[shipus90]

Great idea for this thread....

 

[Lohb]

MBA or MBP + your OSX Music player +DAC/AMP + NoSleep App = can use your OSX player OTG in a shoulder sling with pre-loaded playlist.
 
Modular mobile audio in the sense that you can mix up DAC/AMP OSX players.
 
There is an IR USB add-on solution (MIRA app + Manta TR1 from Twisted Melon) for MBA that works with the Apple Remote.
 

 
 
Free No Sleep app
 

 
Transportable audio no worse than Shozy Alien with its lack of screen and you have access to your fav. OSX player OTG.

 

[crazychile]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/752708/what-are-the-basics-to-set-up-a-headless-mac-mini

Hey guys,

I started the thread above to get info on how to set up a headless Mac Mini. There has been virtually no response. I believe I've read in this thread somewhere along the way that some of you are using this sort of setup. Could some of you comment in that thread if you have any pointers. I'm trying out VNC now with a MacBook Pro, so I have that part figured out.

Thanks,

 

[castin]

  MBA or MBP + your OSX Music player +DAC/AMP + NoSleep App = can use your OSX player OTG in a shoulder sling with pre-loaded playlist.
 
Modular mobile audio in the sense that you can mix up DAC/AMP OSX players.
 
There is an IR USB add-on solution (MIRA app + Manta TR1 from Twisted Melon) for MBA that works with the Apple Remote.
 

 
 
Free No Sleep app
 

 
Transportable audio no worse than Shozy Alien with its lack of screen and you have access to your fav. OSX player OTG.

so you have to reprogram the ir remote with the mira app?

 

[Krutsch]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/752708/what-are-the-basics-to-set-up-a-headless-mac-mini

Hey guys,

I started the thread above to get info on how to set up a headless Mac Mini. There has been virtually no response. I believe I've read in this thread somewhere along the way that some of you are using this sort of setup. Could some of you comment in that thread if you have any pointers. I'm trying out VNC now with a MacBook Pro, so I have that part figured out.

Thanks,

I've been doing this for years.
 
I have one Mac Mini as a dedicated music player physically located with my 2-channel system and a second Mac Mini as a DLNA / OpenHome music and video server/streamer.
 
The advantage to using a Mac Mini as a playback appliance is:
 
1) it looks nice (IMO);
 
2) it's dead quiet, when dedicated for music use (I am referring to fan or HDD ambient noise, not audiophoolery stuff

 );
 
3) you can use iTunes for management, playlists, et al., and simply sync your laptop copy onto the Mac Mini's internal or external storage, avoiding maintenance of a separate library;
 
4) iOS devices w/ the Apple Remote app make an elegant and family-friendly control point; I use the Android app "Retune";
 
5) multi-room playback with Airplay (assuming Airport devices in other rooms).
 
Your choice of Amarra as your playback engine is not something I have any experience with, so not sure I can help, but I think that excludes 3/4/5 from the above. However, you can, of course, use your MacBook and "Share Screen" access to drive things that way, but I find that awkward for anything but maintenance tasks.
 
There are practical issues, as well, using a headless Mac Mini with a system that includes an outboard DAC that may be powered-off, from time-to-time. Also, you will want to disable lots of things to ensure that when you want listen to music, you can do that without needing to attend to the Mac Mini itself.
 
My recommendation: use Audirvana+ in iTunes integration mode, be aware of which ports you are connecting to your DAC and any external storage. Google is your friend, here, and is dependent upon the Mac Mini model.
 
As always, YMMV, and let us know if you have questions.

 

[Yoga]

Audirvana Plus 2.0.9 is the best I've heard on the Mac.
 
I use it in standalone mode. It automatically stops/starts specific services when in use, buffers tracks to RAM to play, direct/integer modes.
 
Best of all, clarity and separation - wow. This latest (I think) version has really improved the sound.
 
Tried: Fidelia, BitPerfect, J River, Amarra 

 

[bpcans]

Audirvana Plus 2.0.9 is the best I've heard on the Mac.

I use it in standalone mode. It automatically stops/starts specific services when in use, buffers tracks to RAM to play, direct/integer modes.

Best of all, clarity and separation - wow. This latest (I think) version has really improved the sound.

Tried: Fidelia, BitPerfect, J River, Amarra 

Yoga, I'm going to agree with you about A+ 2.0.9 having the best sound through my MBP. Yes, clarity and seperstion is very good.

 

[Solrighal]

Can anyone explain why so many Mac players don't allow navigation by folder tree? I really liked the demo of Swinsian but I dropped a line to the developer asking if he had any plans to introduce folder navigation and got a rather pompous, curt reply that it wouldn't be happening. I mean, why not? What harm would it do? My music is all organised neatly in a proper folder structure and it's all for nothing. I use JRiver right now but although it sounds great it doesn't half look ugly.

There's surely a market for a Mac Foobar equivalent.

 

[crazychile]

 
I've been doing this for years.
 
I have one Mac Mini as a dedicated music player physically located with my 2-channel system and a second Mac Mini as a DLNA / OpenHome music and video server/streamer.
 
The advantage to using a Mac Mini as a playback appliance is:
 
1) it looks nice (IMO);
 
2) it's dead quiet, when dedicated for music use (I am referring to fan or HDD ambient noise, not audiophoolery stuff

 );
 
3) you can use iTunes for management, playlists, et al., and simply sync your laptop copy onto the Mac Mini's internal or external storage, avoiding maintenance of a separate library;
 
4) iOS devices w/ the Apple Remote app make an elegant and family-friendly control point; I use the Android app "Retune";
 
5) multi-room playback with Airplay (assuming Airport devices in other rooms).
 
Your choice of Amarra as your playback engine is not something I have any experience with, so not sure I can help, but I think that excludes 3/4/5 from the above. However, you can, of course, use your MacBook and "Share Screen" access to drive things that way, but I find that awkward for anything but maintenance tasks.
 
There are practical issues, as well, using a headless Mac Mini with a system that includes an outboard DAC that may be powered-off, from time-to-time. Also, you will want to disable lots of things to ensure that when you want listen to music, you can do that without needing to attend to the Mac Mini itself.
 
My recommendation: use Audirvana+ in iTunes integration mode, be aware of which ports you are connecting to your DAC and any external storage. Google is your friend, here, and is dependent upon the Mac Mini model.
 
As always, YMMV, and let us know if you have questions.

Thanks Krutsch. I was aware of most of the benefits you mention. I already own 2 older Mini's, including one from 2006 when I first decided I wanted a music server. I've been using iTunes since then and have only in the last 3 months, tried other players like Fidelia, Amarra and Audirvana.
 
My music library (currently using a MacBook Pro with external HD) is on my dedicated headphone rig. With wife and kids I sadly don't have the room for a dedicated 2 channel rig any more. And I don't share my library with  the other TV/Audio systems in the house. So I'm looking for a new Mini to replace my MacBook Pro because the MBP is 5 yrs old and I get tired of disconnecting everything when I need to use the MBP on the go.
 
I'm not looking to tweak the new system like I've read on other forums, where guys go nuts and start pulling unnecessary parts from their Mini, Use external PS' and fans, shield everything, etc. I just want to configure a good sounding computer based headphone rig without turning modding minis into a second hobby.
 
I sit about 8 ft from my current rig, and since I have a long headphone cable, I just started using my iPad with VNC as a remote control. I had planned on using this same type of set up when I get a new Mini.
 
What I don't know is how to configure ports and shut things off in the OS for the best sound quality. I've seen some old posts on the subject but I' not sure about how much of the info still applies with the latest Minis. I did a trial run with Audirvana a couple of months ago and liked the sound. If it gives me advantages sonically over Amarra with additional menu options to disable unneeded things, I'd be up for using it as my main playback SW.
 
Thanks,

 

[Krutsch]

 
Thanks Krutsch. I was aware of most of the benefits you mention.
 
<snip, snip>
 
So I'm looking for a new Mini to replace my MacBook Pro because the MBP is 5 yrs old and I get tired of disconnecting everything when I need to use the MBP on the go.
 
I'm not looking to tweak the new system like I've read on other forums, where guys go nuts and start pulling unnecessary parts from their Mini, Use external PS' and fans, shield everything, etc. I just want to configure a good sounding computer based headphone rig without turning modding minis into a second hobby.
 
I sit about 8 ft from my current rig, and since I have a long headphone cable, I just started using my iPad with VNC as a remote control. I had planned on using this same type of set up when I get a new Mini.
 
What I don't know is how to configure ports and shut things off in the OS for the best sound quality. I've seen some old posts on the subject but I' not sure about how much of the info still applies with the latest Minis. I did a trial run with Audirvana a couple of months ago and liked the sound. If it gives me advantages sonically over Amarra with additional menu options to disable unneeded things, I'd be up for using it as my main playback SW.
 
Thanks,

 
I'll try to address your questions w/o turning this into a blog post 

 
You don't need to go nuts tweaking a newer Mac Mini (linear PS, shielding, et al., won't be as useful as mitigating USB drop-outs, preventing automated tasks from interrupting playback and ensuring everything happens in RAM).
 
Also, don't freak out about using an SSD. What many people don't realize is that (a) they can contribute as much, or more, electric noise as spinning rust and (b) with enough RAM in your Mini, for music playback, the improved latency performance is mostly meaningless; and, they are expensive and are statistically no more reliable. If you have one, cool, but spend the extra $$ on RAM.
 
Here's my short checklist:
 
1) Add as much RAM as you are comfortable purchasing (at LEAST 8GB, however) - this minimizes internal HDD access, since all that extra RAM becomes a giant disc cache, and this allows your music player (e.g. Audirvana) to buffer ahead the music files;
 
2) Connect your external USB DAC to a USB port that is isolated - i.e. not sharing a USB bus controller with internal or external devices (see below, but be aware that your bluetooth radios and IR receivers use USB internally for I/O); use Google to pick the correct port for your Mac Mini model (e.g. for my Mac Mini Early 2009, I have an external USB HDD on port #1 and the DAC on port #4, since each of these have dedicated USB controllers, not shared with other internal devices);
 
*It took a while to understand the value of the above exercise; I experimented with a Schiit Wyrd, but only proper port placement finally removed all of my glitches during playback.
 
3) Disable Wi-Fi (if you can, use wired Ethernet) - this doesn't actually disable the radio itself, but prevents wireless activity - I personally use the Wi-Fi connection, and it's fine for my system;
 
4) Disable Bluetooth (once you have setup screen sharing with your MBP);
 
5) Make sure your Screen Saver is set to 'never' come on;
 
6) Uncheck 'put hard disk to sleep when possible' - your HDD spinning up again can pause other processes and cause drop-outs;
 
7) Set your computer and display sleep settings to never - screw the environment, you want glitch-free playback;
 
8) Disable App Store auto-updates (and do the same thing with Audirvana+ auto-updating) - just just manually, when you get around to updating your library;
 
Finally, for disabling Mac OS processes, use Audirvana+ - this will auto-disable things like TImeMachine, iOS device detection on the USB ports and jack-up the process priority.
 
I heartily recommend using A+ in iTunes integration mode and using Apple's Remote App to control music playback, but VNC will work, as well.
 
If you do all of the above, you will have drop-out / glitch-free playback and it will just work when you want to sit down and listen to music.

 

[Krutsch]

^^^ Something I forgot to mention: the outboard DAC.
 
One advantage to using Audirvana+ is that it will re-connect to your outboard DAC, if it is powered down and then powered back-up. So, you turn everything off, except the Mac Mini and then turn everything back on.
 
Other players (e.g. Bitperfect) won't do this and you will find your music suddenly coming out of the Mac Mini's internal speaker 

 
A+ seems to correctly recall the preferred DAC and re-connect to it, if it's on when starting / re-starting playback.
 
Another way to solve the same problem it to use an external USB-to-SPDIF converter. This items is powered by the Mac Mini's USB output and, hence, is always on. This approach is the cleanest and, IMO, also improves the sound of just about any DAC. But, it costs more if you use a a quality component (I personally use a Bel Canto mLink).

 

[crazychile]

^^^ Something I forgot to mention: the outboard DAC.

One advantage to using Audirvana+ is that it will re-connect to your outboard DAC, if it is powered down and then powered back-up. So, you turn everything off, except the Mac Mini and then turn everything back on.

Other players (e.g. Bitperfect) won't do this and you will find your music suddenly coming out of the Mac Mini's internal speaker :eek:

A+ seems to correctly recall the preferred DAC and re-connect to it, if it's on when starting / re-starting playback.

Another way to solve the same problem it to use an external USB-to-SPDIF converter. This items is powered by the Mac Mini's USB output and, hence, is always on. This approach is the cleanest and, IMO, also improves the sound of just about any DAC. But, it costs more if you use a a quality component (I personally use a Bel Canto mLink).

Thanks Krutsch for this and the previous post. Very informative! Especially the SSD tip, as I could jump to 16gb RAM for about what I'd spend to upgrade to SSD. I

 

[bixby]

   
I'll try to address your questions w/o turning this into a blog post 

 
You don't need to go nuts tweaking a newer Mac Mini (linear PS, shielding, et al., won't be as useful as mitigating USB drop-outs, preventing automated tasks from interrupting playback and ensuring everything happens in RAM).
 
Also, don't freak out about using an SSD. What many people don't realize is that (a) they can contribute as much, or more, electric noise as spinning rust and (b) with enough RAM in your Mini, for music playback, the improved latency performance is mostly meaningless; and, they are expensive and are statistically no more reliable. If you have one, cool, but spend the extra $$ on RAM.
 
Here's my short checklist:
 
1) Add as much RAM as you are comfortable purchasing (at LEAST 8GB, however) - this minimizes internal HDD access, since all that extra RAM becomes a giant disc cache, and this allows your music player (e.g. Audirvana) to buffer ahead the music files;
 
2) Connect your external USB DAC to a USB port that is isolated - i.e. not sharing a USB bus controller with internal or external devices (see below, but be aware that your bluetooth radios and IR receivers use USB internally for I/O); use Google to pick the correct port for your Mac Mini model (e.g. for my Mac Mini Early 2009, I have an external USB HDD on port #1 and the DAC on port #4, since each of these have dedicated USB controllers, not shared with other internal devices);
 
*It took a while to understand the value of the above exercise; I experimented with a Schiit Wyrd, but only proper port placement finally removed all of my glitches during playback.
 
3) Disable Wi-Fi (if you can, use wired Ethernet) - this doesn't actually disable the radio itself, but prevents wireless activity - I personally use the Wi-Fi connection, and it's fine for my system;
 
4) Disable Bluetooth (once you have setup screen sharing with your MBP);
 
5) Make sure your Screen Saver is set to 'never' come on;
 
6) Uncheck 'put hard disk to sleep when possible' - your HDD spinning up again can pause other processes and cause drop-outs;
 
7) Set your computer and display sleep settings to never - screw the environment, you want glitch-free playback;
 
8) Disable App Store auto-updates (and do the same thing with Audirvana+ auto-updating) - just just manually, when you get around to updating your library;
 
Finally, for disabling Mac OS processes, use Audirvana+ - this will auto-disable things like TImeMachine, iOS device detection on the USB ports and jack-up the process priority.
 
I heartily recommend using A+ in iTunes integration mode and using Apple's Remote App to control music playback, but VNC will work, as well.
 
If you do all of the above, you will have drop-out / glitch-free playback and it will just work when you want to sit down and listen to music.

These are very good tips!  Here are some more:
 
http://www.co-bw.com/Audio_OSX_Optimal_Audio.htm
 
And I have adopted some more when you run out of things to do

 

[crazychile]

Thanks Bixby, I knew a lot of those but there was still some stuff in there I didn't know.
 
Krutsch (or anyone else with a headless Mac,)
 
 
1. Do you think there might be any advantage between the basic Mini (1.4 GHz) and the 2.6GHz model for my use? The 2.6 has "better" graphics, but I'm not going to use that. -But could one be noisier than the other? I was wondering if the faster processor would have any advantage over the slower, assuming I'll do 16GB of RAM either way. This Mini will only be used as a music server. Nothing else. There's about $100 difference between the two models once I configure my options.
 
2. On your Mac Mini, did you do the display dongle mod where the resistor is added to trick the Mini into thinking a display is connected? Or was that only necessary on older models?
 
3. Have you tried a Thunderbolt External HD? This is supposed to help with the speed, but if you have 16GB of RAM, is it really necessary?....But then there's also the advantage of not using another USB port.
 
My thoughts were to buy a Mini with 16GB of RAM, run the USB or Toslink to my Schiit Bifrost Uber DAC. (I don't have any Hi-rez material - .wav only so Toslink is sufficient). Then shut off Bluetooth and WiFi and run an Airport 10 ft away from the Mini and connect via Ethernet. I will have to use USB for a Superdrive, for loading new CD's, but I could disconnect it when not in use.
 
Since Apple ditched Firewire, I'd have to connect my existing HD via USB, but my plan was to upgrade to a Thunderbolt drive in the future.
 
So theoretically, if I go with a Thunderbolt HD, I could avoid USB completely except when loading CD's to iTunes.
 
What do you think about this plan?

 

[Krutsch]

  Thanks Bixby, I knew a lot of those but there was still some stuff in there I didn't know.
 
Krutsch (or anyone else with a headless Mac,)
 
1. Do you think there might be any advantage between the basic Mini (1.4 GHz) and the 2.6GHz model for my use? The 2.6 has "better" graphics, but I'm not going to use that. -But could one be noisier than the other? I was wondering if the faster processor would have any advantage over the slower, assuming I'll do 16GB of RAM either way. This Mini will only be used as a music server. Nothing else. There's about $100 difference between the two models once I configure my options.

 
Either one will work, just fine. Faster doesn't hurt; I am running a 2009 version with a Core Duo (i.e. s-l-o-w-w-w-) with 8 GB of RAM with the latest version of iTunes and Audirvana, and everything works just fine (assuming my previous instructions above).
 

 2. On your Mac Mini, did you do the display dongle mod where the resistor is added to trick the Mini into thinking a display is connected? Or was that only necessary on older models?

 
See my answer to #1. You really don't need ultimate/peak performance for your Mac Mini as a music server, so I don't know what the point would be to adding the display dongle mod.
 

3. Have you tried a Thunderbolt External HD? This is supposed to help with the speed, but if you have 16GB of RAM, is it really necessary?....But then there's also the advantage of not using another USB port.

 
No, I haven't, because T-bolt drives are stupidly expensive. A USB 3.0 HDD will be bottle-necked by the physical disc (no where near the USB 3.0 interface performance specs; the same is true for thunderbolt). Remember, this is a music server, not a 4K video streamer.
 
If your Mac Mini only has a single USB controller, one could see a benefit in this case. Make sure your DAC is isolated and place the HDD on the "other" controller, if necessary. I haven't researched the USB controller issue with the newest Mac Mini machines.
 

My thoughts were to buy a Mini with 16GB of RAM, run the USB or Toslink to my Schiit Bifrost Uber DAC. (I don't have any Hi-rez material - .wav only so Toslink is sufficient). Then shut off Bluetooth and WiFi and run an Airport 10 ft away from the Mini and connect via Ethernet. I will have to use USB for a Superdrive, for loading new CD's, but I could disconnect it when not in use.
 
Since Apple ditched Firewire, I'd have to connect my existing HD via USB, but my plan was to upgrade to a Thunderbolt drive in the future.
 
So theoretically, if I go with a Thunderbolt HD, I could avoid USB completely except when loading CD's to iTunes.
 
What do you think about this plan?

 
The TOSLINK connection to the DAC might be a great plan - a lot of folks will poo-poo that, but I've found optical from a Mac to work extremely well; it does a nice job of isolating machine noise (if you are worried about that stuff) and if all you have is Redbook, you are good to go. Try both USB and TOSLINK and see which one you like best; should be easy to A/B.
 
All sounds like a good starting point. Have fun and don't overthink things.