Mac Mini as a Media Center HT & HiFi - thoughts after 6 months of usage

[MrNo]

I set up a combined Home Cinema + Hi Fi system around my Mac Mini. I've been using it more than 6 months, so wanted to share my personal thoughts of such a setup:

Background:

Almost 90% of the time, my sources are digital, I listen to digital music (mostly lossless), I watch mkv files for movies and tv shows. Rarely I watch BD's and play games from PS 3 and also rarely I listen to CD's. So I figured having one source (Mac Mini) for everything would be the logical choice for me.

Also my living room is not large enough to accommodate a separate HT system and a HiFi system.

Equipment and why

Media Source: Mac Mini 2.5GHz i5 dual core (late 2012), 8GB, 500GB HDD

I have a mac book pro, iphone, and ipad - so to make everything work in harmony, Mac Mini was the obvious choice. I never even considered a PC (once you go mac...), and the standalone network players cannot handle the complexity of my music collection (more than 10000 songs, with ratings, playlists, genres etc) - I need my iTunes playlists and flexibility...

The 2.5GHz version is definitely enough for almost all the tasks, but sometimes it's rather slow when it has to do a few things at the same time (itunes match, play movie and download for instance). So sometimes i wonder if I should have gone for the quad core...

I have an external 2TB HDD attached to the Mac mini where I keep all the movies and tv series.

Logitech K811 bluetooth keyboard and apple trackpad to control mac mini directly

Airport express connected to the amplifier to sometimes wirelessly listen to music and podcasts instead of from mac mini

My other components:

Hegel H300 amplifier (connected to Mac via USB)

Pioneer SC 2023 receiver (connected to Mac via HDMI, and connected to Hegel H300 via pre-outs into Hegel’s HT in ports)

CD Player Denon connected directly to Hegel.

Speakers: Front pair Triangle Lyrr, Center: Triangle Voce, Side & Sub: B&W

Software:

iTunes for all music

iTunes Match: That's a must given multiple apple devices to listen to music

Plex for movies and TV shows - this is a no brainer.

Spotify to discover new music

VLC and XBMC for iso files that Plex cannot play

XLD to convert flac files to Apple lossless

Rowmote pro to control the mac mini from iphone and ipad

Remote app in ipad and iphone to control itunes during music play

Screen sharing from macbook pro to sometimes connect to mac mini from another room or just too lazy to lean forward to the logitech keyboard while I have my macbook

VTAudioSwitch: to switch between USB output vs HDMI in Mac Mini

Audirvana Plus: To improve the quality of sound from iTunes

What Works:

Having one system as HT and HiFi was actually a good saving (able to use front speakers as part of HT system and no need for extra players), which I could invest into better quality Amp and Speakers.

Using Mac mini as a source is also a great pleasure – Plex is amazing software to manage HT, and iTunes (even with its flaws) is the best media player available in the market IMHO, to manage a big music library, sync all with iTunes match and play podcasts as well.

The sound quality is awesome when I listen to music, thanks to USB connection from the Mac into the internal DAC of the Hegel amp. I have discovered so many more details in some of the songs that I have known for years.

Challenges:

Changing the sound output of Mac mini and adjusting the input source for the Amp every time I switch from listening to music to watch movies is a hassle in the long term. Same of course vice versa.

Edit: I kinda resolved this problem by changing the sound output setting of Plex to HDMI. So now at least I don't have to fiddle with Mac Mini sound output every time and it's always at USB. However I still have to change the amp input source from USB to Home Theater.

The one annoying thing is that I could not manage to have my Harmony remote manage everything perfectly – there are always problems. For instance it would “wake” Mac Mini but suddenly the music starts to play. It also is not able to change the sound output of Mac Mini, which has to be done manually. At the end I do not use it any more, pity for my investment.

It was also a hassle to have to turn on the receiver every time I wanted to see Mac’s screen (even if I just want to listen to music), however later I found out that it’s possible to adjust “bypass HDMI” when the receiver is off. So now when I just want to listen to music, I just turn on the mac mini and the TV, the receiver just passes the HDMI signal to the TV. The sound is anyway output to the amp directly.

Hope this is useful to anybody with similar concerns. Any input or suggestions are welcome.

 

[BowserWilkens]

Hi there,

it was interesting to get your take on the mac mini.

I picked one up in December last year and threw my entire CD collection into iTunes.

All in all, I'm very happy - the mac works well with my other equipment and fits in nicely.

Sound quality is as good as my old marantz SACD player - my source before going the new fangled music on hard-drive route.I found the optical output from the mac to be the best connection into my 4311; the DAC in the 4311 does the digital to analogue work. However, my mac is connected to my Denon by HDMI as well.

My Denon has two HDMI outs which can cause problems - my TV is 720p & my projector is Full HD 3D - I need to adjust the mac when switching between displays.

I use iTunes exclusively - can using other sound software offer real improvements in sound quality?

Rather than set up a Hifi and Home-Cinema system separately, I am endeavouring to get the best of both worlds in one set up. Have you thought about buying a separate DAC for your mac? I am considering the irDAC from Arcam, the NAD 1050 or the new Denon Dac to place between the mac & the Denon. My other next investment is a power amp specifically intended to drive the front speakers primarily for good stereo sound but also to lessen the load on my Denon when driving all eleven speakers in home cinema.

Not sure whether this will offer the quality of a dedicated amp for stereo as you have but routing everything through the Denon makes life easier.

The only real gripe I have had with the mac mini is its tendency to scramble the appearance of dock icons for no good reason. However, deleting the cache for the Dock resolves this issue easily.

Well fellow mac mini fan, look forward to hearing more about how its treating you & if you have any tips for tuning SQ, feel free to let us know.

:wave:

 

[MrNo]

Hello,

Thanks, here are my comments.

- Why do you need a separate optical connection for music to the same receiver? If you send digital output, hdmi should be sufficient?

- To improve vs the iTunes codecs, I use a software called Audirvana. You can download and try for free for 30 days, just check their website. It integrates with iTunes or can act like a standalone player.

- I didn't buy a separate DAC because Hegel H300 already has an excellent DAC incorporated. I connect to it via USB so that I can control the music (play, prev, next track) directly from the hegel's remote. You might also consider this setup (an integrated amp that also has a DAC, e.g. Hegel H80) as an alternative to your power amp / DAC purchase plan. This will also significantly improve the pre-amp stage. I think Naim also has a similar offering, but I didn't like the looks of it. But indeed it's a bit of an inconvinience, so I'd advice you to test both setups and decide accordingly.

- I didn't have any issues with the dock icons, that sounds strange.

Hope that helps

 

[flashman]

Mr. No,

Thanks for your comments. I am about to pull the trigger on a MacBookAir with 8GB ram and 512GB flash drive, which will act as my music server. I will install Aurivana to ensure better codes from the iTunes interface. I will use USB to lash the MacBook Air to a Hegel H80. I don't know whether the Hegel H300 has a better DAC (probaby does) but I read one online audio reviewer who believed this type of setup is stellar if NOT quite approaching CD quality. He had this to say:

The sound from the amp's DAC, when I plugged into a MacBook Air via USB input, was crystal clear and the music sounded shockingly fresh. Lossless files with, among others, Alison Krauss and Union Station, sounding almost as dynamic and sparkling clear as the original CD. The difference is so marginal that I can easily live with your Mac connected Hegel amplifier most of the time.

I would have thought the setup would have equalled CD quality. Your thoughts on the quality of the USB connection?

Kind regards, Flashman

Hello,

Thanks, here are my comments.

- Why do you need a separate optical connection for music to the same receiver? If you send digital output, hdmi should be sufficient?

- To improve vs the iTunes codecs, I use a software called Audirvana. You can download and try for free for 30 days, just check their website. It integrates with iTunes or can act like a standalone player.

- I didn't buy a separate DAC because Hegel H300 already has an excellent DAC incorporated. I connect to it via USB so that I can control the music (play, prev, next track) directly from the hegel's remote. You might also consider this setup (an integrated amp that also has a DAC, e.g. Hegel H80) as an alternative to your power amp / DAC purchase plan. This will also significantly improve the pre-amp stage. I think Naim also has a similar offering, but I didn't like the looks of it. But indeed it's a bit of an inconvinience, so I'd advice you to test both setups and decide accordingly.

- I didn't have any issues with the dock icons, that sounds strange.

Hope that helps

 

[MrNo]

Hi there,

To be honest, I cannot hear any quality difference between Hegel USB when I play lossless vs my CD player. But then again my CD player is certainly not top of the line, so it might be due to that. For me, even a marginal difference would not justify so much extra investment and the extra hassle of keeping and changing cd's, but of course it's a personal choice.

 

[flashman]

Mr No

Thanks for your comments. I am probably in the same boat. I would rather have a single source music player lashed to an intergrated with speakers. The simplicity would far outweigh the (perhaps) imperceptable sonic advantage of dealing with a CD player.

Appreciate your quick feedback.

Flashman

Hi there,

To be honest, I cannot hear any quality difference between Hegel USB when I play lossless vs my CD player. But then again my CD player is certainly not top of the line, so it might be due to that. For me, even a marginal difference would not justify so much extra investment and the extra hassle of keeping and changing cd's, but of course it's a personal choice.

 

[lilneige]

- To improve vs the iTunes codecs, I use a software called Audirvana. You can download and try for free for 30 days, just check their website. It integrates with iTunes or can act like a standalone player.

Audirvana is a must, the improvement on the SQ is obvious.

 

[WishTree]

Hope this is useful to anybody with similar concerns. Any input or suggestions are welcome.

Thank You! I have almost same set up on Mac Mini. I use and love plex.

Neither I am too keen on having seperate set up for HiFi & HT though I have seen some sonic imporvement with a dedicated streamer. Oppo BDP-105 did make a difference (both picture and sonic) and if it had Plex on it then I would have given up Ma Mini.

After I saw your post I immediately bought Rowmote Pro!

I am happy with Harmony Remote (I have the basic one - the 300). I used to have the same problem of music being played when I run Plex but I guess I installed some program which made it stop doing that. Though I wake up the Mac Mini from sleep with a mouse click. My problem with Logitech is at a different level. I do not like the touchscreen remotes, unless it is as big as an iPad. so Harmony 300 is perfect for me but the quality of the remote is not that great. I have bought two of them for two rooms. One remote died and so I am using the second one in the main set up. Even in this, the battery compartment lid is too weak and so I have to tap it few times when ever it decides not to work. Unfortunaly 300 is out of production and there is 300i which I am not keen (glossy look)

One question - Do you know a way in which Mac Mini can output native resolution of the video so that my AV Receiver or Oppo can do the upscaling?

 

[MrNo]

Neither I am too keen on having seperate set up for HiFi & HT though I have seen some sonic imporvement with a dedicated streamer. Oppo BDP-105 did make a difference (both picture and sonic) and if it had Plex on it then I would have given up Ma Mini.

I guess I just like the organization capabilities of iTunes and Plex, given I have quite a big collection of media.

One question - Do you know a way in which Mac Mini can output native resolution of the video so that my AV Receiver or Oppo can do the upscaling?

Well, I didn't even know that Mac mini was doing upscaling. I thought my Receiver did this...

 

[WishTree]

Well, I didn't even know that Mac mini was doing upscaling. I thought my Receiver did this...

There are many people out there who don't care about how the media is presented but it makes a huge difference to overall experience. It is kind of feeling that people associate to Records but with out actually having the disadvantages of physical and mechanical challenges! If I may, I am willing to take a 1 or 2% hit on SQ if my visual interface is a pleasant and glich free one.

My receiver sees the output from Mac Mini as 1080P as that is what is set in diplay setting as well as Plex of Mac mini and hence the receiver finds no need to upscale! I can have the Oppo BDP1-05 upscale, when it is accessing the NAS directly which most of the times has a positive impact on PQ. BUT.. I love PLEX and I want Oppo to do the upscale >)

 

[wilro15]

Interesting to read about your setup. Very similar to mine. I also use a Mini, with iPad + Apple Remote App and iTunes Match.

The only difference I have is that I use a seperate Amp for music to Movies. I also dabbled with Plex, but I think I will end up with an Apple TV films and TV programmes instead.

 

[DCC]

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