Mac Mini & Outboard DAC

I had a mac mini attached to my main rig for a while. I've since changed to a headless PC box and a touchscreen airpanel running remote desktop. I think my problem with the mac solution was that turning on the tv, getting out the keyboard, and trying to make an optical mouse work on a glass coffee table was kind of trying if I just wanted to quick tunes.

I use a wireless keyboard with trackball with my Mac Mini. I don't use it to store music however - just to surf the net and control the CD players. This was I can control everything from the listening position on an HD TV. ON ething that gave me a headache was I had to reprogram teh video card in order to output 720 P to the HDTV - unless you do this then inevitably you tend to have parts of teh screen missing as MAC OS X native screen resolutions do not match the 1920 x 1080 of the TV.....this was a minor detail but it took a whole evening to work out...

Shadorne, care to share some of the info on how to re-program the card? I
changed the overscan option in the Mini menu for our LCD TV. Otherwise things
will be missing on the screen as you mentioned. However, this is still not the
best solution since now I have small black bars on the side and top.

I use an iMac to an Maudio Audiophile Firewire. That connects to my latest purchase, a Monarchy 24 DAC. Almarro A205A MK2 to Cain Abby/Baileys. I store my CD collection on an iomgea 750G hard drive.

I have never equaled this sound via any standard CD setup, and rarely has my vinyl surpassed it. The convenience factor is out of this world. I just hit random on my iTunes library, and I have the best radio station ever - all of MY favorite music. I hear things I had totally forgotten about. Songs I would have never pulled out of my LP collection. It's always a nice surprise.

I don't think I'm missing anything by using Apple's Lossless format. Even older (1986 vintage) CDs are listenable with this setup. No details are missing, and the music is engaging. Once one gets past traditional ways of storing and listening to music, life can get easier and better. Don't let anyone try to convince you that you are taking a backwards step in fidelity. If they haven't heard this setup, they shouldn't judge it. This is NOT like hooking up to an iPod or direct out of a computer's 3.5mm headphone output.

Go for it, and enjoy!

I use my Mac Mini the following ways: Digital music playback with iTunes and remote w/frontrow software. I record vinyl. I also record DVD-A, DVD-V & SACD output from my Esoteric DV-50. I use iTunes for internet radio. I have an AirPort Express connected to my HT Pioneer Elite Receiver's internal DAC down stairs in the den and play music that way too. I do not use the Mac Mini's internal hard drive for music storage, I use a 750 Gb portable hard drive. Great little device.

Good Luck

Restock,

I used DisplayConfigX which worked brilliantly with my Sharp HDTV (supports up to full 1080P which is 1920 x 1080 pixels). I was only to get the video to output a 720p resolution that the TV recognized as 720p. I did not manage to get 1080p to work, as I think it was too much for the meagre G4 Mac Mini video card to handle.

Of course I immediately sent some money to Harald Schweder for writing this great little program that allows you to construct your own screen resolutions and import them into the Mac System Preferences =>Displays control panel

Shadorne, thanks for the tip - I will check out DisplayConfigX.