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Apple Mini 'puter as a CD jukebox?


I've ripped all of my CD's as WAV files on to two 160gb WD external drives and I'm thinking it would be cool to use a 'puter as a "CD Player". It would be really easy to use iTunes as a master play list, scroll, click, listen. The entire system ought to come in under $1000 all told.

The new Mac Mini would be a logical choice since it has two USB 2.0 ports for my hard drives and it's quite small and inexpensive. A small flat panel monitor would be required, and of course a wireless mouse and keyboard. The thing I'm not sure about is the audio output on the Mac Mini; not much info at all on the Apple site. Could you simply run a Y-cable from the Mac Mini to your preamp, or does it require an external DAC?

So, what would the system end up loooking like? I'm guessing:

- two 160gb hard drives ($110 each)
- Mac Mini ($499)
- BenQ wireless mouse ($25)
- Small wireless keyboard. Suggestions?
- Small flat panel monitor.. less than 15". Suggestions?
- DAC (I'm assuming it's required). Suggestions?

When all is said and done this could be a nice alternative, I'm not sure it'll rival $1000 CD players though. I'm intrigued with the concept of using a computer as a dedicated jukebox and would love some feedback/ideas/opinions. Thanks, Jeff
hack
chadnliz's avatar
chadnliz
3,737 posts
 
Can you just run the sound from the speaker/headphone jack into DAC or on the cheap, straight into pre-amp?
I use bluebeat.com and run it that way into a tape loop on my Rotel, works good for casual music
tumbler's avatar
tumbler
93 posts
 
I run my G4 Cube into an Airport Express and then into a Rotel RSP-1098S AV preamp. Sounds great thrugh an AR VT-100 and then into a Pair of Totem Mani-2s. Try it.
rooze's avatar
rooze
645 posts
 
I just setup this PC system as my first 'dabble' into PC audio:

Compaq tower - rip CD's from DVD Rom via Exact Audio Copy software - import WAV files into iTunes - wireless to Airport Express - Monster(Apple Kit) mini-Toslink cable from AE into Audio Alchemy DTi Pro 32 Digital Interface(increased word length 24bit) - coax out from DTi32 to Musical Fidelity Upsampling DAC at 192khz.

It's a lot of hoohah and it doesn't sound as good as just using my Audio Alchemy transport.

Maybe I gotta mess with it more.

Rooze
hmtc
1 posts
 
Anyone still here? I've been thinking about using a Mac mini as a CD jukebox as suggested above, but with a difference that I need some help on: I use a set of Meridian DSP5000s, which are self-powered, for stereo playback. These take a digital signal from a transport or whatever and go from there. I'm inferring from some of the posts above that it may be possible to get this signal out of the Airport Express directly. Is this true, and if it is, is there any reason to think that the Mac Mini, through Airport, couldn't provide the signal that the Meridians need without further modification (read "money")? Thanks for any help...
edesilva
768 posts
 
Do you need to go wireless? If you don't, I'd skip the AE and use a USB audio output device like the Waveterminal U24 or the Edirol UA-1D or M-Audio Sonica. Wireless is subject to a lot of variables that are environmental. I use the Mac Mini -> Waveterminal -> dCS Purcell/Delius -> ARC amplification -> ProAc speakers. Its stunning.
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