a) I could either leave the MacMini in the study on 1st floor and stream (to my naim system in ground floor) via WiFi - this works fine so far. A slight disadvantage is that I'd have to go upstairs fro ripping, but at least I'd have a monitor & keyboard handy. And the noise PSU would be out of the way.
b) I was actually planning to move the MacMini to my HiFi rack (1 m above the other components, next to my BT hub), where I could conect it via ethernet. But having read about all the HF noise of its PSU and the ethernet cabe, I'm not so sure any more! And I'd need to use screen share to access it...
What do you think?
Cheers,
Stefan
Posted on: 28 December 2015 by Stefan Vogt
Hi Stefan,
very interesting what you're planning there: a Mac Mini with 1TB SSD storage! Don't be discouraged by the noisy MacMini: if you put it >= 1m above your other HiFi equipment, this should be fine. And your ethernet cable will be very short (0.5m). It's more a matter if auto-ripping with iTunes will be as trouble-free as you imagine it: just try it on some further 20...30 CDs, and depending on the results, you can go ahead with moving the MacMini downstairs.
S.
Posted on: 28 December 2015 by Adam Zielinski
I would go for an ethernet connection to your streamer.
just make sure that the Mac's power supply is plugged into a different socket than your Naim. Computer power supplies tend to be extremely noisy and can have a negative effect on the sound quality of your system.
Posted on: 28 December 2015 by Aleg
Or replace the Mac PSU with a decent power supply.
Paul Hynes has done good replacement PSU for mac minis.
search on audiocircle forum
Posted on: 29 December 2015 by Steve J
I have a MacMini with 8TB WD Thunderbolt Duo in RAID mode connected to the MacMini connected directly to the ethernet. This connected via a 1.5m Wireworld USB to the Hugo. The computer/HD is connected to the home circuit and well away from the Fraim racks, the hifi has it's own dedicated supply. I have mine sat in the corner of a fireplace. I control the headless MacMini with a MacBook Pro using Screen Share. I use iTunes for library management but play my files via Audirvana which bypasses the AudioMidi of iTunes. I rip CDs using a Samsung DVD Writer SE-208. The set up works flawlessly. I can also play files wirelessly on a Mu-so situated in another room using the Remote app on an iPad.
