Hi nycjlee, Yes, the iFi usb 3.0 really does wonders. Link to my post from another thread :- https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/dac-regenerator-and-reclocking-devices |
Hi cdc2, I can’t comment on the Wyred4Sound but I have had no regrets with my Aurender N100H which is the biggest value component for the price in my system. It removes the leanness and digital hash from my previous PC set-up with JRiver. To optimise its performance, you can add the $400 iFi USB 3.0 for better timing/pace/rhythm, which makes my system sound right and musical every single time. J. :) :) :) |
CDC2, super curious, do you work for the center for disease control? If so, we may have a friend in common! my Mac mini is also old - vintage 2010, las of the onboard optical drives. I also struggled with it for a while, trying J River, Audirvana, pure music, etc. Roon was the game changer. No need to do the shared screen thing, Roon works with a controlling device (phone, laptop, tablet) which in turn communicates with the source Mac mini. I leave the Mac on at all times, and set it to restart once a day at 4am, and install any updates automatically. I upgraded the internal hard drive to solid state, and maxed up the ram. Solid! roon is the best app/software for music that I have ever seen. Sonos has a great app. Roon is better. The fact that they are a software company is significant. They have to keep customers! A hardware makers app doesn't require the level of development and improvements that a software subscription will require. I challenge anyone to use Roon for a month and find better software. i adore my dac. It is the PS Audio Perfect Wave Dac mkII with Bridge 2. Hard core stuff. $4800 new, can be found for way less of course now as it is showing it's age a little. The Roon - PS Audio Bridge 2 combo is deadly. Bridge 2 is also available on newer PS Audio products. It allows one to bypass "playing" the music on the computer and instead the Bridge network card "plays" the music. ( need Bridge 2 for Roon). The connection is via Ethernet. Feel free to call me, I'd be glad to share more details |
Mark - Just recently added a Schiit Gungnir Multibit to the system, which sounds much better than my previous dac. Currently I'm using a shared screen setup on my laptop to manage the MacMini, which I got 5 years ago, only has 2 GB and can't handle the latest version of Audirvana, though just playing via ITunes to Gumby DAC sounds pretty good. My goal - find an easier way to access and play tunes, and if possible improve the sound quality even more. FYI, previously I was managing the Mac remotely via the TV screen using Rowmote from my phone, which is nuts. Thoughts? Or if you'd prefer. Yes let's talk, I can text you some evening to see when is good. |
Quick question before you do that, have you tried using the Roon software to control your Mac mini-based server? I can certainly see how using a small computer to manage your music could be complicated, annoying, or frustrating, I went through the same process! but once I got mine set up in a very good way with very good software, the results have been just outstanding and extremely convenient. What DAC are you using? Music servers can obviously be a very attractive option for you, but they are expensive. My thinking would be to use that budget for a significant DAC upgrade (or just save the money) and give the Mac mini one more shot with a different set up. I'd be happy to explain what I did from computer all the way to DAC. Feel free to give me a call or text message. 305-775-3020. Cheers, Mark |
