One approach to selecting and Configuring a Mac Mini as a music server

[jrebman]

Dan, very observant -- the word here is frustrated, not angry or anything like that.

Yoder, sorry, I honestly never in a million years meant to imply that you are the one who sent the nasty-grams -- you weren't; enough said.  As for the statement "who cares what you think" is again poor phrasing on my part and I should have completed my full thought on that.  What I mean is who cares what *anybody* says when it comes to audio as in the end it is such a highly subjective endeavor/pursuit that despite the best intentions of any of who give advice, it is never universal, is always tainted by our individual perceptions and values, as well as other highly variable conditions such as the local power grid, house wiring, RFI environment, and so on.

No, no hard feelings and I'm going to change the title of the thread to more accurately convey what I had in mind.

Also, when I said music server, that is exactly what I mean -- I have zero experience or need for HT, surround sound and all that, I'm strictly a 2-channel audio/music guy.  And again, I don't want to put too fine a point on this, but I know for a fact that there is more going on at Mach2 than you speculate and that is really the limit of what I can say.  But basically what they say publicly is indeed true, but since they don't want to give the shop away, they keep the rest very close to the vest.  Far more than even I am aware of.  Darrel and Kevin are both nice guys with day jobs and they are completely above board when it comes to doing what they do.  In fact they would not do a custom install on my macbook air as they have never tried it and don't have the confidence to say it will work as well, plus the fact that they know, even with their mods, the mba is not a top audio performer, and really, that is what they are about.  And as usual, if you don't think it's worth it or you can do better, that is truly fine -- I found the changes to be rather remarkable.

Hi Tom, yes, you can absolutely start with just a basic mac mini, iTunes, and someting like BitPerf.app to bypass the terrible Quicktime audio playback engine (and also enable on the fly sample rate changes) and turn off some basic OS extras like spotlight, the dashboard, any extraneous interfaces, make some tweaks to iTunes and have a really decent music server.  Upgrade as you go -- that's what I'm doing with my second mini (though I sent the 2011 server back as I didn't need the server software and really want even more horsepower for my desk machine).  I think even something like the BH power cable kit with a C7 connector in place of the IEC would be a nice upgrade over the stock Apple power cord, which is really terrible.  Just leave the earth wiring unterminated at the C7 end and I'll bet anything that you hear a nice difference.  Then, flip the connector around to the other polarity and see if the sound changes, if it does and sounds better one way than the other, then just go with what you like.

The next step would be more memory, the internal SSD and the external FW storage drive (assuming a USB DAC.)

Thanks all for the well wishes afor my dad -- he's 82, in ood shape for his age, still very active, and while this has been something that has been known for sometime, apparently now is the time to move ahead with it.  He's tough -- was a football player for the Merchant Marine Academy and has had total replacements of both hips and knees, so we call him the bionic dad.  He's got great doctors, fantastic hospitals in his area (socal) and my sister and her family are very close by to help out during recovery.

Take care all,

Jim

 

[intojazz]

Jim,
I wish your Dad the best for a complete recovery.
John

 

[Yoder]

Is there a big downside to using the internal drive that comes with the mini? I'm probably going to do this in steps as finances will allow. Purchasing a SSD and the OS might put me over budget right now. Is it better to wait?

When money plays a factor in purchasing any Apple product then the first rule of thumb is: "Do not buy any upgrades from Apple that you can get elsewhere, otherwise they will steal you blind." Though I must admit that they have come down considerably in the last two years. I would only do one upgrade when buying a mini and that is to get the i7 processor. The i7 has Power Boost, and hyper-threading and is well worth the $100 in my book. That being said you will get a machine equipped with 4 Gb of RAM. Here is a good link for comparative shopping: http://www.appleinsider.com/mac_price_guide/ MacMall, the lowest price unless you are an educator, does not have the non-server i7 mini listed so you may want to call them. The educational price for the i7 is $869, plus taxes. My philosophy has always been to go with the "extreme" CPU/motherboard and build on that. Don't buy the Server version of the mini unless you want to spend time hacking the OS to get it to run DVD's, and perform certain other tasks...though a quad i7 would be sweet.

Anyway, I bought the i7 with the standard 500 Gb 5200 rpm drive. I then took it to a certified Apple repair shop and bought and had them install a 64 Gb Corsair SSD. For around $140 they did everything and copied my old drives contents onto the SSD. I kept the 500 Gb drive inside and use it as a back-up drive. My next upgrade it to drop 4 more Gb of RAM in. It does behave oddly after any firmware updates in that it will boot off of the 500 instead of the SSD--I think because I have not locked the System Boot preference window. But, it is really no biggie since it only takes about 15 seconds to boot-up.

Definitely go with a C7 power cord, but good luck in finding the female C7. I have searched all over the world looking for one and found some in the UK. I just got them about a week ago and was disappointed that they were made of a hard plastic and not a hard rubber, but I was happy to see that they were from Japan and not China. Yes, there is the Furutech C7 but it is 1) so bulky that once plugged in you cannot get the network cable into its port, and 2) it is so such a sloppy fit that I am certain that had I used it it the weight of the cable itself would have unseated the plug. Anyway, I bought five of these C7s and only need two. If anyone wants one then PM me and I will figure out the price. I think with my total investment, and shipping them out will bring the price to about $4 a piece. If anyone finds a source for some really good ones, then I would love to know about it.

 

[jrebman]

I do have a power cord with the furutech c7 connector and it is a modified one that still lets you use the ethernet cable -- there is a thread somewhere on this forum about this where I point this out.  As for the loose fit, I don't have that problem at all with mine.

I also think it is really time for me to toss in the towel here -- just follow Ron's suggestions on his web site and you can finish what I've started -- I don't agree with all of his steps and I'd add a few others, but for the most part all the information should be here.

Ron, I honestly don't know why you continue to post your recommendations that are the polar opposite of mine, but a quad core I7 is absolutely not needed for music playback purposes and may even be a hinderence from the point of power consumption, internal RF noise increase, extra fan on time, etc.  my old, minimal mid 2010 with the i3 processor is far more than enough, but as you for some reason insist on posting recommendations contrary to mine, I'm just done.  This just isn't worth the frustration anymore.

Folks, I still stand totally and completely behind my recommendations and warnings, but in short, any mac mini awith a unibody, whatever processor, internal SSD -- preferrably OCZ vertex 3 or Crucial, external FW drive (oyen or OWC with oxford 834 chipset, 500 gb to 1 tb 5400 rpm external drive and tweaks that Ron and others have outlined elsewhere -- to the os, itunes, etc.  Turn off blue tooth, and wireless if not using an ethernet connection, if the usb port you choose is the same one that the IR Receiver is on, then turn that off as well, and you should be good to go.

If you want to take things further then contact me via email and I can point you to various outbooard dc power supplies (which require a warranty voiding modification to use), special cables, vibration control, and more -- all things I've tried and recommeend without any hesitation.

Sorry, but I'm not going to monitor this thread anymore, but I'm still available via email (please not PM) if anybody wants specific recommendations and the best reasoning I can come up for them when it is something I can explain, all backed up by my several years of messing about with computers of all types for audio player/server purposes, and tested with probably a couple dozen different dacs.  Bottom line is that I use the mac mini as nothing else I've used has even come close, and is also far easier for non computer people to get sounding great.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[Yoder]

Ron, I honestly don't know why you continue to post your recommendations that are the polar opposite of mine, but a quad core I7 is absolutely not needed for music playback purposes and may even be a hinderence from the point of power consumption, internal RF noise increase, extra fan on time, etc.  

Jim, you are acting paranoid. I said nothing about a "quad core i7" and would not buy the server with the quad. I suggested the consumer i7 that only has two cores. The quad i7 Server cost $999 without any upgrades, and I said "Don't buy the Server...". Also, the duo core i7 is exactly the same as the i5 as it is not the server model and does not have the extra fans and what-not. You blow things out of context and turn it into a personal vendetta. If you were paying attention I prefaced my remark by saying that I like to get the "extreme" when it comes to CPUs, and I do that so that it will be able to keep up with software as it evolves. Since you are always suggesting that all I want to do is correct/challenge you, then let me make one correction: the mini never came out with an i3 core. Mid 2010 was a 2 core duo, and 2011 was i5 or i7.

 

[Natural Sound]

Oh boy [sigh] I see yet another locked thread on the horizon. I thought my fellow bottleheads were better than this. Come on guys!

 

[Noskipallwd]

Jim, just wanted to let you know, your father is in our thoughts and prayers. My Mother had a similar operation 10 years ago and is doing well. I'm sorry we could not get this thread to succeed. I hate to ask, but maybe you would consider a write-up in the community section, folks could ask questions with email or even in the forum. I guess my suggestion for taking your posts for what they were, simply suggestions based on your own personal experiences, fell on deaf ears. Take care and hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers,
Shawn

 

[Chris]

yes, please continue and finish your entire instructional prose, including vibration control and the whole 9 yards, when you are able... and just put it in a new thread in its entirety, so we can enjoy and follow when we buy our mac minis and mach 2s... That would be great and  MUCH appreciated!...

 

[intojazz]

This thread started as an attempt to further the knowledge of this group. A sharing of experiences to allow personal choices that fit our audio needs. I would agree with Natural Sound, lets get back to a less challenging and more helpful conversation. The thread is very informative but has lost it's way somewhat. I think what Jim has accomplished given his disability is in my view inspiring and I do not mean that in a condescending way at all. Yoder and Jim and many others who contribute to this forum are far more knowledgeable than I. The great thing about this forum is how many different levels of knowledge come together amicably and  check their personal baggage at the door. This is what drew me to Bottlehead to begin with. Paul and Doc get the lion's share of the credit and well they should. Time and again I see them contribute their experiences to enrich this community and perhaps we have all forgotten how valuable that is. So like Natural Sound said,"come on guy's.

Sincerely,
John Roman