[stump4545]

thinking of getting an external hard drive for my mini.

does the firewire cable that would connect to the mini make any sonic difference at all?
any firewire cable suggestions?

besides added storage space, does ripping to an external hard drive yield any audio quality benefits?

thanks.

[K Shep]

Stump,

You know my gear.  I have an iOmega 1TB external that I rip all of my files to (AIFF).  I connect the external to my Mini via a 4-6 pin Firewire that I purchase on Amazon.  I have not compared the audible difference between a file on my Mini to one from my external. 

[stump4545]

any suggestions on where to get id audiophile firewire online?

going to be picking up an iomega 1tb hard drive today.

thanks

[Crimson]

I wouldn't worry too much about the cable between the external hard drive and the computer.

[K Shep]

I wouldn't worry too much about the cable between the external hard drive and the computer.

+1

This one is $4.40 delivered from Amazon.  It looks cool too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000SMZ9E2/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1264976474&sr=1-8&condition=new

[pardales]

I wouldn't worry too much about the cable between the external hard drive and the computer.

Me too. I honestly hope this particular cord does not make a huge difference. I have heard though that Firewire connection to an external hard drive is preferable to USB connection to a hard drive--for quality sonics as part of a music server that is. Anyone know why this might be or if there is anything too this?   
 

[jqp]

Your music processing happens on the PC, not the firewire drive. The data is stored on the firewire drive, but moved to the PC for processing by the music application.

Firewire is more independent of the PC processor and does not depend on it, or bog it down so much. Less possible glitches.

Firewire is preferable to USB with hard drives for all applications. That's why it is used for video. For everyday use, USB will work. It is used because it is provided by PC manufacturers (it is cheaper). I always have a firewire port on my PCs and laptops.

[Crimson]

Me too. I honestly hope this particular cord does not make a huge difference. I have heard though that Firewire connection to an external hard drive is preferable to USB connection to a hard drive--for quality sonics as part of a music server that is. Anyone know why this might be or if there is anything too this?   

That's typically the recommendation if running a USB dac, so as to not have anything else running on the USB bus (it's a shared resource, and as such, other hardware, like external hard drives, can introduce pops and clicks).

[pardales]

That's typically the recommendation if running a USB dac, so as to not have anything else running on the USB bus (it's a shared resource, and as such, other hardware, like external hard drives, can introduce pops and clicks).

Makes good sense. Firewire for the HD it is. I have also heard that if using a USB DAC  you should use the port furthest from the powercord port.