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Dummy Guide on What's Needed to hook up Mini Mac

I have read many post on this issue, but am still utterly confused.

Current system Mini Mac will be hooked up to:
YBA stereo integrated amp
Oppo universal player
Madisound home made speaker system

1.) What exactly do I need to buy and how do I hook up a Mini Mac digital playback system to my current system for CD playback?

2.) How do I get CD's into it?

3.) Do I need external DAC and transport?

4.) How much memory in hard drive is needed?

5.) Can it operate with a remote?

6.) Will this system act like a music server?

7.) Is the sound quality as good as high end CD player?

Finally:

8.) I don't know what questions to ask, as I'm a real dummy on this issue, so please tell me what to buy (on a budget) and what to do?
128x128mjcmt

Showing 2 responses by tobias

tobias
1,534 posts
 
Rmrobinson1957, your Mac with iTunes will output 24/96 over USB and Firewire but if your DAC won't convert it you're out of luck. Just make sure you get an appropriate external DAC.

I use an M-Audio Audiophile USB and an Apogee Mini-DAC. The M-Audio is OK for the money and converts both ways (I use it to rip cassettes) while the DAC-only Apogee is a top contender at its price point. Both will do 24/96. I have no personal experience with such hi-res files, though.

You configure the computer's output with the Audio MIDI Setup application in the Utilities folder of your Mac.

Mjcmt, I like a laptop for use in the listening room but a noisy hard drive would bother me. The internal drive in my Mac PowerBook is quiet enough but it is too small for a large collection of music, even using Apple Lossless compression. YMMV of course. I myself would look for a couple of whisper-quiet externals (main and backup) with large capacity and a FireWire interface.
tobias
1,534 posts
 
Marco, great info and advice. Concerning FireWire, IME a FireWire drive will cost more if it has a USB interface as well, but a drive with only FireWire is comparable in price to a USB-only drive.

I recommend FireWire for a laptop because in the past some Apple laptops--just like some Windows laptops--have had an issue with the USB port not supplying enough power for an external drive. Anyone who is considering such a setup should IMHO make sure this is not a concern.
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