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Your experience & thoughts on SSDs for MacMini

I have a 2007-2008 MacMini that I use exclusively as a music server on a third system with the stock HD. I am considering replacing the stock HD to an SSD. The stock HD makes noise that is audible often enough to draw unwanted attention to itself.

I'm looking for experience-based thoughts and commentary on the various SSDs that are available for this replacement. I'm using SnowLeopard and iTunes 10 with Pure Music for playback of AIFF files from a peripheral HD (which is silent).

So far, my research on this seems to get a bit confusing. For example, Other World Computing offers two levels of SSD, one over 50% more $ in price (and 25% larger 40 Gb vs 50 Gb than the other (offering a longer warranty, etc.) And I know there are several other manufacturers of SSDs out there with varying price points and related benefits.

This MacMini isn't used for anything else than serving music, ripping files, streaming audio, playing Netflix downloadable movies, and the occasional download from iTunes.

Your points of view are appreciated.

:) listening,

Ed
istanbulu
dmccombs
112 posts
 
OR the SSD draws less power thus reducing EMI, or the SSD is faster thus making the CPU work less and interrupt the CPU less from playing music.

Just because we don't have the technology or understanding of what to measure, doesn't mean there aren't sonic differences.

THIS IS A HOBBY OF LISTENING. How can you discount what you hear and other hear, just because we can't explain the science yet???

Have you done any A/B tests in this area yet?
istanbulu OP
291 posts
 
I agree Darrell

I began this thread by remarking >>I'm looking for experience-based thoughts and commentary <<

I thank all of those members who have shared their experiences here.

Experience-based commentary is what I'm after.

I tend to value Darrell's points because he has made the effort to test and compare, and he is putting his reputation and business on the line when he comments in threads such as these. Someone could easily replicate (SSD to HDD) and evaluate what he says and find out for themselves. If what he says is bogus based upon their experience, I'm sure we'd hear about it from those who have made efforts similar to his.

I tend to find the theory-based (not experienced-based) commentary to have very little value to "THE HOBBY OF LISTENING" and the enjoyment of music.

:) listening,

Ed
jylee
306 posts
 
SSD may sound better than magnetic HD, but it's largely irrelevant today because there isn't any SSD large enough to store the music collection. I have 600GB+ of music from CD, DVD Audio, and HDTracks. It's not practical to build a disk array to store all the music. Even if I did, the disk array will be connected to the computer externally, further minimizing any effect it could have on the main computer. By the time 2TB SSD is available the SSD technology used will be vastly different from today's SSD anyways, so any comparison done today do not have a lot of practical implication.

The main advantage of using SSD is the SPEED, followed by less power consumption, less heat, and less audible noise. If SSD does sound better than HD, that's like a cherry on top. But that's not the reason why people buy SSD.
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
03-09-11: Jylee
SSD may sound better than magnetic HD, but it's largely irrelevant today because there isn't any SSD large enough to store the music collection. I have 600GB+ of music from CD, DVD Audio, and HDTracks. It's not practical to build a disk array to store all the music.
Jylee, your statement is all certainly true (a 1TB SSD costs around $3000 these days), except for the part about irrelevance. An aspect of the question about sonics that was addressed in my posts and some of those by Darrell concerned the possibility that sonic improvements might result from replacing the computer's relatively small internal drive with an SSD, while utilizing a large external HHD to store the music files.

As you have seen, Darrell described replacement of the internal HHD with an SSD as a "no brainer." And my comments provided technical rationale for why doing that MIGHT produce a sonic improvement. That rationale applies regardless of whether the music files are stored on the small internal SSD or on a large external HHD.

Regards,
-- Al
perrew
299 posts
 
Here is an interesting take by someone saying SSDs cant improve sound. http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/Software-Hardware-Comparison?page=1
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