Hush Media PCs

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[quote user="al7478"][quote user="Solomon1"]The audiocard you named is really nice, but and that's a BIG BUT- it's designed to fit in a tower pc. To keep such a thing quiet you probably need to go for water cooling....[/quote] To keep the card quiet, or just to keep a tower pc quiet full stop, you mean?[/quote]I meant the system the card slots into- that is the motherboard, the videocard, processor fan, fan to keep the dvd-drive cool etc. They all add up to the noise. It can only be avoided using laptop parts like in the mac mini or by watercooling.
 

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[quote user="Solomon1"][quote user="al7478"][quote user="Solomon1"]The audiocard you named is really nice, but and that's a BIG BUT- it's designed to fit in a tower pc. To keep such a thing quiet you probably need to go for water cooling....[/quote] To keep the card quiet, or just to keep a tower pc quiet full stop, you mean?[/quote]I meant the system the card slots into- that is the videocard, processor fan, fan to keep the dvd-drive cool etc. They all add up to the noise. It can only be avoided using laptop parts like in the mac mini or by watercooling.[/quote]

Right, the system as a whole then, and not just the addition of a soundcard. I have to beg to differ - my Dell is the quietest ive ever had - not silent, but not much louder than the sky+ box when i switch everything off (except the pc, obviously) and have some peace and quiet. Thats partly why i was interested in the Hush machines, as i need to ensure that whatever i get is no louder than the Dell. Not having a fan at all would worry me, for obvious overheating reasons.
 

fr0g

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[quote user="Solomon1"][quote user="professorhat"]The Mini Mac is a great size to fit under the TV though! Seriously though, have a look and decide for yourself.[/quote]Agree.Frog, you basically said you don't like macs. Fair enough, but your comments so far are merely pointed at what's wrong with the mac mini, while you don't own it and thus have no experience with it. Furthermore you haven't named a worthy alternative. The audiocard you named is really nice, but and that's a BIG BUT- it's designed to fit in a tower pc. To keep such a thing quiet you probably need to go for water cooling...and it still leaves you with a hulk of a machine. They only other choice to keep it cool and thus quiet is selecting laptop parts or buying a laptop- this both goes for a system based on windows os or apple os. The new windows os -vista- is notorious for it's high demands on hardware, which is like saying in other words that on the same hardware, it's slow.Since a media pc is mainly aimed at producing music and movies well, the mac will do more then good enough. I mean, even some hifi manufacturers swear by it! See the avi hifi website for this. A pc needs to be assembled, thus will never look as nice, is probably just as expensive- or more as it needs higher specced hardware just to start up and run properly. Many windows customers have gone BACK to XP as they found it worked better- buying a mac still leaves you the option of installing the system you know -windows XP- on it AND enjoy the benefits of a smoother operating media system.[/quote]

I agree. I was a little harsh. The Mac Mini is in fact a perfect media centre option. Underpowered and specced for the price, but looks the part and has a decent onboard sound.
I dont hate Macs by the way. They are just overpriced IMO. Same with Sony windows PCs
I do hate iTunes though , awful program.

Personally if I was going to build a new media centre pc I would use a small form factor micro or mini ATX, and under spec the CPU, and gfx, use a low wattage power supply, and install Ubuntu linux. But that isnt a good idea for nonù-techies..
 

Alec

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[quote user="fr0g"][quote user="Solomon1"][quote user="professorhat"]The Mini Mac is a great size to fit under the TV though! Seriously though, have a look and decide for yourself.[/quote]Agree.Frog, you basically said you don't like macs. Fair enough, but your comments so far are merely pointed at what's wrong with the mac mini, while you don't own it and thus have no experience with it. Furthermore you haven't named a worthy alternative. The audiocard you named is really nice, but and that's a BIG BUT- it's designed to fit in a tower pc. To keep such a thing quiet you probably need to go for water cooling...and it still leaves you with a hulk of a machine. They only other choice to keep it cool and thus quiet is selecting laptop parts or buying a laptop- this both goes for a system based on windows os or apple os. The new windows os -vista- is notorious for it's high demands on hardware, which is like saying in other words that on the same hardware, it's slow.Since a media pc is mainly aimed at producing music and movies well, the mac will do more then good enough. I mean, even some hifi manufacturers swear by it! See the avi hifi website for this. A pc needs to be assembled, thus will never look as nice, is probably just as expensive- or more as it needs higher specced hardware just to start up and run properly. Many windows customers have gone BACK to XP as they found it worked better- buying a mac still leaves you the option of installing the system you know -windows XP- on it AND enjoy the benefits of a smoother operating media system.[/quote]

I agree. I was a little harsh. The Mac Mini is in fact a perfect media centre option. Underpowered and specced for the price, but looks the part and has a decent onboard sound.
I dont hate Macs by the way. They are just overpriced IMO. Same with Sony windows PCs
I do hate iTunes though , awful program.

Personally if I was going to build a new media centre pc I would use a small form factor micro or mini ATX, and under spec the CPU, and gfx, use a low wattage power supply, and install Ubuntu linux. But that isnt a good idea for nonù-techies..[/quote]

This is the thing - i am indeed a non-techy (by WHFS&V forum standards - its all relative). I'm concerned about adding more than what i already have in my current setup, which is why the pc seems ideal, as long as i can keep it quiet enough. I'm also concerned about what happens if anything goes wrong with an Apple, or if it isnt up to the home pc job (if it were a replacement for my pc and not an addition). On the other hand, i like the look of the interface, am confident (as so many people say it) that itll keep quiet and give good sound, and glad it can work on my TV too, with a purpose made remote. I'm still open to persuasion, and if i sound argumentative (tho i hope i dont) thats just so people will do what they can to persuade me either way ;)
 

Alec

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P.S. some of the issues i cant really explain very well - be geat if i could post pics of my system but ive no camera, and i dont know how anyway. Mind...a mate has just got a new digital one - might have a word...
 

Alec

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I have done further investigation. Im now seriously considering a mac mini. Not as a replacement for my pc, mind, just as a music server. Just have a few questions for the enlightened before i take the plunge. 1) People say it sounds good, but how/why? You see, no mention has been made in anything ive read to exactly what sound chip (or whatever) it runs?; 2) Could it connect easily to a DAC lke the beresford come such time...? Will the remote let me organise/create playlists and delete files etc...? Indeed, can i get away with having only the remote to control it if im not concerned with using it for real computing?; 3) Can i rip straight to it...? And what formats does it natively use? And will it rip as well as, say EAC? How would i carry all my music over from my pc...? Sorry, i know these are all very basic questions, but better safe...yadayadayada...!
 

professorhat

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I'll give you what I know:

[quote user="al7478"] 1) People say it sounds good, but how/why?[/quote]

It's audio line output is a combined optical / headphone out meaning you can use a mini toslink / sp/dif toslink cable to hook it up to the DAC of your choice.

[quote user="al7478"]2) Will the remote let me organise/create playlists and delete files etc...? Indeed, can i get away with having only the remote to control it if im not concerned with using it for real computing?[/quote]

Nope. You could connect to it from your normal PC though using a VNC based remote control software (can give you more details if you need them). This avoids having to have mouse and keyboard attached to it, just a network connection. The network connection could be wireless if you get this installed when you buy it.

[quote user="al7478"]3) Can i rip straight to it...? And what formats does it natively use? And will it rip as well as, say EAC? How would i carry all my music over from my pc...?[/quote]

Yes, you can rip straight to it. It comes with iTunes as default which will give you Apple Lossless as your best option, but you're welcome to use other software available for download. I don't know of any (as I use iTunes for party listening and iPod, not Hi-Fi). To get music over from your PC, just copy it over - you can enable Windows Sharing on your Mac which lets you access the Mac's hard drive from your PC over the network.
 

Alec

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[quote user="professorhat"]
I'll give you what I know:

[quote user="al7478"] 1) People say it sounds good, but how/why?[/quote]

It's audio line output is a combined optical / headphone out meaning you can use a mini toslink / sp/dif toslink cable to hook it up to the DAC of your choice.

[quote user="al7478"]2) Will the remote let me organise/create playlists and delete files etc...? Indeed, can i get away with having only the remote to control it if im not concerned with using it for real computing?[/quote]

Nope. You could connect to it from your normal PC though using a VNC based remote control software (can give you more details if you need them). This avoids having to have mouse and keyboard attached to it, just a network connection. The network connection could be wireless if you get this installed when you buy it.

[quote user="al7478"]3) Can i rip straight to it...? And what formats does it natively use? And will it rip as well as, say EAC? How would i carry all my music over from my pc...?[/quote]

Yes, you can rip straight to it. It comes with iTunes as default which will give you Apple Lossless as your best option, but you're welcome to use other software available for download. I don't know of any (as I use iTunes for party listening and iPod, not Hi-Fi). To get music over from your PC, just copy it over - you can enable Windows Sharing on your Mac which lets you access the Mac's hard drive from your PC over the network.
[/quote]

Many thanks. I need to ask a bit more tho. Sorry. Can i just use an ethernet lead to copy songs over from my pc? Or use an external hdd? How would i connect it to my pc's keyboard and mouse for creating playlists...? Finally, someone has just asked me something thats made me doubt the amp connection. How would i do that...? Basically, i just want to use it as a music server with as little faffing with networks as possible.
 

professorhat

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No worries!

[quote user="al7478"]Can i just use an ethernet lead to copy songs over from my pc? Or use an external hdd?[/quote]

Yes - either.

[quote user="al7478"]How would i connect it to my pc's keyboard and mouse for creating playlists...?[/quote]

Assuming you have a USB keyboard and mouse, you can just plug these into the Mini Mac. If you want to control the Mac from your PC, there is a program called VNC Viewer which you can run on your PC (which is free) and you then enable "Apple Remote Desktop". By opening VNC Viewer, you can then remote control the Mini Mac from your PC.

[quote user="al7478"]Finally, someone has just asked me something thats made me doubt the amp connection. How would i do that...?[/quote]

Not sure I fully understand this. If you're hooking the Mini Mac to an external DAC, this would obviously hook into your amp in the normal way. If you're hooking the Mini Mac straight into your amp, you can just use a standard 3.5mm Minijack to RCA phono lead.
 

Alec

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OK, their keyboards and mice look a bit pricey, but if i could buy any old usb one (my current one isnt) and connect it maybe thats ok. I dont want to get much more than the basic unit you see. Ive got files on my pc, but after copying these onto it, later ill want to re-rip everything (some stuff isnt the greatest quality). However, am i right in thinking that the software you refer to would allow me to make playlists for it using my pc keyboard and mouse? Would this require a network connection from mac mini to pc (or an ethernet connection)?
 
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I run an Aopen XCcube AV PC (Windows XP Media Center Edition) alongside a Mac Mini. They share a 24" Benq 1920 x 1200 monitor, a Logitech MX Revolution mouse and DiNovo Edge keyboard (which also finds it's way into the front room for Playstation duties) - I also don't rate the Mac mouse and keyboard.

The PC was innitially bought for media duties but the Mac has now totally taken over (I also run Elgato's EyeTv on it) so my PC has become just that - a PC. Try not to compare Mac and PC specs. Mac's have always appeared less powerful but their 'architecture' and O/S have always been more efficient than Windows PCs. Power hungry Vista being a case in point.

True, like for like, a Mac is about twice the price of a PC but then anybody can build a PC. Only Apple can build Macs so they can effectively charge what they like. After being a Mac owner you will begin to soften to Bill Gates!!.

If you are reluctant to give up your PC then VMware Fusion is a nifty piece of software that will allow you to run Vista, XP Linux or whatever on your Mac as a 'guest' O/S. In effect you are running 2 computers inside 1 machine. Better still, those nasty bugs, crashes and viruses that PCs sometimes attract cannot work their way onto your Mac.

Just a thought.
 

professorhat

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[quote user="al7478"]OK, their keyboards and mice look a bit pricey, but if i could buy any old usb one (my current one isnt) and connect it maybe thats ok.[/quote]

Any old USB keyboard and mouse will do.

[quote user="al7478"]However, am i right in thinking that the software you refer to would allow me to make playlists for it using my pc keyboard and mouse? Would this require a network connection from mac mini to pc (or an ethernet connection)?[/quote]

We're getting into territory I'm unfamiliar with now, so I need to be careful! However, using a normal USB keyboard and mouse, you operate the Mac Mini like any other Mac. So you could rip CDs, make playlists etc. just as you would on a standard Mac. However, I'm not sure exactly how Front Row operates (as my Mini Mac was one of the original beasts before Front Row came with it) - therefore it may not pick these up from whichever bit of software you choose to manage your music. I know there are alternatives around though, one I know of is equinix MediaCentral which is an alternative to Front Row that may fulfill these needs.

Basically, you're limited by whatever software operates on Mac OS X. When it comes to music, this is a lot of choice.

[quote user="david1997"]If you are reluctant to give up your PC then VMware Fusion is a nifty piece of software that will allow you to run Vista, XP Linux or whatever on your Mac as a 'guest' O/S.[/quote]

Yup, I use VMware's products heavily in my professional capacity (I'm a VCP), and I can confirm their products are excellent and work just as they say they do, so this is a good alternative for running both a PC and a Mac. I'm not sure it's something you would want to do on the Mini Mac though, since this isn't really designed for that use and may well run slow (especially if you're trying to run Vista on it!).
 

Alec

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Thanks all. I'll have to sleep on it. I was getting all excited there for a bit but it seems there may be complications. Should be ok once i get to the ripping stage, and transfering files via external hdd seems ok. It also seems pretty easy to connect a dac, amp, then amp to speakers as usual, tho as everyone will have gathered by now, im not good with connections. Am i right so far about that presenting no real problem...? But playlists would need to be made, so id need to connect a usb mouse 'n' keyboard, and sit virtually on the telly (im a wheelchair user tho, so i shouldnt think thats a problem ;) ). Thing is, id need to do that every time a change needed to be made. Still leaning toward pc, but i could, more than ever, be persuaded to get a mac mini purely for music duties.
 

PJPro

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If you can get hold of a camera, I've updated my Post Formatting thread to include images. See here.
It is easy to do. Just need to setup an account with somene to host your photos.
 

John Duncan

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Sorry to throw something else into the mix here, but if you're only going to use the mac mini as a PC, wouldn't an Apple TV be a better (cheaper) bet, and continue to use your PC (either existing or replacement) as your computer? You get the same nice user interface, but it's at least half the price.
 

fr0g

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[quote user="al7478"]Thanks all. I'll have to sleep on it. I was getting all excited there for a bit but it seems there may be complications. Should be ok once i get to the ripping stage, and transfering files via external hdd seems ok. It also seems pretty easy to connect a dac, amp, then amp to speakers as usual, tho as everyone will have gathered by now, im not good with connections. Am i right so far about that presenting no real problem...? But playlists would need to be made, so id need to connect a usb mouse 'n' keyboard, and sit virtually on the telly (im a wheelchair user tho, so i shouldnt think thats a problem ;) ). Thing is, id need to do that every time a change needed to be made. Still leaning toward pc, but i could, more than ever, be persuaded to get a mac mini purely for music duties.[/quote]

Of course Macs dont make it easy to use FLAC files either. They want you to use their proprietary codec .
 

John Duncan

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[quote user="fr0g"]Of course Macs dont make it easy to use FLAC files either. They want you to use their proprietary codec .[/quote]

If you want to use front row and iTunes, yeah, but Apple Lossless is great and equivalent (theoretically). Just depends on what you intend to do with it post-rip - if the set up described above is the only one, there's no real disadvantage in Apple lossless, is there?
 

fr0g

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[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="fr0g"]Of course Macs dont make it easy to use FLAC files either. They want you to use their proprietary codec .[/quote]

If you want to use front row and iTunes, yeah, but Apple Lossless is great and equivalent (theoretically). Just depends on what you intend to do with it post-rip - if the set up described above is the only one, there's no real disadvantage in Apple lossless, is there?[/quote]

Not directly. But FLAC is becoming somewhat the de facto standard for lossless ripping, can be created via the best ripping software (EAC), and is opensource, and will never be subject to any DRM nonsense. FLAC is more and more supported by a wide range of media players already, and increasing.
Apple lossless is just that Apple lossless.
 

Alec

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Thanks john - no idea about Apple TV so ill have a look. fr0g - Windows doesnt play with flac without tweakes either tho. But you have made me think, and ive just realised flac isnt recognised by nero, and i dont think apple lossless is either. Now, i dont often use it nowadays, but i do need to make the odd cd or data dvd. So that leads me to think that id be better of using a pc to rip to flac then rip separately in high quality mp3, or jsut find a prog thatll do Good Quality mp3 batch conversion from flac.
 

Alec

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[quote user="PJPro"]If you can get hold of a camera, I've updated my Post Formatting thread to include images. See here.
It is easy to do. Just need to setup an account with somene to host your photos.[/quote]

Many thanks for the tip. Could'nt i just upload direct to this site tho? Sorry, that sounds a bit grumbly - only asking tho.
 

John Duncan

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[quote user="fr0g"]Apple lossless is just that Apple lossless.[/quote]

Agreed, but I personally would weigh up between having a de facto standard (desirable, yes) and files that'll play on the things that I want to buy - I for example will stick with Windows and Mac and things that will talk to them, so am not that fussed about universal interoperability, and if it means I can use Apple TV, iPod and Squeezebox (the limits of what I could imagine using), then that'll do for me.
 

fr0g

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[quote user="al7478"]Thanks john - no idea about Apple TV so ill have a look. fr0g - Windows doesnt play with flac without tweakes either tho. But you have made me think, and ive just realised flac isnt recognised by nero, and i dont think apple lossless is either. Now, i dont often use it nowadays, but i do need to make the odd cd or data dvd. So that leads me to think that id be better of using a pc to rip to flac then rip separately in high quality mp3, or jsut find a prog thatll do Good Quality mp3 batch conversion from flac.[/quote]

Windows supports FLAC if you don't use the awful WMP program. I use Winamp.
Pretty sure Nero works ok with FLAC too (maybe need a plugin). But I use free software to do everything that nero does anyway.
 

Alec

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[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="al7478"]Could'nt i just upload direct to this site tho?[/quote]

Nope, has to be hosted somewhere. Flickr or photobox or similar is a good call.[/quote]

OK thanks. Its just I've seen them up here so thought they could, but i understand nothing of such things. John, sorry to need so much wet nursing, but ive just had a quick look at Apple TV. could you give me a quick run down of how itd fit into my system (gear is in my sig, except i have a crt telly, bnut i think a VGA-Scart adaptor would suffice...?)? Also, why does it say i need an itunes account? Should get one of them anyway. the difficult beggars in my avatar are putting out an itunes exclusive ep. I'm unamused, but it might be great!
 

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