Turn an Intel macmini into a music server

I am definitely not an MQA fan. I compared Tidal to Apple Music and it didn't sound as good at all. It really does seem 'compressed' compared to the 24bit Apple tracks.

If you live in Canada like I do, there is no access to Qobuz. So what do you do if you want a good streaming service with an amazing catalog? 

What about Tidal? I prefer Qobuz as I'm  not an MQA fan, but I used Tidal for years and it's a mature high quality service  with an expansive  catalog.

Lots of great info here but everyone is missing a couple of key things
If you live in Canada like I do, there is no access to Qobuz. So what do you do if you want a good streaming service with an amazing catalog? You are left with using a Mac computer and Apple Music. It seems no one on this forum is using the service and all I ever read is second hand misinformation. 
I have used a Mac and Apple Music for a couple of years and have been quite happy with the SQ and certainly the catalog. It’s a great place to start into streaming and is inexpensive.

sns

2,484 posts

08-07-2022 at 04:29am 

External lps and internal dc power supplies, in my case Uptone MMK and JS-2. Jitter is only part of the problem with using the usb out, noise on motherboard, especially with stock power supply and no OS optimization.

TL;DR -  in my experience a headless stock M1 Mac mini is superior to a 2012 i7 mini with Uptone JS2 LPS & MMK. 

I had been running a 2012 Mac mini, with Uptone JS2/MMK linear PS and fan mod, with Roon server for years.

I also use HQPlayer as the output renderer for Roon. Back in 2020 I bought an M1 mini to experiment with and tried various combinations including running Roon all-in-one (control/server) and HQPlayer on the M1. I  settled for retaining the 2012 mini as the separate Roon server and running HQPlayer from the M1 mini - both connected to an Uptone Etherregen switch with the 'B' side of the Etherregen going to a Sonore UltraRendu then to my DAC. 

However I did notice that using Roon in any combination of the above was inferior in SQ to streaming direct from the HQPlayer app on the M1 without Roon. The HQP player interface/functionality is vastly inferior to Roon's, so this was a source of frustration for me. 

Anyway, as an experiment I acquired a second M1 mini (cheapest basic config) and substituted it for the 2012 Mini/Uptone combo. The second M1 mini was run headless like the 2012 Mini, using the same generic cat6 ethernet cable into the Uptone Etherregen switch. 

Roon Server running from headless M1 mini, with HQPlayer running on my other M1 mini and both connected to the Etherregen switch, sounds fantastic and indistinguishable from streaming direct via HQPlayer alone. 

@jgoldrick

I’ve run an RPi 3 B+ for over 4 years now with no noise issue to speak of either on headphones or speakers with the volume turned way up. Maybe you had a defective unit. I use whatever power supply was recommended by Adafruit.

@jgoldrick Good catch, forgot about that issue with some RP

I would not use the RPi3+.  It has the USB and the Ethernet running on the same bus.  It is very noisy.  Even with something like an isolator/noise reducer and an IFI power cleaner, I still found it noisy.  When I switched to a custom build with a linear PS the difference in noise and background was substantial.

Well, it all depends on whether OP looking for something approaching audiophile quality or only for convenience. Just do the mini or Rpi he already has, do minimal cost free upgrades and compare the two.

The Rpi would be superior if willing to put out minimal amount of cash for upgrades, mini will require large outlay of cash.

Almost forgot, I owned Okto Dac 8 stereo with built in Rpi streamer, compared to my Musetec 005 going through SOTM SMS200Neo (both used mini as server only), Dac 8 was very, very nice, far better than my expectations at the time. While I was only using rpi as streamer, vs SOTM, rpi acquitted itself quite well against the $450 SOTM.

@sbank +1 RP > MacMini. Fighting noise in a Mac is pushing a rock up a mountain....you can do it, but why waste the energy.

Precisely!!

Charles

+1 RP > MacMini. Fighting noise in a Mac is pushing a rock up a mountain....you can do it, but why waste the energy.

Many use Volumio with PI. diyaudio.com has many threads on point. Allo hat or similar is a nice upgrade, but I would save $ for linear power supply with any streamer first. Cheers,

Spencer

@mrjayvoper 

I use Kodi to turn my 2014 Mac mini into a music server as part of a living room system. It's free, under active development, and has a plugin system to extend its capabilities. If you plan on using an external DAC with the Mac, automatic sample rate switching should work fine. Otherwise, the Mac will resample the audio based on the setting in the Audio MIDI utility when using the analog output directly. I control Kodi using the Yatse app from my phone.

For the basement setup, I use a Raspberry Pi 3B+ with moOde connected via USB to a Benchmark DAC3 B to stream music from a shared folder on my Mac. I've also tried Volumio and piCorePlayer, but found moOde to be the most reliable and easiest to use. You don't need to touch the command line to install any of these OSes, just write the image to the SD card and you're in business. I use BubbleUPnP to stream other content (YouTube, Qobuz) from my phone to the RPi.

Don't worry about power supplies, cables, or USB tweaks. The only job of the streamer is to feed the right bits to the DAC. Digital errors sound like pops or static during playback. Large amounts of jitter sound add harmonic distortion to the output. If you don't hear any artifacts during playback, then your setup is fine.

Hope this helps!

I would suggest hqPlayer embedded with a Linux OS.  hqPlayer has a minimal Os or something like Archie minimal. You can use an Android app to control it. I won't deny the app leaves some things to be desired.  But the SQ is excellent and  hqPlayer has many features to adjust the filters and DSP.

If not that, Audiophile Linux is the next best I have heard.

@sns

This is why I’d bet on RP device to be superior to stock mini, RP simpler, quieter than mini. Getting mini to good server status require decent outlay of cash and pretty good diy skills. RP devices are plentiful and relatively cheap

Wise counsel. It seems that by the time you’re done taking all of the steps to make the mini a decent streamer, it really is not so cheap anymore. However, I appreciate that the OP is determined to go this preferred route. Best of luck.

Charles

@mrjayvoper 

Nothing wrong with the “figure 8 cable” per se. You just need a better one than what the Mini comes with. Pangea makes a good one for not too much money.  Hope that helps. 

Macmini is much cheaper?

So you crappin’?

The only true fact is that it is much noisier.

Check with Paul McGowan. He used a customized MacMini for years. Then he switched to Innous Zen while building one from the ground up

External lps and internal dc power supplies, in my case Uptone MMK and JS-2. Jitter is only part of the problem with using the usb out, noise on motherboard, especially with stock power supply and no OS optimization.

This is why I'd bet on RP device to be superior to stock mini, RP simpler, quieter than mini. Getting mini to good server status require decent outlay of cash and pretty good diy skills. RP devices are plentiful and relatively cheap.

I'm a modder and diy, so modded mini is right up my alley. If not into this and want to spend some cash, many good off the shelf servers, streamers in similar price range of modded mini.

@sns what's lps? Is there too much jitter on the build in USB? Would a USB "cleaner"  like Schiit "wyrd"?

@spenav  why a better power cable? Is there something wrong with the figure 8 that's included? 

Can be done. You will need at least a better power cable and software like Audirvana to get good results. A dedicated music server such as Melco is still better but the Mini is hard to beat for the price. I had fun with mine for a while. 

I've now used three iterations of mini as servers. You mention having no budget which leaves lps out of the question, this will be greatest limitation of using a mini.

I could provide much info, but you may really be better off with raspberry.

Still, just for comparison sake, get 3rd party app wipe for OS, even though latest Mac OS doesn't allow complete wipe of many needless apps integrated within OS, stupid. Disable system integrity protection (DIP) via terminal, this will be nice upgrade, disconnect wifi antenna if not needed. Beyond this, fastest processor, I7 preferable to I5, PCIe preferable to sata.

Sans lps, the second greatest limitation with mini is usb rendering is crap. To bypass one needs separate streamer and bridge thunderbolt as second ethernet port.