[morganc]

Hi Guys,
   I have a 2010 Mac Mini that I want to upgrade the PSU.  I'm looking for the best bang for the buck option.   I've looked at mojo Audio, Paul Hynes , Kingrex, and have a good friend with the Core Audio upgrade.   However, he was not happy with the customer service with Core Audio, so I would prefer a different option.   A DIY option requiring minor mods only is acceptable.  The Kingrex looks like the best priced option but I'm looking for anyone with real world experience.   
    Btw,I have two stand alone PSU's at home.   One is a Wellborne unit for a Squeezebox touch.  I'm assuming that would not work, right?   I also have a very large one built for an amp.   How could I find out if it is a viable option or not? 
   I'm not an engineer, btw, so don't want to do anything dangerous . 

[jtwrace]

Budget?

Anand built this one  http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=65332.msg1106694#msg1106694

I have one that is close but I didn't use the PH Regs so it was much less expensive.

[MichaelHiFi]

I'm with Morgan on this one. Maybe not so surprising, I also have a Welborne PS that powered my Squeezebox 3. I'm also looking for a Mac mini PS combo.

I've got Craig's Macmini and Core Audio PS in my system now. It is stunning how my system from being really good, jumped another level. The PS I think is very good. Seems like there are many options out there. Scott too is looking for a MAC mini PS combo.

Now I'm thinking package deal 

[Gopher]

I'm very interested in what you do, Morgan.  I've got a bolder modified squeezebox touch w bolder psu and a brand new macmini.  Big red machine was nice enough to offer me an audiophilio2 loaner while his system is down but I haven't been able to get great sound from the little Mac yet.

I'm leaning towards selling the macmini and sticking with my squeezebox or building a macmini clone with pico psu to avoid the pita factor of moding it to accept a dc psu...   I will be tuned into your solution.

[ted_b]

I have a mid 2009 Mac Mini (so it already has an external ps).  As posted over on Paul's Circle I have the hefty Hynes SR7-18V5 that has an internal small blue multi-turn potentiometer that allows me to dial it from 18.5V (required for my Mini) to 12V (for use with my Auraliti PK90USb among others).  Suffice it to say that a good 3rd party PS upgrade is quite an improvement; noise floor, bass heft, dynamics all improve.

[Paul Hynes]

MichaelHiFi,

If "package deal" means group buy, I am open to looking at this.

Regards
Paul

[morganc]

Yes, there are three or four of us that are interested Paul.  Michael, Scott, myself are all in the Bay Area and Gopher is a New Yorker and possibly interested.  What kind of solution do you recommend for the best bang for the buck option for a dedicated Mac Mini Server?  I have viewed your site and looked over your different PSU's, but I am not an engineer (Michael is though) so would love to hear your feedback on the subject. 

[MichaelHiFi]

MichaelHiFi,

If "package deal" means group buy, I am open to looking at this.

Regards
Paul

Thanks Paul - Good to know.

I visited your web site but didn't note the MAC mini PS offerings.
Also, not yet owning a Mac mini, can someone suggest a model to look for? I'm into low cost high performance, strickly as a music server. 

[Atlplasma]

I've seen a couple of 2010 Mini go up for sale here. That might be your best option in terms of value--especially if someone has already installed a solid state drive and more RAM.

[morganc]

There is a Paul Hynes Mac Mini PSu at itemaudio.com in the UK.......
http://itemaudio.com/index.php/power-supplies/linear-psus/detail/28-linear-psus/flypage/948-paul-hynes-mac-mini-psu?sef=hcfp

[Wayne1]

The mid-2010 and later Mac Minis will need to be taken apart and have the internal switching power supply removed. A cable will need to be built to run from the motherboard to the back panel. A DC connector will need to be installed on the back panel. All of this has to be done before a DC supply can be used. This will void any warranty that may be on the Mac Mini. If you don't feel you can do this, there are some companies that will do it for you. Cost is usually around $250-300.00.

Depending on what you have plugged into the Mac Mini, you may need a power supply capable of supplying 12 volts DC at 8 amps.

I have successfully used modified car stereo power supplies for this. They can be found in stock form for about $70-80.00. Depending on the design of the regulator circuit used, they might have a variable resistor that can be adjusted for voltage output. Some need to have resistors changed to output the correct voltage.

For the non-DIY types, the Paul Hynes supply would be a very safe way to get clean power into a modded Mac Mini.

[Paul Hynes]

Hi folks,

Bob Lloyd is successfully running a stripped down 2009 Mac Mini as an audio server on one of my SR3-15 power supplies.

See :- http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=108737.0

The SR3 gives good performance but the larger power supplies do give better sound quality, as they are more capable power supplies. They also become necessary for power hungry Mini configurations. Stands to reason really as different performance levels are true of all equipment. There is also the DIY option for those with the skills to safely mod their equipment.

I can put together a group buy for those who are interested although I can see some wanting a budget solution and some wanting the better performance of the larger power supply. I think this needs some further discussion to decide the options and gauge the interest, as this will dictate what can be done with the cost. With this in mind, to keep this in the proper place, I have set up a thread on my manufacturers circle at

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=109381.new#new


Item Audio has no formal resale agreement in place, so I am not sure why they are promoting an SR5 custom version of my Mac Mini Power supply at this point in time.

There are no details of SR3, SR5, SR7 etc power supplies on my website as I have been too busy to re-write the website for a long time now. I will be happy to discuss technical issues on my manufacturer’s circle.

Hi Wayne, Thanks for the input. It would be great if you felt you could join in with this to help those with little working knowledge of these matters. Please feel free to post about this on my manufacturer’s circle if you feel moved to do so. I wish you well in your career move.

Regards
Paul

[jarcher]

Thanks Paul for the generous group buy offer / thread.

Nonetheless, like the thread starter, I'd like to hear from folks about other options as well & experience, in particular w/ Mojo Audio & Core Audio. 

I met the Mojo Audio guy at an audio show & swapped emails : he certainly talks a very good game (and offered to do a dual umbilical to run both the mac mini + bel canto dac).

[jtwrace]

I strongly suggest you steer clear from Core...

[Ern Dog]

Morgan,
What direction did you decide to take with this?  I'm asking because my source is a Macbook Pro and soon I'd like to get a dedicated Mac Mini music server.

Thanks,
Ernie

[newzooreview]

Morgan,
What direction did you decide to take with this?  I'm asking because my source is a Macbook Pro and soon I'd like to get a dedicated Mac Mini music server.

Thanks,
Ernie

I had my MacMini upgraded to run on battery power. I got a BatteryBUSS battery power supply from Dave at PI Audio. It made a huge difference, more detail, quieter, smoother, more natural, bigger soundstage. And it's hassle free. The battery will switch over to the charger if it get too depleted. As a big added bonus, he built me a connector to run my hard drive from the BatteryBUSS as well: the whole source leading the DAC is on clean, quiet DC power.

Dave has a Circle here, and he can convert a MacMini to DC and also install a buffer inside the MacMini that adds to the benefit of the battery power. That's the next upgrade I'll get.

Hope that gives you another good option. Personally I prefer DC because I never have to worry about the condition of my AC, especially at the source where little issues are amplified up the chain.

I also have a 2010 MacMini (Model 4,1 in system profile). Upgrade to 16 Gb if you haven't already. It does improve the sound. I got my 16 Gb from Macsales.com; my first 16 Gb RAM didn't work (too fast for the 2010).

[simon wagstaff]

I find this thread of great interest. I am sorry, I find it hard to believe that a power supply modification would have any effect on the sound. I am using decibel and the memory play option and the sound is very good. How can the power supply make such a difference/

In my case I have two mac minis. I have quite an old one with a core solo processor and the external power supply. I also have a brand new one that I got just a few weeks ago. the plan is to move the new one to the music server role in 2-3 years. My guess is the Mac Mini with the external power supply would be the easiest to upgrade. What are the suggested options for something cost effective that I could try to see for myself. is there some sort of external power supply one can get that just plugs in or is there more to it than that?

Thanks!

[newzooreview]

I find this thread of great interest. I am sorry, I find it hard to believe that a power supply modification would have any effect on the sound. I am using decibel and the memory play option and the sound is very good. How can the power supply make such a difference/

In my case I have two mac minis. I have quite an old one with a core solo processor and the external power supply. I also have a brand new one that I got just a few weeks ago. the plan is to move the new one to the music server role in 2-3 years. My guess is the Mac Mini with the external power supply would be the easiest to upgrade. What are the suggested options for something cost effective that I could try to see for myself. is there some sort of external power supply one can get that just plugs in or is there more to it than that?

Thanks!

It's hard to advise without knowing more. I can imagine that in many systems a lot of very nice improvements wouldn't be audible.

Are you using your Mac Mini as a dedicated music server?
Have you optimized it for audio playback? (disabled Spotlight, quit the Finder when you're playing music, disabled Expose and Dashboard, etc.?)
Have you listened to Audirvana Plus rather than Decibel? (I used to use Decibel, but Audirvana Plus has far eclipsed it in sound quality. If you don't hear a difference between them than you may have limitations elsewhere in your system).
Have you maxed out the RAM on the MacMini?
Have you switched the MacMini over to a solid state internal drive?

Some of these things cost nothing and will demonstrate that changes to the computer can affect sound.

The 2012 MacMini is likely to sound clearly better than the old one. The entire system from RAM to CPU to system bus has a lot more overhead to handle playback without other processes degrading the signal. You could get a linear power supply for the older MacMini, but I would play with the free adjustments that you can make as a first experiment.

[simon wagstaff]

I am using the one downstairs as a dedicated music server. I have disabled most of the functions you refer to but do not, as a matter of course quit the Finder when playing music. I will try that. I have played around with Audirvana but will have to see if I have or can get the plus version.

I put in 2 gigs of ram, likely all I will stuff in there.

all of the music files reside on external drives, I likely won't mess with a solid state drive for the mini. I am also using the optical out as I do not have a proper usb dac. currently using the optical input on my Denon Av-100 which in two channel mode drives an AVA U70 and then to a pair of Gallo Ref 3.5 along with a pair of VMPs subwoofers.

I am actually pretty happy with the sound, even when compared to SACD and DVD-A playback from discs.

I do not use iTunes in any way shape or form.

thanks for the input, I am going to play around with Audirvana today and a few of the other settings recommendations you made.


"It's hard to advise without knowing more. I can imagine that in many systems a lot of very nice improvements wouldn't be audible.

Are you using your Mac Mini as a dedicated music server?
Have you optimized it for audio playback? (disabled Spotlight, quit the Finder when you're playing music, disabled Expose and Dashboard, etc.?)
Have you listened to Audirvana Plus rather than Decibel? (I used to use Decibel, but Audirvana Plus has far eclipsed it in sound quality. If you don't hear a difference between them than you may have limitations elsewhere in your system).
Have you maxed out the RAM on the MacMini?
Have you switched the MacMini over to a solid state internal drive?

Some of these things cost nothing and will demonstrate that changes to the computer can affect sound.

The 2012 MacMini is likely to sound clearly better than the old one. The entire system from RAM to CPU to system bus has a lot more overhead to handle playback without other processes degrading the signal. You could get a linear power supply for the older MacMini, but I would play with the free adjustments that you can make as a first experiment."

[newzooreview]

I am also using the optical out as I do not have a proper usb dac. currently using the optical input on my Denon Av-100 which in two channel mode drives an AVA U70 and then to a pair of Gallo Ref 3.5 along with a pair of VMPs subwoofers.

You can try Audirvana Plus for free here: http://audirvana.com/?page_id=112

Before experimenting with power supply on the MacMini you might find more benefit from improvements to the DAC and Pre-amp setup. A used dBAudio Tranquility DAC is around $750, and in my direct experience is far better than either a) a great DAC being fed by an optical output or b) a DAC built into the pre-amp section of a home theater receiver.

Happy listening.