Mac m1 mini for streaming audio?
Mar 29, 2021 at 8:46 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

Chibs

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Hey guys,
So I’ve noticed quite a few people mention that using a regular computer is not optimal for playing back audio. They say that graphics cards, noisy fans and PSU’s will interfere with my audio stream. This got me thinking. So I’m currently using a Windows 10 gaming pc with my setup and have noticed some rare gaps in audio while streaming Tidal. Just for science, I connected my 2018 MacBook Pro. Not sure I notice any difference in sound quality but have yet to hear any interruptions.
I know some will suggest buying a dedicated streamer and use a program like Roon to manage things. I’m not keen on shelling out on a streamer that won’t be directly compatible with my streaming services. Then on top of that having to pay a middleman like Roon to bridge streaming services so they work on said streamer. It seems so convoluted and needlessly expensive. I like the flexibility of having an OS that will run whatever I want be it Spotify, Tidal, whatever comes out down the road, plus my own files.
This new Mac M1 is supposed to run very efficiently so I’m thinking instead of plunking $$$ down on something like the Matrix audio mini pro 3, just get a base Mac M1 mini. Connect that to the Dac / amp I already have. Perhaps just using my current MacBook Pro for this makes even more sense (would there be a difference?). I’ve never tried a streamer before so maybe I’m missing something. What do you guys think?

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Chibs
 
Mar 29, 2021 at 8:53 PM Post #2 of 14
I use 2012 mac minis as Roon endpoints but they would also work well as a non-roon streamer. I got a nice one with an SSD for $200 on ebay. You can easily control the mac mini remotely using chrome desktop remote and you can play whatever streaming service you want. A new mac mini is fine but an old one is good too (and cheaper!!).
 
Apr 1, 2021 at 1:46 PM Post #5 of 14
Ground loop shows USB noise. Not every PC has the same jitter characteristics because of a billion variables.
 
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Apr 1, 2021 at 6:48 PM Post #7 of 14
Apple M1? Undetermined. I don't actually think the CPU has anything to do with this. It's the rest of the motherboard.

The name of the game for jitter is DPC latency and matter of fact I have a project where I am going to attempt a PC build with ultimate low jitter and DPC latency. This PC will not have wireless, spinning hard drives, graphics cards, and all extra anything will be either removed from the logic board manually or disabled at a low level.
 
Apr 1, 2021 at 10:56 PM Post #9 of 14
Sounds like an M1 mini with wifi switched off using ethernet.
No, not really. I am going to also be controlling the cpu, disabling all power saving modes and tuning the frequency. Disabling idle instructions. Removing windows shell, etc, etc. This goes a bit deeper than anything you can get off the shelf.
 
Apr 2, 2021 at 2:35 AM Post #10 of 14
Roon allows streaming over a network. This galvanically isolates the source, in this case a computer. You do need an endpoint, but there is an ever-expanding market of streaming dacs. A simple Raspberry Pi works beautifully as well.

I use a MacBook Pro streaming through RAAT to a RPi (my dac has an internal RPi). Very simple and highly convenient. Sounds great to me.
 
Apr 10, 2021 at 6:34 PM Post #11 of 14
If you're really after sound improvements i don't think a stock Mac Mini will do you any favour unless you mod it. I tried this by myself but ended up with a streamer. Basically all streamers support Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify. I don't know about Roon though.
 
Apr 10, 2021 at 6:49 PM Post #12 of 14
MacBooks are known to have far less DPC latency than most Windows machines, being favored by audio professionals for this reason. This was the case long before the M1 chip was released. I would think an older Mac mini would work just fine, so long as it uses an SSD rather than a spinning disk.
 
Apr 10, 2021 at 10:59 PM Post #14 of 14
I get my M1 mini next week :)
Excited to see if it makes a difference. If not, I'll be using it to edit video so not much of a loss there.
We'll see.
M1 cuts through footage like butter. Crazy what Apple did. I was waiting for the M1X but went ahead and pulled the trigger on an M1 MacBook Air. I never thought I would own a laptop which this combination of processing and graphical power, display quality and resolution, insane battery life, and insignificant weight.
 

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