2. pc-audio
  3. 1427696249

preventing usb bus overload.

I read that if the music on my external hard drive connects to my PC by usb (which it does) instead of by firewire, then I should not connect my PC to my DAC by usb because it could overload the usb bus and cause some kind of issue. What's my solution here? (a newer PC with optical s/pdif or coax output?)
Can somebody explain in laymen terms? I'm new and "trying to learn cuz I listen". Thanks!
128x128labguy
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,700 posts
 
USB is like a hose - all the water coming out takes from somewhere else. Why not try a NAS drive and connect by ethernet? I have a drobo, 4 terabytes, maybe $450?
yioryos's avatar
yioryos
723 posts
 
Cerrot
Are you suggesting to connect a NAS with Ethernet cable to the macmini. I thought a NAS drive connects wireless, and to be honest I don't like WiFi all that much.
Thought?
George
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"04-04-15: Yioryos
Cerrot
Are you suggesting to connect a NAS with Ethernet cable to the macmini. I thought a NAS drive connects wireless, and to be honest I don't like WiFi all that much.
Thought?
George"

You can do it either way. The hard drives need to be connected to the network. It doesn't really matter if its a wireless connection, or not. You're probably thinking of a cloud type setup.
beavis
272 posts
 
I've heard connecting multiple USB cables is a matter of audio quality/jitter concerns. I know independent labs measured it high. I use a Mac mini as a music server and there was a question of which port to use for audio. Most said the USB port closest to the A/C outlet was preferred as this would eliminate "noise" in an aluminum bodied Mac mini. Personally, I didn't notice noise, regardless of USB port used. Of course, I use a DAC.

But Apple seems to have eliminated audio quality/jitter concerns with the release of the current/uni-body generation of Mac minis.
yioryos's avatar
yioryos
723 posts
 
My experience with NAS over WiFi wasn't very good.
I was using a Sonos with WD MyBook Live 2Tb about two years ago.
The sound was satisfactory but I was getting buffering problems,sound stopping,spinning balls.
Then on someone's advice I bought a powerline device by Dlink. It definitely helped a lot,most problems went away but still on occasion I had music dropouts.
I abandoned that setup in favor of the macmini server.
It works 100 percent with never a hickup since my music files are in an external Lacie 3Tb USB3 drive directly attached to the macmini via USB.
Should I expect an improvement if I connected a NAS drive to the macmini via Ethernet to avoid WiFi or it doest matter.
I ask this because every experiment seems to cost a few hundred dollars, and if don't work I am, left with gadgets all over the house unused.
Thanks
George
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