hard drive before it fails. I'd say after 6 years old if its the original hard drive, it's days are numbered. 

[mresseguie]

The Mini I just purchased is loaded with the 2.6 Ghz Quad-Core i7 CPU, 8 GB RAM, and the 1TB/128GB SSD Fusion drive. I also bought the external Super Drive. I wanted to make darned sure I have enough power for years to come, and I suspect this will cover me pretty well.

I'm going to look into J. River to see if it is what I want. Can I use both JRiver and iTunes, or will they fight each other?

Has anyone purchased a 3rd party power cord? I've heard replacing the PC with a high quality PC has a positive impact on sound quality,but I have no first-hand experience with this.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[jarcher]

That'll be more than enough horsepower for anything.

Yes - you should be able to run J River and Pure Music / Amarra / Audiovarna at the same time as the latter works off of iTunes and J River is it's own program with it's own library and doesn't rely on iTunes.  With the latter three you can load all three, but would probably use one at a time as they do piggyback off of iTunes.

I use a Wireworld C7 to IEC convertor and power cable (Stratus 7) with my Mac Mini.  I think I heard some improvements, but not nearly as much as with the player software above.  So I wouldn't spend mad money on it.  Audioquest has the NRG-X2 @ $54 retail which is a C7 power cable.  And theres a PS Audio one that Audio Advisor has on sale for $35 :

http://www.audioadvisor.com/PS-Audio-Jewel-Power-Cable-with-C7/productinfo/PSJEPCC7/#.U62xDRYXUg8


I'd get the PS Audio one. 

If you're interested in the Wireworld convertor plug or power cable, PM me and I can refer you to a dealer who can get them for you at a decent discount.  The convertor is nice to have so you can try different IEC power cables, but the Stratus 7 will cost more than the AQ or PS Audio ones mentioned above (but is a better PC).

[mjock3]

I am looking at a MB138LL/A, as I am able to get it for a sound. Do you know if I will have any issues making this work for my music?

Much appreciated.

Mark

[jarcher]

It will work, so long as your requirements are minimal & expectation pretty low.  I.e. no DSD or monster sized audio files being done in "memory" mode.  This model topped out at 3GB of system memory.  Also be aware that it has only DVI video out, so while there are DVI / HDMI convertors, if you want to use if for video you'll have to use both the DVI / HDMI convertor & the analog / optical audio out.  The integrated video card is pretty basic. Lastly, it will only support OSX operating system up to 10.7.5 (Lion) and we are up to 10.10 now.  Not that there's anything wrong w/ Lion and previous versions : in some ways I prefer them.  But you are shortening the window of time that you will have manufacturer support for the OS.

In conclusion : unless you're getting this really cheap - say $200 or under - and/or really can not afford more, I'd really step up and pay the $550 entry to a new Mac Mini : 

http://www.microcenter.com/product/404238/Mac_mini_MD387LL-A_Desktop_Computer

Ebay "buy it now" for post 2010 mini's is +$400, so it's not worth it to buy used.

With a new one you'll have no issue w/ reliability (during the warranty period) and worries about performance or support.  It may even be enough HD space (500GB entry level) if you have a modest collection where you will not need an external HD. W/ even a $200 old mini you'll have to buy more memory & external HD and still be talking about a +7 year old computer : about the time the internal HD fails.

Hope that helps!

[mjock3]

Thanks a bunch Jarcher! That's what I needed to hear. I could pick up the one I was talking about for $140. But it is not up to the task I need it to be I guess. So I will just go for the new and be done with it.

Thanks again,
Mark