[PhishPhan]

I'm going to purchase a new mac, which I'll use mostly for music, but also for light web browsing and storing/editing some small photos. I'm just not sure which one to buy. I've had my eye on a new iMac or MacBook Pro, but have recently started thinking about a new mini. Money is not a huge issue, though I'd like to keep things under 1500.

My current mini is 4 years old and has the old 1.5G intel core solo processor and only 1GB ram.

Any thoughts or recommendations? With music as my primary concern, which mac would you recommend? I already have a 17" display and a 42" plasma, which I think would work great with a mac mini, but the new iMacs are just too damn sexy. I've also read that a newer iMac and MacBook Pro is in the works for the early part of 2011, so I was thinking about waiting until those are released.

Also, should I buy a smaller internal HD and just buy an external, or should I splurge on one with a larger HD? I know very little about computers and computer audio, so any extra advice and guidance is appreciated. I've been reading about swaping in SSD and other music programs besides iTunes, which is all very interesting but somewhat intimidating since I am not a computer person.

[low.pfile]

phishphan,
The first question I have to ask is how is your current mac mini not meeting your needs?

Based on your usage description you don't need a powerhouse of a computer. you could always add memory to your mini. and add external drive if running low on storage space.

[PhishPhan]

Storage is the biggest issue. Also, the wireless card and antenna is starting to fail, or so I'm told by the folks at the apple store, and it would cost me upwards of $100 to get it replaced which is 1/5 of what I paid for my mini new. It will intermittently drop the wireless signal, which  is extremely frustrating. My current living arrangements only allow for wireless internet.

[Bemopti123]

I recommended a large 27" Imac to my neighbor, sexy and all, but I am not for wasting decent LED displays when the life of the computer ends.   

So, I would do a MacMini, the smallest HD and memory, then do a SSD upgrade, something like a basic 200 GB would suffice and and load up on RAM.  It will break your budget but even with the pedestrian CPU, the SSD and Ram upgrades will make the Mini fly. 

For ample storage, a DROBO would be ideal. It is incredibly flexible and extremely reliable for storage and data safekeeping.  While HDD in external enclosures are cheap, DROBO is the king of simplicity when it comes not spending too much time thinking what storage system is appropriate for one's needs. 

[skunark]

For music I think a mac mini and two self-powered drives would be ideal.  One is for the tunes the second would be for the backup and you can keep the internal drive small.  Self-powered drives will keep power-supply electrical noise and wall warts clutter to a minimum.  If the plan is to keep this next to a stereo this would be my preferred option.

If you do plan to do photo editing, an iMac or a MacBook Pro would be faster.  I would prefer either one over the Mac Mini if you plan to stream content to you stereo.   

I will slightly disagree with the previous poster about the drobo.  As it might be a more reliable HDD drive it should not be considered safekeeping as it's not a backup.  It's a false sense of security to use a raid1,3,5, or a drobo for single point of storage.  I do have the USB drobo and it is very loud, so it should be located where noise isn't a concern if you still want that massive beast. 

[oneinthepipe]

I have a 27" iMac i5 which is proving to work very well.  I use the computer mostly for music, but I also use it to play bzflag and surfing the web, etc.  I followed most of the advice for setting up a Mini with the iMac.  I use an OWC external firewire drive for music.  Pure Music over iTunes through a John Kenny modified Hi-Face sounds very good, IMO.  The iMac's display is great. 

[Philistine]

You might want to hold off a few more weeks: rumors are that Apple has new iMacs and MacBooks coming out early 2011.  If true you get get a deal on current models or buy the latest models.....

[NekoAudio]

I would choose the type of Mac to get based on how you want to interact with it. For example, an iMac is great if you would use the screen on it. But if you'd rather always use an external display like your TV or projector, then a Mac Mini would be my suggestion.

If you want to be able to interact with your music software while walking around, past the IR remote control, then some combination of Apple hardware might be best. I think some people have used a Mac Mini + Apple Remote on an iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad.

[Doublej]

Storage is the biggest issue. Also, the wireless card and antenna is starting to fail, or so I'm told by the folks at the apple store, and it would cost me upwards of $100 to get it replaced which is 1/5 of what I paid for my mini new. It will intermittently drop the wireless signal, which  is extremely frustrating. My current living arrangements only allow for wireless internet.

For around $20 you should be able to get a USB wireless dongle which should hold you until the new machines are announced.

[Doublej]

For around $30 you should be able to get a USB wireless stick which take care of your wireless issues.

Here's one such device

http://www.newertech.com/products/mxusb_gb.php

[Atlplasma]

For music I think a mac mini and two self-powered drives would be ideal.  One is for the tunes the second would be for the backup and you can keep the internal drive small.  Self-powered drives will keep power-supply electrical noise and wall warts clutter to a minimum.  If the plan is to keep this next to a stereo this would be my preferred option.

Don't mean to highjack the threat. But did have a question for Skunark. Do you mean bus powered (portable style) hard drives? Is there any downside to using the bus instead of a wallwart. I use a Mini as a dedicated music server and play music off an external firewire drive that has the AC adapter. Always looking for ways to improve the playback.

[low.pfile]

I forgot to add that the new iMacs do not like to interface with some asynchronous DACs. I've had issues with my Brick V2 DAC on my i5 iMac, as has Crimson. and last I heard his Cosecant DAC also had the same issue. I have yet to try a 2010 MacMini though. The issue is likely isolated to Wavelength Asynch...not sure what you are using for a DAC.

[PhishPhan]

Right now my computer system is limited to a nuforce icon and S1 speakers, which sounds pretty darn good for the money. I hope to hook it up to my main system soon.

[skunark]

Don't mean to highjack the threat. But did have a question for Skunark. Do you mean bus powered (portable style) hard drives? Is there any downside to using the bus instead of a wallwart. I use a Mini as a dedicated music server and play music off an external firewire drive that has the AC adapter. Always looking for ways to improve the playback.

Yes, I meant the bus-powered drives.  Everything has tradeoffs, the portable drives have a smaller capacity, price/GB is higher, each bus-powered device will consume more power from the mac mini power supply, and there's not a lot of choices with FW out there, (g-tech is all i know of atm).  Still, to me the upside is worth it: One less power cable to route and one less power supply to worry about, and they are significantly smaller.  With FW, there is a limit of devices you can daisy chain without a power supply, i've done two so far.   FW and USB have really good isolation specifications, and with the signal being digital, it's unlikely you can improve the sound exiting your mac mini, but eliminating any noise that wall-wart emits back into the your electrical circuit would be a bonus, but mileage will vary.  Perhaps with the proper power conditioners, you can isolate it even further.   

Another nice perk, is that if you put your mac mini to sleep the power is truly off to those drives, unlike the wall-warts that are still basically on.    I'm not sure i could call myself a minimalist since I do want all my music at a touch of a button, but when I do listen to another source, I will power off the other sources and put the mac mini to sleep.

[Atlplasma]

Thanks for clarifying.

I see that OWC has several of these portable drives (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go). Does it matter if the drive is spinning at 5400 rpms or 7200?

Back to PhishPhan original question... If you can afford multiple computers, it's nice to have a dedicated music server. Minis are great for this purpose--especially when used with external drives. You can actually set up a high resolution playback system for relatively little money. In my case, I have an Intel Mini with Pure Music outputting through a M2Tech Hiface into a Pop Pulse DAC.

I currently operate the mini headless (using VNC on an iPad or screen sharing on my iMac for control), but I have also connect connected it to a 50 inch plasma over hdmi. It offers lots of flexibility.

Steve

[PhishPhan]

I currently play my music directly through iTunes. Would switching to Pure Music bring any improvement in sound quality?

[Crimson]

I currently play my music directly through iTunes. Would switching to Pure Music bring any improvement in sound quality?

Why not try the free trial and see if it works for you?

[Atlplasma]

I agree with crimson. Try the free trials and let your ears decide.

[skunark]

I would also suggest reviewing Benchmark's wiki:
http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/wiki/index.php/OS_X_Audio_Playback_-_Setup_Guide

They do a good job of explaining what you need to configure to get bit-transparant playback for 44.1/16 playback with just iTunes.   The suggestions Benchmark provides can be used for any player.

[PhishPhan]

Why not try the free trial and see if it works for you?

My operating system cannot support it; 10.5 or 10.6 is required and I have 10.4. I guess I'll just have to be patient.