You don't rip CDs with a CD player, you rip them with an optical drive on a computer, a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM, then play them back from the computer's hard drive. That is one advantage of PC audio, it takes the laser pick up in the CD player out of the signal path. This laser pick up can be a big source of jitter, especially in cheaper CD players.
If your mac-mini has no optical drive, a mac-compatible external optical drive is needed. This where I jump off. I'm a PC.
If your mac-mini has no optical drive, a mac-compatible external optical drive is needed. This where I jump off. I'm a PC.