How to introduce computer audio to my system?

Thanks D'howser for all that.
(I may have asked something similar a long time ago,
but I cannot recall -- the old brain is getting too foggy I guess...).
I actually have an old Mac Mini (but with a conventional pair of hard drives.
Of course, I need a monitor and keyboard in this setup.

I guess the alternative would be one of the Meridian boxes that can store the CDs and let me control playback from my iPad. With the Mac Mini, I don't think I have the ability to control playback (recording and track selection) from a screen-based remote control, which is part of the convenience package of a server based library. Is this correct?

You can easily control Mac Mini from iPad, iPod or iPhone.
Just install REMOTE app.

Steve N.;
Empirical Audio

I only need a keyboard, mouse and monitor to set up the Mini.

Once you have set it up, just enable "screen sharing" in the System Preferences/Sharing menus.

You can then use any other Mac to control the Mini, using the Mac's screen, mouse/trackpad and keyboard. I use my MBA to do this but it's not really needed. Just remember to "auto start" AudirvanaPlus (with iTunes integration mode) and it automatically launches iTunes when the Mini boots up. Once that's done, just use the Remote app to control the playlist/sequence

You can see album art, track details like those fancy turnkey media servers.

First, what is your budget, what is your appetite for DIY systems integration, and what quality level do you want to achieve? In my estimation, you can get "state of the art" DIY for around 5K, and 10K prepackaged. You can get "very good" for around 1K DIY and 2K prepackaged.

You can get phenomenal out of the box solutions which will give you AES/EBU outputs, ranging from the Bryston BDP-2 (2K) to something like the Weiss MAN301 (10K).

You can get similar sound quality for less money if you go DIY, but far more hassle piecing together your own system (either MAC or PC based).

I personally own a CAPS 2.0, run River Remote on an IPad and use an Offramp 5 converter. Probably sonically equivalent to the Weiss MAN301 for half the cost, but not for the faint of heart (I am technically savvy - would not recommend this to someone that is not)

I think Audirvana Plus beta (v11) with Mountain Lion with a USB device that supports Integer and Direct mode is pretty amazing. I did disable some of the background processes (IR, Spotlight, Quit Finder, Spaces, Dashboard). A+ also has a system optimiser.