This question is for those of you who are using a MacBook or Mini strictly for playback. I’m interested in what you have done to setup your Mac. Have you deleted all unnecessary applications and background processes? Are you running on battery if it’s a laptop?
I’m using a 2015 MacBook pro dedicated only to lounge room and Roon duties. 95% Roon. A little bit of browsing occasionally. No extra applications. I don’t bother with using the battery only option as it’s hard to tell the benefit and becomes more of a nuisance as I tend to forget to put it back on charge. I do use an ethernet cable connected to cheap switch connected to a TP-Link Deco ‘Nest’ device. All up - no modifications - but I am thinking of upgrading it to an Mac Mini sometime in the future as its no longer supported by apple for the latest upgrades. I would be interested if there are specific upgrades - so looking forward to any comments here as well.
i have a few mac minis that have been decommissioned from business duties and are now music only.
One is my roon core/server, one controls a separate NAS for music-file backup, and a couple run HQPlayer for RaspPi streamers.
None of them are used as a dedicated playback zone tho, so i’m not too concerned with optimizing them for sound quality.
They’re all a bit older (Late 2012), so 10.15.7 Catalina is the newest OS they’ll support. I haven’t really deleted background processes or apps, but I don’t “run” any other apps on them. No browsing, email, etc…
I’ve never really considered a Nucleus or ROCK for roonserver. These things work so well.
Teradak makes a power supply module that replaces the power supply in the Mac Mini. This allows one to use a linear power supply. I use one on the M1 Mac Mini running BACCH4Mac in my system. It made a significant improvement in sound quality. I am not sure if the module fits the current Mac Mini versions. You can research this option if you are interested.
I modified a late 2012 Mac Mini by replacing the power supply with this: Mac mini DC-Conversion / Linear Fan Controller Kit (MMK) – UpTone Audio
I then uninstalled the wifi/bluetooth board. Did a clean install of Catalina MacOS and removed all unnecessary apps, drivers, services. I run DC to the Mac Mini via a LPS - HDPLEX 300W Linear Power Supply Multi Rail Output
The mini is my Roon Core and my music files are stored on a NAS. If needed, I can control the headless mini via the free version of Real VNC Viewer. I use a matrix-x-spdif-3-usb-interface to input the USB from my mini and output I2S to my DSD MK2.
This setup has been functionally flawless with no unplanned system downtime, the mini is dead quiet (fan noise is indiscernible from 12 inched away, it doesn’t overheat, and as far as I can tell there is no electrical noise or disturbance in the playback. When comparing SACD playback from my PerfectWave SACD Transport (PST) to the DSD MK2 and the Mini running DSD files I do not hear any remarkable difference.
CAVEAT: I have been a PC guy since 1992 and a never-Mac-guy. In this case I found the mini to be the perfect streamer/server! Hope this helps.
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That Mac mini setup sounds enticing. The steps to quiet it down seem well thought out. I use a MacBook with the understanding that they’re quieter than a bog standard Mini. It’s a 2012 MacBook Pro running Catalina with 8GB of RAM.
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That setup is simple compared to mine and probably has equal performance and sound quality as well. At the time it didn’t occur to me to use a MacBook - with the battery and external DC PSU it is bound to isolate electric noise pretty well.
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Tom,
I’m just following the lead of Gordon Rankin since 2011. Use a laptop and dBpoweramp to rip the contents to 3 drives all with the press of a button. Easy peasy.
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I think you guys are on it! I bought the internal replacement supply and a monster external supply. Being a Never Mac guy I had a trusted friend do the install. Every time he powered up the external supply it blew it’s fuse. I believe the internal PC Board supply may be incorrectly manufactured. As they only cost $80 I may order a new one giving the maker all the info I can find about my specific Mac Mini. There appear to be a not small number of variations of the Mini.
I will say, I am in no hurry at all to solve this as I have zero complaints with the sound I am getting out of mine. It is the Mac Mini I bought from Theoretica Applied Physics to serve the Bacch4Mac setup. I know other users have successfully done what I tried to do with great results.
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