Mac Mini vs. CDP?


So....finally got a new Mac Mini and got it all set up with some CD's ripped lossless to Itunes. The Mac is feeding a Rega DAC via USB. A Oppo 981 DVD player is also feeding the Rega via the RCA-coax (using Cardas).

Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" was used for this test.

I cued up the CD and Mac and switched between them. At first I thought it was identical, but with a few minutes I could hear that the MAC's presentation was decidedly dull and lifeless sounding. The CDP/Rega combo sounded more open and live. I tried a few more tracks and heard the same thing. So I called my buddy (he owns a big rig of ARC and Vandersteen stuff) and he echoed my findings using the W4S DAC 2.

So what's up here? I've heard people claim Mac via USB is a match for a CDP. It seems like it should be....Ideas?

Rob
robbob
I use a Resolution Audio Cantata with a Mach 2 Mac Mini, Pure Music, and a Cardas Clear USB cable and can't hear a difference between a cd and the Mac Mini. I do hear a difference when playing 96/24 files. Flac, .wav, and aiff files sound the best. I have found that the little things make a big difference in computer based audio. A powered hard drive, the USB port used, enough memory, etc.
Thanks for all the answers and comments.

I'm about to add memory and possibly try some hi res stuff.

Rob
Probably no hard fast answer to your question, but I'll offer my opinions. I suggest you read some of the "setting up a computer for audio" articles by the various manufacturers and/or audio mags. Ayre has some good info on their web site. You don't want the computer doing a lot of other stuff while it is playing music. Spring for one of the software packages that bypass i-tunes processing. I've tried Decibel, Pure Music and Amarra. They range widely in cost and feature set, but all sound a lot better than just i-tunes to me and all have "free trial". I'm not familiar with the Rega DAC, but unless it is optimized for USB use (like the Ayre QB-9), it is quite possible the other digital inputs will sound better. I'm guessing there are some reviews for your DAC out there that discuss this. With the Mac you also have an option to try Firewire - a better interface for music in most cases - if your DAC is compatible. I am currently running Pure Music and Firewire to a Metric Halo LIO-8, and it is by far the best digital ever in my house - although I never had a megabuck CD player for comparison. It certainly blows any of the mid-price stuff I've had from Cambridge or Cairn out of the water. Good luck, be patient, and experiment. Computer audio is almost as fussy as vinyl, but the results can be quite gratifying and the experiments generally cost a lot less than the vinyl equivalent.

mbhintz