Well done it LOL

Now that you have the DAC, the UnitiServe is probably the way to go in the Naim world. A lot of us get good results from a Mac Mini, too.

Winky

Is using the mac mini difficult to set up?

Can I drag and drop the itunes tracks from my mac on to the unitiserve ?

Here is another plan ?

Would the Olive 4HD be a good addition ? In place of the unityserve ?

Jon,

How many CDs/albums do you have on your Mac?

Stu.

Hi Stu

Ive got about at a rough guess 400GB of music. Not sure off hand of how many "CD's" exactly !!

Actually Disc wise at home about 1100 Cd's !! ish.........................and that's all my music.

What you thinking mate ?

Jon

There is a fair bit of info on the forum on using a Mini. We mostly use ours "headless" using iPads (Apple's free and truly excellent "Remote" app.) and laptops (screen sharing) for control. It is set to rip and eject automatically in iTunes. Music files are organized using iTunes default file structure and it works fine. We find we sometimes have to add "Album Artist" to tags to keep albums together if the artists on the tracks are different (those damn "feat." attributions being the worst offenders). It is VERY easy to do, however. Files are stored locally on the Mini's own HDs.

Backup is using TimeMachine to a USB connected external drive. We do have it also hooked to the TV for Netflix, internet/youtube and iTunes video.

Bonus functionality is Apple's home sharing, which lets us listen to music and watch ripped or downloaded videos on an iPad (typically using headphones) anywhere in the house.

I know nothing about how a Unitiserve works.

Jon,

I would buy a M2TECH Mk2 BNC Hiface and plug it into your Mac.

Buy good quality BNC to BNC  digital Coax cable.

Even the naim DC1 and run that from the Hiface to the Dac.

It will sound brilliant.

Stu.

Jon you are off to a good start building a quality hi fi.  Given that you can't do everything at once (who can??), the question is what do you do next.

You've decided that you do not want to spend the money for the uServe at this time. Fine.  So what are your alternatives?

I see two decent choices. (1) Use your current Macbook as Stu has suggested, using its USB output, through an M2Tech HiFace, into the SP/DIF input of the DAC.  That's relatively inexpensive and will let you enjoy your music immediately. (2) Buy a Mac Mini (there are NOT a lot of options there -- just get the basic model and if you can afford it upgrade to 4gig ram instead of 2; it's only $50 here in the US) and a good quality optical cable to connect it to your DAC.  Learn how to run it using the Apple Remote iPhone/iPad app, or using Remote Desktop from your current Macbook. 

Either option will get you enjoying your music quickly.  Either could be the final stopping point as a source of digital music, or a stop-over on your way to a uServe or music player (ND5XS, NDX). 

Stu

When I plug this thing into my Mac, should I just use itunes as normal ?

Which format should all of the music on itunes be in ? Ive literally just changed it all to Apple lossless.

Bugger,

Just checked the M2 website it states that the drivers available dont include mountain Lion 10.8.

Now what LOL ?

I use the Fidelia player on my Mac B.Pro. with M2Tech BNC to BNC nDAC(check my profile) It links seamlessly with i-Tunes. You can also use it's own library to store music. The software supports many formats and allows you to convert from one to the other.

If you're in the UK check with Keith Cooper of Purite Audio

What did you change it to Apple lossless from? 

Erm...................

I can feel a telling off coming up LOL

No, it was either a CD ripped straight into my Mac or a downloaded track say at 192 kpbs MPEG-1 Audio file.

Like I said Bart I am almost a total hifi virgin; hence all of the questions..............................

The system just with the ipod sounds awesome and those Golden Ear speakers are really starting to warm up nicely. A perfect amount of Bass. For my ears anyway.

Did you check the Mk2 Hiface?

It dosen't need drivers like the Mk1.

Stu.

Can you go into your Mac and look under settings?

You need to have everything setup to the highest quality apple lossless settings for ripping your CDs.

Can you list what you have?

I have a funny feeling you might have to empty out and Re ripped.

Stu.

Jon,

I have asked Richard to move this thread over to the Streaming Audio room for you.

You will get more help over there.

Stu.

Not a tell off just some learnin' as we say.

Once a track is ripped, it cannot be made into a higher quality rip.  So if you used iTunes to rip the cd into Apple Lossless, you're just fine.  All of the original information is there.  But a 192kbps mp3 (MPEG-1), "converted" to Apple Lossless, is still of the quality of a 192kbps mp3, which imho is too low for the system you are putting together.  Too much data has been lost when the file is compressed that much.  (That's why mp3 and aac formats are called "lossy.")  Ultimately your ears will judge, but if you take one of those tracks, and compare it side by side with a track you rip yourself into Apple Lossless, you should enjoy the later a lot more!

The 192kbps files probably are fine to listen to in the car, when running, etc.  But a NaimDAC and other components are capable of so much, you are really crippling them feeding them 192kbps source

Ooops looks like I'm gonna be busy then.

I in the past was never planning to start a system like this and as I said I am pretty new to all of this. Had I known I would not have spent all the money I have on downloading bloody tracks from itunes or other sources.

Oh well I will make a list up of all the Cd's I need so you guys can sell them to me cheap

Ive already just spent 40 quid on a plethora of used Cd's from Amazon.

Any other recommended places to pick up Cd's cheap ?

Also; when I eventually do start to rip all of the damn things again which is the best way to do it ? Put the disc in the mac and rip it in Apple lossless or bypass itunes completey and use a different program ?

If another program which one is the best ?

Of course this will be a temporary measure as I WILL BE getting the uniti serve eventually to do all of this ?

But the HiFace homepage speaks of drivers for 10.6 and 10.7.

Their page makes no clear distinction between Mk1 and Mk2 of this product.

Isn't OS drivers an important part of this product, bypassing the computer/OS internal mixer/soundcard?

I'm a potential buyer (have a MacMini + NDac, via optical/toslink).