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Mac Mini As A Streaming Source

I have been looking to add a digital streaming source to my sound system and so am VERY new to this process.  But, from what I see the variety is mind boggling and there is no complete device out there that would do CD/SACD playback, plus all available music streaming apps, plus Roon.

I use apple music for high res/lossless streaming on my phone, especially their new classical service as that is my primary listening, so compatibility with this app is mandatory.  This, however, seems to eliminate every single digital streamer out there.  But, am I missing something?

So, what are the thoughts on using a mac mini for a dedicated source, linked to a DAC?  I can put all of the streaming apps there, and install Roon there, and put my existing CD ripped files on the hard drive. Connect to the internet over wifi.

What output cable would I use to connect to the internal DAC on my Mark Levinsion 585.5?

Could everything be operated with an Ipad running Roon, without the need for keyboards?

The only thing missing would be CD playback, but could that be accomplished using  a DVD/Blu Ray reader attached to the Mac?

Any help on this would be appreciated!

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larrykell
122 posts
 

I upgraded to an M2 Mac Mini and it works great as a streaming device to my Aqua formula DAC. Roon is quick, much quicker than on the 7-8 year old Mini I was running.

I use a Luna dongle to send video to an iPad so I can run the Mac Mini in headless mode.

I stream from Tidal and Qobuz under Roon. The Mac mini runs my Roon core. 

I’m curious how you would stream from Apple Classical as I thought they only had an iPhone version and not a version for the Mac Mini. If they had a version for the Mac Mini, I would run it.

My dream is that one day the Naxos Music Library will allow themselves to be integrated under Roon but I guess that is unlikely.

asctim
492 posts
 

I don't know for sure but I think you can connect the phone or iPad directly to the amp via USB. You may also be able to stream the phone through the Mac Mini. 

I control my Mac Mini with a keyboard and mouse, hooked up through my TV so I can see what I'm doing. I don't use Roon or anything like that. Just straight from Apple Music, or Youtube when I'm listening to that. I don't know why a different streamer would make a difference in terms of tone, finesse, and musicality. That's really weird and the causes for why that might be happening have not even been close to reasonably explained but it may be happening with some setups. 

larrykell
122 posts
 

The promise of Apple silicon is to be able to run the same apps across all hardware devices, so, I certainly hope that they will produce a version of the Apple Classical app that runs on the Mac Mini. 

I can't connect my iPhone to the USB input on my DAC, as the Mac Mini is already connected to that input. Besides that, it is awkward to have to connect a phone to my stereo to stream music. The same goes for streaming through the Mac Mini. 

I have a Bluetooth keyboard and Magic trackpad that I can use with the headless Mac Mini. Generally speaking, I don't need to do a lot on the Mac Mini when it is in headless mode. The Roon app running on the iPad does everything I need. 

I could connect it to my TV though, I just haven't done it, Thanks for reminding me. 

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bhvf
209 posts
 

There's no easy way to control your Mac Mini for playback.  You can certainly remote into it from another Mac or use a wireless keyboard as someone said above and have the Mac connected to your TV or an external monitor. None of these are pretty.  Look into an Innuos Zen or Zenith. It has built in storage for music and the ability to use Airplay from Apple Music Classical from your phone. Quality won't be tops but it will sound very good. It would make sense for Apple to have other solutions down the road as this seems like just the first step. Sound quality on the Innuos is better than a Mac Mini. As an FYI, Apple has locked down or the chip forces the HDMI output of new Mac Minis to 48 Khz, rather than 44.1, 192, etc.

larrykell
122 posts
 

I think I've been down this road before with you, the HDMI road, lol. My DAC does not have an HDMI input, although it has many other inputs. Look up the Aqua Formula. The thing sounds great, by the way. 

Roon does an excellent job of controlling all my playback so I don't have to struggle with apps running on the Mac Mini. 

I can't believe AirPlay provides good quality playback. I tried to stream from a dedicated streaming app for a radio station over AirPlay to the Mac and it dropped all the time so I gave up. 

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