jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
THis is why I do both. If in uncrowded areas then wires are no issue. But on transit (something I have done only a handful of times since March 2020) then wireless.
The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.
- Thread starter Ed Selley
- Start date
I might be imagining it but didn’t Samsung have induction charging before apple? Like a few years before them?
MikeH
Well-Known Member
i thought so too. i remember thinking it was a cool feature and was kinda jealous iphones didn't have it at the time.
just looked it up and galaxy devices seem to support wireless charging.
Yeah they don’t use magnetic locks like apple but I was sure that they could be charged on a pad for a long time now! Good to know I am tethered to some fibre of reality too…
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
Yes you are right. I think it just sat on a small pad to charge. Think it was a Galaxy S10 or something like that.
Not to digress, but I really love my magsafe charging and wallet that can also attach to it. I am curious about this magsafe dac
Khadas' Tea DAC is a compelling MagSafe accessory
DACs, or headphone amplifiers, have become more popular since the rise of lossless music streaming. Tea stands out as it's MagSafe compatible, so no more mega-dongle hanging off your phone.
www.engadget.com
Yes you are right. I think it just sat on a small pad to charge. Think it was a Galaxy S10 or something like that.
Not to digress, but I really love my magsafe charging and wallet that can also attach to it. I am curious about this magsafe dac
Khadas' Tea DAC is a compelling MagSafe accessory
DACs, or headphone amplifiers, have become more popular since the rise of lossless music streaming. Tea stands out as it's MagSafe compatible, so no more mega-dongle hanging off your phone.
Yeah I only use a MagSafe case and the charge but it is satisfying that the lock into place solid!
JohnnyCashFan
Well-Known Member
Anyone here upsample there digital ? Some albums (files) it seems to help, some not, still playing around with it on my Schiit Modius Dac/Audirvana streaming combo.
Just backed this product on Kickstarter. Nura is claiming they're releasing the first Lossless Wireless Earbud this fall. I currently having The NuraTrue's and they've easily been the best/most fun sounding wireless buds I've owned. Tried a couple different pairs but the tech in Nura products is really something else. If they can deliver on the lossless part then these will be a glorious piece of tech to own.
For those not sure about what makes Nura's tech special: "The NuraTrue Pro automatically measures your hearing, using highly sensitive microphones in the earbuds to measure otoacoustic emissions from your cochlea. These measurements are used to create an EQ perfectly tuned to you, ensuring you experience perfectly balanced music, just as the artist intended."
For those not sure about what makes Nura's tech special: "The NuraTrue Pro automatically measures your hearing, using highly sensitive microphones in the earbuds to measure otoacoustic emissions from your cochlea. These measurements are used to create an EQ perfectly tuned to you, ensuring you experience perfectly balanced music, just as the artist intended."
Angsty
Well-Known Member
I ran a headless Mac mini as a streamer for a while. I didn’t like it tbh. It was difficult to control it properly and I hated that the power switch was around the back. On the positive I’d upgraded the RAM and put an SSD in and sold it for more than I’d paid for it and those parts combined!
Hey @Angsty, happy to share some of my observations.
Recommended Mac Mini configuration:
- An older model, not M2, is preferrable. In my experience with the new Mini, HDMI isn't reliable and Thunderbolt/USB-C connectors are probably not available on most TVs. HDMI on my older Mini worked better.
- Since it will primarily run only Audirvana, you don't need much memory but a large hard disk is useful if you have lots of high-res files.
- Install Audirvana or Roon (I have no experience with Roon).
Recommended DAC
- after some trial & error I settled on iFi Zen Signature... under $1000 it's a solid performer. Nice features (it can ran balanced or single ended) and good quality sound. It has a volume control, so it can effectively work as preamp (that's how I run it before I got Schiit Freya).
- I had other DACs too which didn't work out: Danafrips Ares II (nice sound but frequent sound issues when used in work meetings) and Cambridge Audio 200m (didn't sound as good as Zen Signature).
Add ons:
- iFi USB Type-A Ground Loop Breaker (in my case, the filter noticeably improved the sound)
- Wireless keyboard with trackpad
- Quality cables (USB, HDMI, etc.)
What to expect re: sound quality: if running Audirvana on Mac Mini in hardware controlled sound mode (a setting in Audirvana) along with a quality DAC you should expect the quality of sound on the same level with most dedicated streamers (at least under $1000). My Mac Mini almost never crashed. I doubt yours will too. BTW, I still have my old Mac Mini (16gb of memory (probably an overkill) and 1TB hard disk) and was gonna put it on eBay - if it's of any interest, PM me
Recommended Mac Mini configuration:
- An older model, not M2, is preferrable. In my experience with the new Mini, HDMI isn't reliable and Thunderbolt/USB-C connectors are probably not available on most TVs. HDMI on my older Mini worked better.
- Since it will primarily run only Audirvana, you don't need much memory but a large hard disk is useful if you have lots of high-res files.
- Install Audirvana or Roon (I have no experience with Roon).
Recommended DAC
- after some trial & error I settled on iFi Zen Signature... under $1000 it's a solid performer. Nice features (it can ran balanced or single ended) and good quality sound. It has a volume control, so it can effectively work as preamp (that's how I run it before I got Schiit Freya).
- I had other DACs too which didn't work out: Danafrips Ares II (nice sound but frequent sound issues when used in work meetings) and Cambridge Audio 200m (didn't sound as good as Zen Signature).
Add ons:
- iFi USB Type-A Ground Loop Breaker (in my case, the filter noticeably improved the sound)
- Wireless keyboard with trackpad
- Quality cables (USB, HDMI, etc.)
What to expect re: sound quality: if running Audirvana on Mac Mini in hardware controlled sound mode (a setting in Audirvana) along with a quality DAC you should expect the quality of sound on the same level with most dedicated streamers (at least under $1000). My Mac Mini almost never crashed. I doubt yours will too. BTW, I still have my old Mac Mini (16gb of memory (probably an overkill) and 1TB hard disk) and was gonna put it on eBay - if it's of any interest, PM me
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jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
I have an old Mini (2012) that I thought about using for this purpose for a while but never went that route. Since I have Roon, my goal for streaming is to build a NAS and use an iPad (mini?) as the remote / now playing screen and my Node as the end point
jamieanderson1968
Well-Known Member
Interesting set up. Never used Audirvana so not sure if there is a way to remote control it, but with Roon you can use any device as the remote and the Mac would be the endpointHey @Angsty, happy to share some of my observations.
Recommended Mac Mini configuration:
- An older model, not M2, is preferrable. In my experience with the new Mini, HDMI isn't reliable and Thunderbolt/USB-C connectors are probably not available on most TVs. HDMI on my older Mini worked better.
- Since it will primarily run only Audirvana, you don't need much memory but a large hard disk is useful if you have lots of high-res files.
- Install Audirvana or Roon (I have no experience with Roon).
Recommended DAC
- after some trial & error I settled on iFi Zen Signature... under $1000 it's a solid performer. Nice features (it can ran balanced or single ended) and good quality sound. It has a volume control, so it can effectively work as preamp (that's how I run it before I got Schiit Freya).
- I had other DACs too which didn't work out: Danafrips Ares II (nice sound but frequent sound issues when used in work meetings) and Cambridge Audio 200m (didn't sound as good as Zen Signature).
Add ons:
- iFi USB Type-A Ground Loop Breaker (in my case, the filter noticeably improved the sound)
- Wireless keyboard with trackpad
- Quality cables (USB, HDMI, etc.)
What to expect re: sound quality: if running Audirvana on Mac Mini in hardware controlled sound mode (a setting in Audirvana) along with a quality DAC you should expect the quality of sound on the same level with most dedicated streamers (under $1000). My Mac Mini almost never crashed. I doubt yours will too. BTW, I still have my old Mac Mini (16gb of memory (probably an overkill) and 1TB hard disk) and was gonna put it on eBay - if it's of any interest, PM me
How could I forget! Yes, Audirvana has a remote app.
Apparently the NAS’ that support being a roon core can struggle with the Roon core software, it demands more resources than they are designed for. You could use a computer as the core and just store on the NAS too I suppose but having the comp on all the time has to be a pain. I really liked the intel NUC with a big hard drive running with the roon rock software as a headless always on roon core.
JohnnyCashFan
Well-Known Member
I use a similar setup with a 2012 MBP. I would suggest using the boot drive for just that booting up, and keeping it clean and fast. Not sure what Mini's come with these days but if it's a hybrid drive you might want to put a reliable, fast SSD drive internally to boot from. Hybrid drives are usually slower and can be less reliable.
Secondly I would recommend putting your music files on external SSD drives if you can. Samsung's are highly rated. I use Crucial. You can get well rated 1TB SSD's under 100 usd now. Others still use large spinning drives or a NAS drive system (which sounds like what you have now for family ?). I would also recommend backing up your music if you can as drives do/will fail.
I use the last version of Audirvana before it went to subscription. It gets the job done as does the remote app. I just use an old Samsung andriod phone as a dedicated remote. I use Max to rip media (free).
For getting audio out you will want an external usb Dac. These can run from 100usd up. Inexpensive brands from Audioquest, Topping, Schiit get good reviews. What are your musical tastes and budget ?
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Angsty
Well-Known Member
Thanks, @JohnnyCashFan . Originally, I was just using the iMac to rip CDs for backup because my spouse had the unfortunate habit of "borrowing" CDs and beating them up in the car until they got to be unplayable. I'd make her a disposable copy of the CD to use in the car, but eventually solved the problem with a new car with no CD player. ...
I only recently started using Apple Music to access the files on the iMac and play them via Bluetooth from my iPhone to my Bluetooth DAC. I figured I could do better than ALAC over Bluetooth and started pursuing this Mac Mini route.
Musical taste: mostly jazz. Budget: less than a grand all in. May need to consider a "remote" in the form of an older iPad or iPhone, too.
Mostly just want to stick with a Mac as I think it may be easier to partion the files between the iMac and a Mac Mini than bringing in a NUC-type device for music.
JohnnyCashFan
Well-Known Member
There are better player options and not being locked into itunes imo. Newer versions of itunes make it harder to play your own music/files.
I would think something like:
-300-350 for used Mini, Mbp, Imac (use a old screen or mirror with first two). Craigslist, pawn, used mac stores
-Internal ssd $50 drive if applicable, external storage drive(s) 100 - ? and up
-Player/streamer subscription 15+/mo, or purchase
-Dac, use what you have or good starter usb dac (Audioquest, Topping, Schiit) $120+ (or used), or next level up ie used Chord Mojo $350
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@Angsty, IMO worth spending a little more on the DAC if possible. Outside of good amp and speakers, this is where you'll gain most sound quality. Different DACs sound differently too. @JohnnyCashFan mentioned Chord Mojo (it's awesome) and as I mentioned above, for under $500 I couldn't find anything better than iFi Zen DAC Signature V2 (not to be confused with Zen One Signature, or their cheaper Zen Dac V2). It doesn't offer too many features (single input - USB) but it sounds very good and offers both single ended and balanced outputs (I use balanced to connect mine to Schiit Freya).
Also I would spend a bit of money on quality interconnects between the DAC and the amp:
- if single ended, WBC on Amazon sell these RCAs using quality Mogami wire from Japan. Relatively inexpensive and clean sounding.
- If your amp has balanced inputs, you can buy cheap 4.5mm pentacon into XLR cable on EBay. But personally, I'd go with iFi cable for $100. That what I use and I had their other cables which tend to be a cut above generics.
Angsty
Well-Known Member
I’ve got a very nice, fairly new Topping D70s that I will be using with this setup; already my main DAC. I’m using balanced WBC Mogami/Neutrik interconnects with the Topping and digital coax from BJC.
@romany and I came to an agreement and I purchased his Mac Mini. Looks like I’ll be figuring out how best to set it up soon!
@romany and I came to an agreement and I purchased his Mac Mini. Looks like I’ll be figuring out how best to set it up soon!