My Mac Mini M1 is connected to a 40 inch HD TV in my living room. it is both my personal computer and living room TV / entertainment center. I use it for everything. It's connected directly to my DIY stereo system (First Watt B1 Buffer Preamp and LM386 chip amp). I never have to change input source on the preamp since everything just comes out of the Mac. I use it for movies, youtube videos, playign back DVR recordws from over the air (Plex), all my audiophile music etc.
CORRECTION: I do occasionally switch to the 2nd input source on preamp which has my turntable connected to it.
CORRECTION: I do occasionally switch to the 2nd input source on preamp which has my turntable connected to it.
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You need the Apple apps to play Apple content as that is part of the vendor lock-in system
I love devices playing everything that exists and such without any obligation. Anyway, if Apple makes you happy then everything is good. I like Apple hardware and MacOS but I don't like their aggressive approach to competitors and user freedom so I will never be dependent on their audio solutions by principle.You are not affiliated with Apple in a way?
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I'm just loving this Lossless Apple Music the past few days I am doing Google searches on "audiophile albums" and can now listen to virtually every single one now, the entire album in Lossless I just did a search a few minutes ago and someone said Opeth Damnation was really good. Listening to it now as I type this.. It sounds great and is in Lossless, CD quality And this is through HDMI to Samsung TV to SPDIF.. can't wait for the Modi 3+.
I am doing Google searches on "audiophile albums" and can now listen to virtually every single one now, the entire album in Lossless I just did a search a few minutes ago and someone said Opeth Damnation was really good. Listening to it now as I type this.. It sounds great and is in Lossless, CD quality And this is through HDMI to Samsung TV to SPDIF.. can't wait for the Modi 3+.The Modi is very nice, I had a version 2 in my stack until going down this rabbit hole:
DAC AD1862: Almost THT, I2S input, NOS, R-2R
Come on down, your ears will be happy.
DAC AD1862: Almost THT, I2S input, NOS, R-2R
Come on down, your ears will be happy.
Disappointing that Apple won't provide decent audio. There are a bunch of alternatives as others have said. I've been very happy with RP3-4 as Roon endpoints. Volumio can also run on them. It is easy to make every smart device in the house into a controller for every connected player. Apple is selling to a much larger audience, one which wears wireless earbuds to listen to Bluetooth audio....
Everybody has different needs and a different set-up. Glad that @Jennifer G has found some satisfaction with the Hi-Def Apple streaming. I want to try it. I have a 1 year free subscription. I might be sucked into Apple Music streaming if it was playable on other ecosystems like Roon. Can it be controlled with Volumio or is Apple Music not interested in sharing?
Everybody has different needs and a different set-up. Glad that @Jennifer G has found some satisfaction with the Hi-Def Apple streaming. I want to try it. I have a 1 year free subscription. I might be sucked into Apple Music streaming if it was playable on other ecosystems like Roon. Can it be controlled with Volumio or is Apple Music not interested in sharing?
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I would of been happy if Apple provide an optical 24/192 S/PDIF output like they used to on the older mac minis. But an external USB dac will work fine or a USB to S/PDIF bridge. We'll see how this Schiit Modi 3+ works for me.
I need to learn about Roon, RP34 and all that.
Apple Music also allows you to rip your CD's as Lossless into it's library.. used to be called iTunes. This is how I have been using iTunes for the past 10 years. Apple Music just now offering lossless streaming as of like 3 days ago A great tool for converting audio formats on Mac: XLD.
There must be some way to bridge Apple Music to your Roon setup? If you get it connected properly it shoudl sound as good as original CD playing I'd think.. since it is now lossless.
I need to learn about Roon, RP34 and all that.
Apple Music also allows you to rip your CD's as Lossless into it's library.. used to be called iTunes. This is how I have been using iTunes for the past 10 years. Apple Music just now offering lossless streaming as of like 3 days ago
A great tool for converting audio formats on Mac: XLD.There must be some way to bridge Apple Music to your Roon setup? If you get it connected properly it shoudl sound as good as original CD playing I'd think.. since it is now lossless.
I think you will like the Schiit Modi. I have been very happy with mine.
Since I posted I have been told that Apple Music does not work with Roon or Volumio. Too bad, like so many things Apple it is a closed system. In this case it may be ripping that's the problem. They still have to control copyrights and IP theft. I'll pass on Apple Music until they are compatible with my existing set-up.
Since I posted I have been told that Apple Music does not work with Roon or Volumio. Too bad, like so many things Apple it is a closed system. In this case it may be ripping that's the problem. They still have to control copyrights and IP theft. I'll pass on Apple Music until they are compatible with my existing set-up.
The new MacMini does not specify SPDIF on the headphone jack, but it is available in the HDMI output. There are dongles that will slpit the audio out to a DAC.
I have only ever used USB and Firewire (thunderbolt) but Firwire DACs are thin on the ground.
There are lots of decent DACs, from things like the Dragonfly Black up to pricey R-R from Schitt (some not so pricey), Holo Audio, Denafrips… and then there are the expensive ones...
Generally the least expensive are based on single chips from ESS, AKM (in abit of a funk now that the factory burned down), Wolfson, TI, more. The chip is important the execution and what is around it is more important.
Many good DAC projects here if you want to diy.
dave
I have only ever used USB and Firewire (thunderbolt) but Firwire DACs are thin on the ground.
There are lots of decent DACs, from things like the Dragonfly Black up to pricey R-R from Schitt (some not so pricey), Holo Audio, Denafrips… and then there are the expensive ones...
Generally the least expensive are based on single chips from ESS, AKM (in abit of a funk now that the factory burned down), Wolfson, TI, more. The chip is important the execution and what is around it is more important.
Many good DAC projects here if you want to diy.
dave
As far as I know, the digital audio output via HDMI on the Apple Mac Mini M1 is limited to 24 bit @ 48 khz. But I dont know if that is the limitation of the samsung tv or the machine itself. It told me I couldnt do hi-res lossless audio in Apple Music when I tried to set it to 24/192.
Another nice thing about Apple Mac Mini M1 as audio source computer for your library, is that it runs completely silent since it is ARM architecture and 5nm. I think it's average wattage while used is something like 15w and 25w peak? less than 5w idle.. ridiculously efficient Also it's single core speed destroys all the latest dekstop processors and is almost as fast with respect to multicore compared to the latest i7 and i9 processors. It's 70% faster at opening web pages compared to $10,000 2018 Intel Mac Pro It's a little beast.. and cost me like $649 with 8gb of ram, 256gb ssd. (I use external SSD for Users folder and 8gb of ram seems fine since if it needs to swap it's so fast due to 2800 MB/S internal SSD access.)
Also it's single core speed destroys all the latest dekstop processors and is almost as fast with respect to multicore compared to the latest i7 and i9 processors. It's 70% faster at opening web pages compared to $10,000 2018 Intel Mac Pro It's a little beast.. and cost me like $649 with 8gb of ram, 256gb ssd. (I use external SSD for Users folder and 8gb of ram seems fine since if it needs to swap it's so fast due to 2800 MB/S internal SSD access.)
An M1 mini just playing music likely uses less power than your iPhone.
I think the Mx chips are going to really tale some notice.
And a bunch of new OS updates on the way to make it easier for developers to exercise all those cores (and probably multiple processors as well — supercomputer time).
dave
I think the Mx chips are going to really tale some notice.
And a bunch of new OS updates on the way to make it easier for developers to exercise all those cores (and probably multiple processors as well — supercomputer time).
dave
Jennifer, try to put some interstage transformer after headphone output 3.5mm jack.
it will act like isolation and analg filter in the same time. Impedance of the H out is low so You dont need big number Henry-s in primary.
It will be better i am almost sure than any well-recensed gadget dac.
.
IF You have some equipment You can set ringing and propper load of the interstage.
.
Years ago I tried tha same with different mac-s, mbp, mini with some western electric 1:1 trafo and it was so good. Main thing was that the HF content was much clarer and significantly without noise. In listening and measurements too...
.
cheers
it will act like isolation and analg filter in the same time. Impedance of the H out is low so You dont need big number Henry-s in primary.
It will be better i am almost sure than any well-recensed gadget dac.
.
IF You have some equipment You can set ringing and propper load of the interstage.
.
Years ago I tried tha same with different mac-s, mbp, mini with some western electric 1:1 trafo and it was so good. Main thing was that the HF content was much clarer and significantly without noise. In listening and measurements too...
.
cheers
I just bought the Topping D10s DAC last night as well. It does DSD as well as PCM. It gets both signal and power from the USB port. It has S/PDIF output.. so thinking aobut just using it as a USB to S/PDIF bridge and then feed that into my old FIIO DAC or into the Modi 3+. I'm sorry I just don't believe the headphone jack will sound anything close to my FIIO DAC or the Modi 3+. My FIIO dac sounded better than a $500 DAC i bought along with linear power supply I bought for it.
Listen to what both ways? I am goign to try the Topping with my FIIO, Topping alone, Modi 3+ alone, Topping into Modi 3. Compare to the way I have it setup now via HDMI going into TV and from there the 48khz signal to my FIIO.
Are you really suggesting I compare to the headphone jack as well? I guess I can for the heck of it.. but it seems like a joke. Why would I use a DAC in a noisy computer environment then sned it out in a non line level signal which I have to transform or whatever.
Are you really suggesting I compare to the headphone jack as well? I guess I can for the heck of it.. but it seems like a joke. Why would I use a DAC in a noisy computer environment then sned it out in a non line level signal which I have to transform or whatever.
Hi as said I have one and it is not completely silent as it has a fan. It is quite silent for such a powerful computer but even a 5 nm ARM octocore CPU uses power and it will thus need cooling. It certainly uses more power than a cell phone
Please note there are facts and there is Apple marketing.It is a good, fast and relatively energy efficient computer like most ARM hardware (ARM is not new and it was used in industrial devices for a long time) but I would never use it for serious audio in any form except remote control of devices. There is way better hardware out there that can play the meanwhile standard high resolution files so 24/96 or 24/192 (or even DSD) which is not as closed as the Apple platform, has less limitations and has better sound quality. And yes the analog output of Mac Mini is a joke.
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