2. pc-audio
  3. 1105542684

Mini Mac as audio server?

OK, I've existed in blissful ignorance of the OSX world, being a Windows dude. But, this little miniMac thing might change my world. Small enuf to stick next to the stereo... Cheap enuf too... With DVI and DVD, probably eliminates my DVD player as well. Check it out:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore/

Sooo, someone wanna educate a non-OSX user on audio via Macs? Right now I'm 70% through ripping over 1K CDs to WAV files. I'm thinking the files will eventually end up on one of the Buffalo Terabyte NAS RAID 5 devices when they become available next month. So... the questions...

- Can I play the WAV files via iTunes?
- Is iTunes smart enuf to recognize that I've dropped the files into /Artist/Album directory format and create tags?
- Anyone using an Edirol UA-1D via USB out of the Mac? Any compatibility issues?
- Anything better to do PCM output from the Mac than the Edirol?
- If I watch a DVD, and output the video to my plasma via the DVI port, will the Apple media software recognize that I want PCM output, not multichannel?

Any help appreciated.
edesilva
edesilva OP
768 posts
 
I've got an apple BT wireless keyboard & mouse. For couch-type use, however, I think a BT trackball would be a better "fit"... unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to find one...

I've got the miniMac attached to my reference rig... The USB out through the Waveterminal goes to a dCS Purcell/Delius combo, which then goes into an ARC LS-16 Mk II, and into a pair of ARC VT-100 Mk IIIs biamping Proac 3.8s. The quality of the sound is pretty stunning, and the accessibility of songs is hard to beat...

You might also consider the Airport solution, which would allow you to operate the iBook from your listening position. I gather there is some way of using the Airport Extreme to output PCM or something. Haven't tried that.

BTW, Apple just (quietly) lowered the price of the build-to-order options on the miniMac, dropping the price of a maxed out mini (airport/BT/wireless kbd and mouse/1.4 GHz processor/1GB/80 GB HDD/Superdrive) from about $1350 to about $1220.
mcmanus
82 posts
 
Fishpatrol - I'm getting a cd player instead of just a DAC for critical listening. Won't a cd player give better quality than a computer file?
themadmilkman
182 posts
 
Mcmanus-- There are too many variables to give an easy answer to that question. Basically, your CD player is going Drive --> DAC --> Analog output. All the computer is doing is replacing the CD drive with a hard drive. So the answer will depend on the quality of the design of all the different components more than saying "This > that."

That said, I would give the nod to the computer. Plus, it's just cool to have all your music right there.
hitchhike79
2 posts
 
Anyone know what kind of fan noise this thing has when its processing and all?
fishpatrol
30 posts
 
Well, I'm talking beyond my knowledge here, but I haven't seen a computer upsample to 24/96. If you've had really good results with oversampling compared with 16/44, maybe that's worth considering. Also, if you're ripping a CD at 48x, your bit order might not be as pristine as you'd wish. But if you get a good initial rip, you should have good playback every time. Just with there was an EAC equivalent for the Mac.

Hitchhike, my iBook's fan kicks in when the going gets rough, heavy work in Photoshop or other really processor-intensive tasks. The fan is certainly audible, though not bothersome if I'm also listening to music at the same time. I've heard similar reports about the mini. Silent during normal tasks; when it's working hard enough to kick in the fan it's definitely audible. For normal iTunes playback, I wouldn't expect it to be an issue. If you're playing back a full-quality divx file from the hard drive, it might be a different story. In short, your mileage will surely vary with the task.
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