Originally Posted by Zoom25 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
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Something like the Aries would sound better, look better in the room, will free you up from worrying about "Am I getting the best sound possible from this mac mini?" There's literally so many upgrades that can be made on a computer that once you get started, it will drive you crazy.
Well, if you spend too much time on that other computer forum, you can read about how changing from an SSD to an SDXC card for hosting your library will yield H-U-G-E audio improvements. If a person is in that camp, there are endless options and, yes, it will drive you crazy.
For me, after a lifetime of working as a software engineer for hardware focused companies, I just couldn't take those discussions seriously.
FWIW, I use a 2009 Mac Mini, which shipped with an outboard switching power supply, but at least it isn't in the case and can be placed far away from the Mac Mini.
I added RAM (to 8GB) but kept the original HDD, using an external, portable Firewire 800 drive to host media. The 2009 Mini came with 2 GB of RAM, so I had to add RAM to run Audirvana+ 1.5.12 w/ iTunes integration (which is the most reliable headless solution for a Mac Mini, in my experience). Using Firewire keeps drive access off the USB bus for audio, but the Mac Mini has separate USB controllers for groups of ports, so you can still use a USB DAC and a USB drive if you choose your ports carefully.
I added a Schiit Wyrd to deal with the occasional popping sounds (they were pretty rare, but now they are completely absent). And, the best upgrade was to add a Bel Canto mLink USB-to-SPDIF converter, which provides complete isolation from electrical noise issues from the Mac Mini (and is just silky smooth sounding).
Finally, I went through the trouble to disable unneeded services/apps on the Mac Mini, but I'm not sure I really needed to do that (I just like to tinker and it was free).
Done and pretty inexpensive, for me, since I had the old Mac Mini lying around. The Mac Mini is very attractive in any room, but that's a personal preference.