Mac Mini As A Streaming Source

I’ve been a Mac fan since the late 80s. However, are extremely noisy!

As I find Roon by far the best user interface for playing music, I went from discarded pc to Mac laptop to usb stick stuck into my Synology NAS as Roon core. Then I got an Ayre Codex as DAC,  which predates Roon, so I got the Nucleus both to feed the Codex and run the core. The noise floor is much lower with the purpose built Nucleus. The only better streamers I’ve heard are the Aurenders and the best, the DCS Network Bridge. (Discontinued, but represented in the Bartók, Rossini and Vivaldi). The new HIFI Rose streamers are very good, and the RS250A has a decent DAC. That is what I’d choose if starting now, though I’d not give up the Codex, the network transport is very good - RS250A into Codex is far better than other digital front ends I’ve heard in the under $5k category.

Sorry everyone.  I got 3 errors indicating my response did not post.  Apparently it posted multiple times.  

Alot of incorectt information here pcs are not the same thing as a server mostservers are designed to preserve data by eliminating radiated noise

 

a pc is not built for music quality solely.

 

we import the 432evo music servers into the us.

 

we just sold one to a client running a mac and he was pleasently surpriseed how much better his system now sounds he will be posting a gull review in a few weeks

 

our servers are designed to totally isolate the data

first we use a very low noise cpu then th cpu is shielded by a custom designed cooper shield the ssd is mechanically isolated on a spring suspension as well

 

We employ two external linear power supplies on most models the flagship Master has three independent power supplies in one external chassis

then the clock and usb cards are electrically separated from the cpu

this is a huge improvement over other designs

even roon is run differently we use one cpu core to run roon

 

another core runs other processes.

while another core caches music files.

 

the results of this incredible dedication to eliminate noise is a sound closer to analog playback.

with digital implementation is everything.

Dave and Troy

Audio intellect nj

USimporters 432evo music servers.

OK, seems to be a lot of inconsistent info here.

I am only transporting the digital "1s" and "zeros" from the computer to the DAC.  I don't understand how electronic "noise" can be introduced at this step, as this is a purely digital process.  Are people saying that "noise" alters the 1s and 0s?  What in the digital circuitry affects the 1s and 0s?  

I understand how "noise" is e a concern in the DAC process as it might affect the analog signal resulting from the conversion, but I don't see how  that applies upstream from the DAC in the pure digital realm.  So, the comments that computers as digital sources, fed to a DAC, do not sound different make some sense.  In fact, every digital streaming device uses a computer on the "digital" side (such as an internal raspberry pi).

It seems the main issue is in the DAC itself, and this is where the sound can vary depending on the quality of the components, power supplies, shielding, circuit design etc.

But is there any need to invest in a hyper expensive computer on the digital side?  How would that process the 1s and 0s differently?

Help me understand. . . .