When I had my MAC Book Pro, I stored all my music on an external LaCie hard drive (used Thunderbolt cable) and not on the MAC Book Pro computer. I never tested this but my retailer said playing music from an external hard drive would sound better then if the music was stored on the MAC Book Pro computer. My LaCie hard drive was backed up to a 2nd hard drive.
I have since replaced my MAC Book Pro Computer with the Aurender N10 Music Server. My
audio system sounds more open, more natural, clearer, better bass and I am very
happy I purchased the Aurender. The ability to switch back and forth between Tidal
music streaming and my stored albums on the Aurender is now a very easy process (one
mouse click). The Aurender iPAD app is much easier to use than my MAC
Book Pro computer. Album selection is also excellent with several
different album selection choices available. The Aurender N10 Music Sever
is highly recommended for its great sound quality and ease of use.