Mac mini as ITunes server

[admin_exported]

I am using a mac mini as anitunes server. I rip CDs to iTunes in aiff format. I use an airport express and run a toslink cable from it to a bel canto dac which , of course, is connected to my amp. I have the Mac mini in my stereo cabinet and I run it "headless" - no monitor or mouse or keyboard. When necessary I use the teleported app on my iPad instead. The Mac mini is used solely as an iTunes server.

The sound right now is excellent. I can't really tell the difference between it and my cd player - which I also ran through the dac. The question I'm hoping someone can answer is whether there would be any advantage in running the toslink cable directly from the Mac mini to the dac rather than my current set up which is from the air express to the dac? I'm wondering if there might be any loss of the digital data flowing wirelessly from my Mac mini to the airport express in the current setup?

Thoughts?

 

[Overdose]

There should be no problem either way. Less connections are preferable though.

 

[amcluesent]

You need to be 100% sure that OS X isn't resampling the stream in the soundcard mixer and you're getting bit-perfect output. One the banes of using a PC/Mac as the player and server.

 

[Anonymous]

How do I do that?

 

[Overdose]

Turn off EQ settings in midi control and iTunes.

 

[MajorFubar]

How do I do that?

Buy BitPerfect. Does what it says on the tin and will be compatible with iTeleport (assuming that's what you're using).

The only other thing I can add is make sure there's plenty of space round your Mac Mini so it doesn't overheat. They're not prone to it, but neither are they meant to be enclosed.

 

[Rethep]

Eq in midi control ? Where is that happening ? I'm curious!

 

[Anonymous]

Was thinking of getting Pure Music.

 

[MajorFubar]

Maybe try the 15 day free trial. If I remember correctly, Pure Music was around £80 when I was looking around a few months ago, so it's definitely a case of try-before-you-buy. I found that many features in Pure Music that are seen as essentials for 'HiFi' audio players (such as automatically changing the sample rate to match the source material, up-sampling, integer mode and audio-device 'hogging') were all features in Bit Perfect as well, and it's less than a tenth of the price.

 

[Overdose]

Eq in midi control ? Where is that happening ? I'm curious!

My bad! I meant EQ and set midi control up to the highest resolution.