Computer Audio Asylum Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

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The devil is in the details

Posted by AbeCollins (A) on November 29, 2024 at 08:58:14

In Reply to: Streaming streamers a(nd digital) musings posted by HiFiOd on November 28, 2024 at 19:30:55:

I've been using Mac Minis as music servers and streamers for well over a decade. I also have dedicated commercial streamers. The Mac Mini with outboard DAC sounds just fine. It replaced my Accuphase CD player years ago.

The devil is in the details.

What resolution is your Apple Music streaming set for? Does the Apple Music player do automatic sample rate selection on the Mac? Can Apple Music run in CoreAudio Exclusive Mode? I wouldn't know but these are a few things to check for.

I run Roon Server software on my NAS or Mac Mini. I can also run the Mac Mini as a streamer or I can run my commercial and DIY streamers. The Mini sounds just as good.

These all sound outstanding in my setup:

Mac Mini M1 base 256GB SSD | 8GB RAM
microRendu Streamer
Eversolo Streamer
DIY Rasberry Pi Streamers
Hardwired CAT6A Ethernet throughout

Qobuz hi-res streaming service

Roon software is at the heart of my system but it's not needed to get outstanding sound quality. Just use the streaming App provided by your streaming service. BUT.... I'm not sure if the Apple Music App does a good job at extracting the best sound quality.

Simplified Diagram of my primary audio setup

No CDP. No DVD. No Blu-ray. No TT.

Stream baby, stream!

Control it all with my portable iPad

Edits: 11/29/24

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