Mac Mini owners with DACs

I thought the comments and opinions on iTunes, jriver and Audirvana were interesting. I've always used iTunes, and at this point, it's pretty easy for me to get it to do what I want. But then, I'm not real complicated. Really not familiar with jriver and Audirvana. I'll have to check them out.
Audirvana, pulls from your iTunes, so it is semi seamless. Audirvana does take over iTunes and if you wish to use iTunes, the Audirvana app needs to be closed. The improvement in sound is impressive.
 
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Audirvana, pulls from your iTunes, so it is semi seamless. Audirvana does take over iTunes and if you wish to use iTunes, the Audirvana app needs to be closed. The improvement in sound is impressive.

How? The app has one job: stream the bits you want to the toslink or the DAC. If it’s adding EQ it’s an effects processor, which is fine, but not the same thing.

Joel
 
How? The app has one job: stream the bits you want to the toslink or the DAC. If it’s adding EQ it’s an effects processor, which is fine, but not the same thing.

Joel
This is what I see using Audirvana. I use Itunes for all management of song selection. With Audirvana you can use Apples drivers or Izotope 64 Bit. It's all in the manual.
An equalizer using resistors and caps, or software using 1's and zero's both do the same thing. They retroactively change the audio signal. The trend is going forward is that equalization will be done in the digital domain. I've bought a 5 or 6 preamplifiers over the years, some with tone controls, some without. They all sounded different. I would imagine equalizers also have individual signatures. Use your own ears to make judgements and don't worry about how it was done.
 

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I use a late 2012 Mac Mini which is my primary audio source through my main system. I use an external DAC...purchased on EBay for about $350 AUD. For listening through speakers I wouldn’t consider using the Macs internal DAC. Even for headphones I would c9nsider using something like dragonfly as a minimum. I’m running JRiver with all files as FLAC.These are mainly my ripped CD collection but also include some hi res files. The DAC feeds my Primare Pre 30and then my power amp. There are some pretty good headphone DACS around that can also serve as a DAC in a component system. At the end of the day it all comes down to what you are prepared to spend. Try going to a Hi-Fi dealer and listen using directly from a computer source then through a separate DAC. Use music you are familiar with. You might be surprised. What ever you decide best of luck.
 
I have a 2012 mac mini and current audirvana software. I run the headphone out to a Neko DAC. Sounds very good.
 
My workcomputer in my home office is a 2014 MacMini with maxed out ram and a third party 1TB SSD. It feeds an Arcam IrDac II via USB 3, which is hooked up to a Rotel RX-800 and a pair of KEF LS50s set up as nearfield monitors. I couldn't wish for a better setup. It makes work a pleasure and yes, the difference to the Mini's own DAC was huge. If you don't want to spend too much, why not go for the XiangSheng DAC01A ? Not too pricey, but sounds great.
 
My search for a DAC began when my Philips SACD1000 died its famous death, and I switched to a Denon. After much reading online, making special note of the very active SACD/CD player modification business at that time, I came to the conclusion that the limiting factor in playing the little silver discs is not the DAC chips but is the analog output section of most players. Therefore, I wanted a DAC made by people who had deep experience in high quality audio and chose Bryston's BDA with it's discrete component (no IC's) output section. If you find yourself drifting from one DAC to another, poor output sections may be the problem. At the same time, listening at my computer with headphones plugged into the audio out jack, I found the quality iffy and got one of the Dragonfly USB devices and think it is quite good for that kind of listening, though I've never been tempted to ditch the other system. Ergo, I would say that the audio out of a Mac mini server as the source for feeding your main system is two notches away from the sound quality available at a semi-reasonable cost. Bryston has at least two successor products to its first BDA which now crops up on the used market for a grand or less. The one thing to keep in mind is that it's only USB input is 1.1 (one reason for the follow-on products), so if you will be using hi Rez files you will need a USB to S/PDIF converter.
 
Here is my advise buy your DAC from Amazon...Then trust your ears.
If you hear little to no improvement you can always send it back.
DAC's are a bit of the black arts and very subjective one persons this is awesome is another's that sounds worse.
As always rule #1 is trust your ears
Cheers
PQ
 
I've recently discovered that the Starting Point Systems DAC3 based on the NOS Philips TDA1543 significantly betters more modern chips being far more analog sounding than anything else I've ever heard. Extremely natural and organic with not just a wide though also incredibly deep 3 dimensional soundstage. Seems to be able to bring even the dullest, most over compressed music to life. The DAC is made by a chap over in France and features a reclocker and 2x NiMh batteries for power which charge via USB. This thing betters anything I've heard before it (S.M.S.L SD1955+ Sanskrit, S.M.S.L SD793-II, S.M.S.L M3, S.M.S.L M8, Xiang Shen DAC-01A, Gustard DAC-X12, xDuoo TA-01). I'd suggest having a bit of a Google and reading up on it ;)

Don't let the specs turn you off. As with so many things in the audio world, the specs don't tell the whole story. Not even close.
 
I am throwing a monkey wrench here, if you rip your CD using 3rd party software (XLD) instead iTunes makes the sound more natural, dynamic, and has less digital glare, great improvement!
 
I am throwing a monkey wrench here, if you rip your CD using 3rd party software (XLD) instead iTunes makes the sound more natural, dynamic, and has less digital glare, great improvement!

If you are ripping to lossless it does not matter what you use, as the exact same bits are hitting the DAC. If you are ripping to a lossy codec, then sure, there can be differences.

Joel
 
If you are ripping to lossless it does not matter what you use, as the exact same bits are hitting the DAC. If you are ripping to a lossy codec, then sure, there can be differences.

Joel


Sorry, disagree here, there were large differences that is a similar debate over USB cables
 
You disagree. Fine, so... what exactly is the difference then?

The very definition of lossless compression is that when the compression is uncompressed the resulting bits are exactly the same as what went into the algorithm. If it does not do that, it is not lossless. Period. By the very definition there is absolutely zero difference in the output of both files.

Joel
 
I don't like music through my computer, a Mac Mini (in large part, because its not convenient, nor hooked up to do so). But, when I do listen (h.phones), its via VOX, which handles everything that I throw at it. I only use iTunes to burn the occasional audio cd for the bands that I record, never for listening.
I ran my Mac Mini through a Schitt Modi-Uber SuberDuber, or whatever the latest name of them is. IMO,... I didn't care for what it all summed up to sound like, and never spent the time trying to track it down.
I do like the Schitt, but use it downstream from my DVD-A player. Everything that I record ends up getting burned to DVD-A, and that is my listening source.
 
I am running a 2009 mac mini with upgraded memory and a solid state hard drive and an external 2 terabyte drive. I am running Amara through a Mytek 192-DSD Dac. The sound quality is awesome. I have a first class analog front end and the flac files from my digital system are as good. Dont tell anyone I said that LOL. You cant beat the convenience to sit there with an ipad mini choosing my music and running the system. My advice to you is choose a DAC priced according to your system.
 
You disagree. Fine, so... what exactly is the difference then?

The very definition of lossless compression is that when the compression is uncompressed the resulting bits are exactly the same as what went into the algorithm. If it does not do that, it is not lossless. Period. By the very definition there is absolutely zero difference in the output of both files.

Joel

The XLD ripped CD sound better than iTunes ripped CD; same song, same file type, 24 bit / 44, It is very easy to tell the differences side by side. Trust your ears NOT theory.
 
Theory matters. What you are claiming is akin to saying “my apps work better when they were compressed with zip before download vs. other compression software” because the end result is exactly the same.

If the XLD rips sound better to your ears, then perhaps they are EQing your files pre-rip in a manner that is pleasing to you. That’s ok, but not what I’m after and certainly not an expected behavior. Also CD’s are 16/44.1 so a 24/44.1 rip does nothing but add file size.

Put differently if XLD is making it sound any different in any way from the CD (when run through the same DAC/Analog stages etc..) then it’s not doing lossless properly. Ditto for iTunes, but ALAC has no settings of any kind for a reason: it’s just perfectly reproducing the bits that are on the CD.
 
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