Upstream Bottlenecks, Experience, Opinions, Meitner Dac

@bigwave1 

@sns 

With all respect and due deference to @sns and his demonstrated expertise with optimizing the Mac Mini, the Mac Mini is far from an optimal solution as either a server or a streamer today. It was a wonderful solution 10 years ago which "sucked less" than other options at the time. But that shouldn't be your standard.

I used to be be where you are 5ish years ago. I bought a Nucleus Plus with ssd to replace the mac mini, which improved both the server and the usb output, which were both more quiet than Mac Mini. I then purchased an Innuos Zenith Mk3 which improved (and simplified) everything. Considerably. As a server, it was quieter than the Nucleus Plus (which was quieter than the mac mini) and very stable. In fact, other than software updates, it never required rebooting. As a renderer, it actually makes the Mac Mini seem quite primitive because of the improved usb output.

I have since sold the Innuos to make room for a next level server/streamer but there are many options out there that leave the Mac Mini behind and improve upon the Nucleus and other similar nuc's.

@sns I'm not sure I agree with your passing dismissal of "audiophile network switches". It would be great to know what you tried and in what context. I have recently experienced a switch (its hardly cost effective) which elevated everything about my musical presentation. Not by a little. In fact, it was kind of embarrassing how much of the music I wasn't hearing. The switch improved the musical presentation immensely. An ethernet filter improved it a great deal more upon the previous improvements.

You can get a lot of the way there for very little money but the last 10% gets very expensive. @bigwave1 there are so many wonderful, stable and no-longer-tweaky solutions available today. Go for simple, high quality solutions. While I recognize that many people enjoy three or four different "decrapifiers", converters, stacks of linear power supplies, etc, etc its just not necessary today if the goal is exceptional sound rather than a Rube Goldberg style mousetrap.

Since @ghasley decided to speak up where I didn’t want to, I might as well just add that I concur. If possible, stop trying to eek what you can with the Mac Mini and invest in a proper streamer/server. The cost of entry is a bit high, but if you can afford to invest, it saves time and frustration on top of much improved sound quality.

It is important to understand the streaming capabilities and source input differences specific to the MA3. The internal streaming circuitry is the same as EMM LAB’s $5k NS1 stand-alone streamer. I would think (hope?) that means the MA3’s streaming performance is more on par with $5k+ external streamers vs lesser internal streamers inside most competing streaming DACs. Point being that It may take a significant investment in an external streamer/cabling/filters/reclockers/switches to better its internal streamer’s sonic performance.

Second is that the MA3 only supports PCM up to 24/192 and base-rate DSD (DSD64) via SPDIF (coax), AES/EBU, and optical while its USB and LAN inputs support PCM up to DXD frequencies (352.8/384kHz) and twice the basic DSD rate (DSD128) via DoP. Plus, only its USB and network inputs recognize and decode MQA.

Seems to me that Meitner designed the MA3 to perform best with its internal streamer and USB input (although the latter requires an external streamer or conversion unit thus making its internal streamer superfluous and lowering the MA3’s value quotient vs non-streaming DACs). 
 

All that being said, I am of course curious to read feedback from anyone actually using an external streaming solution and/or the latest SOTA LAN filters/switches reclockers (ENO for example) with the MA3 after giving its internal streamer “au naturale” a thorough audition.

The MA3 to my ears sounds better through its internal streamer/renderer than it does being streamed/rendered TO via usb from a good streamer/renderer. Same ethernet chain.

@ghasley Thanks. I suspected as much.