[feverfive]

The Mac mini does look interesting but ideally I would like a way to run without an attached monitor, mouse, and keyboard. When you are running "headless" how are you controlling it?

If you are in Apple's ecosystem, you can, say, use a Macbook Pro via screen-sharing to control the Mac Mini (need to get one of those hdmi-4k thingies to make screen sharing seamless, afaik). I keep kicking around this solution for myself as a Macbook pro user (and soemone who has been in Apple's ecosystem since like 2006)

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Meh.
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That could be right out of Zorba The Greek. (An old movie reference for those who didn't know.)


JC

 

[theeclone]

IMO mpd is getting really good. It's been rock solid for me and sounds great on my raspberry pi with a linear power supply. The mpd maintainer doesn't seem super receptive to certain feature requests (being diplomatic here ), which would bring it more to parity with other solutions, but at least it's open source and in fact seems to form the bedrock for lots of streamer solutions (e.g. Moode, Volumio).

Those solutions have some serious warts, and myMPD is actually a really good front end that reproduces a lot of their functionality. It's a progressive web app and is pretty user friendly.

Still, with straight mpd you have to edit config files in *nix; kind of a no-go for some. Moode and Volumio handle that for you.

I think we need a new open source project built around mpd that will have a certain subset of functionality of roon, focused on us audiophool folks.

In the meantime, if you don't mind reading the docs, and editing config files in a *nix environment, mpd is incredibly powerful, tweakable, and can sound great. It has a plug-in ecosystem that includes qobuz support and with its "satellite setup" acts very much like a roon core and endpoint topology, in my case the pi being the endpoint, and a minipc being the core.

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

The Mac mini does look interesting but ideally I would like a way to run without an attached monitor, mouse, and keyboard. When you are running "headless" how are you controlling it?

Option 1: Apple's own screen sharing feature
Option 2: Microsoft's Remote Desktop thing
Option 3: wireless mouse and keyboard that can disappear in a drawer when not needed, and an HDMI cable to your TV, if one is nearby

I'm using a mix of options 1 and 3.

 

[pearccm]

Option 1: Apple's own screen sharing feature
Option 2: Microsoft's Remote Desktop thing
Option 3: wireless mouse and keyboard that can disappear in a drawer when not needed, and an HDMI cable to your TV, if one is nearby

I'm using a mix of options 1 and 3.

The Mac mini does look interesting but ideally I would like a way to run without an attached monitor, mouse, and keyboard. When you are running "headless" how are you controlling it?

I run Roon core on a Mac Mini in my home and I can log in and control the Mini if need be via an iPhone app callled Screens. For controlling Roon I use their dedicated remote app but you need Screens to remote into the Mini and perform Roon updates, deal with app crashes, Mac OS updates, etc. Works great, no keyboard, mouse, or monitor.

 

[Vtsailor]

What was I thinking to give those away?? I need to stop being kind to people, now I am busy building things like this in my spare time and one woman took six items lol. Finnegan and I are barely keeping up.

I’m working up my courage to try one with nesting curves (think Ying/Yang) like Fine Woodworking shows. I’ve some wonderful birdseye maple and carpathian elm I think would l nice together…

 

[Roy G. Biv]

I'm looking at an endpoint solution to (probably) replace my Pi/HifIBerry XLR HAT (which is misbehaving)). A mac mini is an attractive option, but what chain are you all using to get music from the Mac USB-C and into your amp? I'll be using Roon.

Thoughts welcome!

What are you using for Roon Core? If you're looking to use a Mac Mini as a core and endpoint it will connect directly to your USB DAC of choice.
If you're only needing a Roon endpoint, Crutchfield has the Bluesound Node at a $150 discount. Expensive compared to some endpoints, cheaper than others.
A cheaper endpoint option would be some of the Wiim devices which have received quite a bit of press lately.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_813NODEBK/Bluesound-NODE-Black.html

 

[LobalWarming]

Same hear and in general they are there to earn money for themselves on a relatively short term - i have a hard time to understand how Spotify did not 'file' any profit; doesn't make sense. The artist is not making money on those platforms, the company is not making profit the subscribers are paying - are there too many free users?, are we just not paying enough fee?, are we fooled? After reading the latest Spotify policy change ... I think it is a doomed business model (except for the one that can sell it on-time)

Spotify made lots of money - from the VC startup gangs - for themselves, not the 'talent'. But when money was no longer free... well...

...it gets worse...



Of course, Benn saw this coming...

 

[Rensek]

So I have a Pi 3 or 3b with a digi one or allo boss hat (i can't recall which). I didnt like the UI of the software I tried.

What would be better?

Subscribing to Roon, and using the pi and hat as an roon endpoint, controlling with the roon app and my ipad?

Or

Selling my Pi, not subscribing to Roon and buying a Bluesound Node 2 or a Cambridge Audio MXN10, using either app through my ipad?

 

[Vtsailor]

I'm looking at an endpoint solution to (probably) replace my Pi/HifIBerry XLR HAT (which is misbehaving)). A mac mini is an attractive option, but what chain are you all using to get music from the Mac USB-C and into your amp? I'll be using Roon.

Thoughts welcome!

My setup is very simple: USB out of the Mac Mini to Bifrost II to Freya S to my power amp and speakers. To play the music I use iTunes. I used to use Audivarna? but lost the license file somewhere and haven’t bothered to get it back.

 

[Moondog55]

My buddy, Xana, after sitting on the porch listening to some good Schiit.

 

[Luckyleo]

On the streaming thing, I agree with the consensus here, I don't trust streaming. It's renting, and I'd rather pay to own. I usually buy CD first, rip it to NAS and listen digital for a while. If it's a great album, or an okay album that gets it's hooks in me, then I invest in a copy on vinyl. This has been my model for 20-ish years now since I bought my first turntable in 2002-ish (I'm young enough to have been raised on cassettes then CD's, then vinyl last, not first).

But this led to an interesting counter point to the "owning my music" train of thought. Theft. My last move when I left active duty navy and moved from Seattle to Houston in 2019, I let movers take most of my stuff, but the high value stuff I put in a u-haul trailer and towed it behind my truck. I have learned my lesson with movers and sticky fingers. But then in Oklahoma City, I took my family to get dinner at a nice burger joint and after dinner walked back out to my truck to find the back door of the uhaul had been pulled off at the hinges. They got my TV (insurance paid for a nicer upgrade for the same purchase price) and some other misc electronics that were easily replaceable. But they also got a few boxes that were loaded into the trailer last, to include cleaning out over a third of my vinyl collection. They also got a box full of all my 6922 type tubes for my MJ2 and Vali2. I was devastated. Insurance wouldn't pay any more for the records than 20 bucks per. They said they weren't insured as "antiquities" so 20 bucks was max. I lost out on some really nice jazz to include a prized Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong Porgie and Bess original issue, as well as some indie rock bands that only did one run of their record and couldn't even be found on ebay/discogs.

So now I realize, we really don't own anything, we are just stewards. But as a steward, at least I can make an insurance claim if someone takes it from me, but if amazon decides to de-list it for whatever reason, I'm left with no recourse.

The tubes I was SOL. I had some really nice RCA's, Tesla's, Westinghouse, various JAN stuff, all gone. But it made it an easier decision to move to 6SN7 gear at least since I don't have a carefully curated collection of 6922's going to waste. So now I have a reason to hunt for more and more 6SN7s to build up that collection, which is part of the hobby, I guess.

For me the benefits of using a service like Qobuz is that I find new music all the time. If I read a review of something somewhere I can immediately hear it for my self. For example I was listening to a Jazz/Blues internet radio streaming service from Paris France. I said to myself, I like that tune. Given the Qobuz integration with Roon, I clicked my mouse, the Qobuz album the tune was on came up, and now I'm listening to the whole album. Easy! I have many favorite albumsfrom Qobuz which are stored in "My Library" from Roon. If Qobuz goes away, I will replace them with another streaming service and I don't lose any of my Favs from Qobuz. (Yes, will need to find them on the new service). The ease of use, the number of albums I have via Qobuz, make a monthly subscription tremendously valuable. I would have to buy 20-30 CD's month to equal my Qobuz listening experience. Not cost justified in my opinion (for me.....) YMMV!

 

[Ableza]

Meh.
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As I said, it's not likely anything that individuals need to worry about (unless you operate a sharing service ala Napster) but it can and does impact streaming services and radio stations. Suum Cuique.

 

[Luckyleo]

As a former college professor who taught Copyright law in the business school of San Jose State University, I must remind this august group that when you purchase music or video on any pre-recorded media including digital downloads, you never really "own" the content. What you've purchased is the limited use rights to the content and if the media is physical, the piece of plastic containing the material. The owner of the copyright can, in theory anyway, revoke those use rights at any time.

It's just that they are far, far, far less likely to take that sort of action with a CD or LP or whatever you've purchased than they are with a streaming service or radio station. And with streaming services they are much more likely to force them to offer lower-quality versions if they are not happy with the royalty payments they are receiving, regardless of what you think you have "paid for."

OK, ass-like professor attitude put back in the box where it belongs.

Appreciate this info. Thanks Professor! I had forgotten this, and it is a good reminder to all. I've posted elsewhere, that I will be streaming daily for the foreseeable because for me, the benefits outweigh the downside.

Leo

 

[sixergixer]

A streamer IS a computer and often a very cheap one too. Most often it is kind of a Raspberry Pi in a fancy cabinet with a dazzling display.

I think most of them are moving away from that very basic type of streamer these days. My Cambridge MXN10 is very well engineered, and it functions well and sounds awesome! And even if they are technically computers, it's still a computer with one primary function and the engineering is centered exclusively around that purpose. Faaaaaaaar fewer compromises to good audio than a typical MacBook or Windows offers.