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Post by francisco on Apr 21, 2013 19:43:43 GMT -5
Hello!
I have many questions and ideas about how to make my system progress, and I will discusss it later. I can't really call it a system in this moment...
First things first :
I have a a Mac. Should I buy a Mac mini and a separate hard drive? I mean, even if I have a Mac? I could connect my Mac to the Dip Combo directly, but perhaps It will be an improvement if I connect my mac to a mac mini before the Dip... I will have more silence perhaps.
It is a silly question for the majority of yours, but I confess that I have not a lot of knowledge in the computer audio section.
Second, will my Mac bennefict from a AC Regenerator connection? Or the Mac mini...
Could I connect the Mac, Dip Combo, NM24 and a low power amp to it?
Thank you very much!
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Post by Monarchy Audio on Apr 23, 2013 12:59:58 GMT -5
Hi Francisco,
There's no benefits connecting a Mac to a Mac Mini if you can connect your Mac to the Dip Combo directly. The AC Generator would improve the Mac/Mac Mini if connected to it.
The AC Generator can handle about 100W of total power so it's not recommended to connect all of the components you mentioned above to it. The NM24 alone already consumes about 50W. If the total power consumption of the Mac + Dip Combo + amp is ~ 50W then it's ok; otherwise, you should use 2 AC Generators, one for the amp and one for the rest.
Thanks,
Monarchy Audio
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Post by francisco on Apr 23, 2013 16:48:44 GMT -5
Thank you for your answer. So I keep my Mac and don't need to aquire a mac mini. I think that a separate hard disk, (only for music files) is not important, unless I have no more memory, but I still can add a lot of memory in my Mac. Almost all the memory insert cards have no memory board connected yet. I would use one Generator in the source, (mac, dip and dac), then I would use a second one with the power - later. May be a Monarchy 70pro, I haven't decide yet about the power. Will the Generator have an important effect with the amp? Two generators will be expensive, but if you say that it really works well with the amps, I will program to buy it, when the time comes. Thank you! I have a lot of experience earing cd's, pre amps, amps, speakers, but any experience with "virtual" music without cd's! So your answers will save a lot of time and research for me.
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yoder
New Member
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Post by yoder on May 2, 2013 18:45:56 GMT -5
I am assuming by your post that you are referring to a Mac Pro, as being your computer. If so, then a MP is really overkill to be using as an audio server and if it is the case then I would go for a mini or a Macbook Pro (refurbished.) Currently, I use a mini but will be adding an older 17" Intel MBP to another system and will use it as an audio server. The biggest advantage of a MBP is that it is driven by DC power and so no need to alter the power supply. Also, with Amarra Symphony you can run it on two different computers. Here is an article on creating an audio server: co-bw.com/Monarchy_Audio_Server_TEWM.htmHere is an article on optimizing your Mac for audio: co-bw.com/Audio_OSX_Optimal_Audio.htmLet's assume you go with a mini. An i5 processor will do, and 8 GB of RAM will be more than enough. You can start by using 4 GB of RAM, and even that will be enough. The best upgrade that you can do for a mini regarding power is to get a quality C7 power cable. I built one that used Furutech components, and was shielded for about $100. The same one will cost you $400-$500 pre-constructed. Here are some images of the C7 I made    I will build a tutorial on building a C7 power cord soon. I would suggest you get an Intel mini, slap a SSD in it, and then get a second external drive for the actual music. You can put a second drive in the newer mini's and use it for music or backup. You do want a drive for backup. The AC Regen would be great for the amps and DAC, but would be a waste on a computer. If you are really concerned about the mini PSU, then there are sites out there that show you how to install an external DC PSU to a mini. This will set you back about $200 and you are getting superior DC power. Personally, I would stick to upgrading the power cord. If you do not want to build one, you can still buy one that is superior to the Apple OEM one for less than $100. I have my mini connected to a DIP using the headphone jack (this jack is TOSLINK and so you need a mini-TOSLINK adapter on one end), the DIP feeds my NM24, that in turn feeds my two SM-70's. I use Amarra Symphony www.sonicstudio.com/amarra/amarraproducts and have not found anything that comes close. I also have an SACD player connected to my NM24, as well as an HHB CDR. When I moved the system around I found that I had a very loud hum. I cured it by building a speaker cable that had XLR jacks on one end and this end I plugged into the SM-70's...no more hum. If you look at the pages above you will find some tutorials on how to burn your audio. I use AIFF only since it uses all of the meta-data. All FLAC files I convert to AIFF using Amarra. In closing, you could buy a mini for about what a AC regen costs. For less that $1200, you could have a kick-ass audio server with a SSD, a second HD, cables, power cord, etc. I would use the money saved on the AC regen to either upgrade the Monarchy amps, buy some kicking cans, upgrade the tubes, or buy Amarra and some music! |
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Post by francisco on May 14, 2013 3:34:34 GMT -5
Dear yoder
Thanks for the nice reply.
I am answering so late because I was moving and only yesterday I had my internet connection done.
I have a normal mac from 2009, not a pro mac, but I can ad some memory cards and it runs ok. It works very well, and I use the optical out. I will buy the dip combo very soon, a very important device in the system, a key device, I'd say.
I use main cables from 47Laboratory, but I am thinking about to buy some furutech chords and do the mains myself, with nice 24k gold plugs. That's funny that you suggested those cables, the same I was thinking about. I had not time yet, to read the nice articles from TEWN. I will do it soon, it seems interesting and useful.
I will post soon. Thanks!
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Post by cyclist on Sept 25, 2016 15:54:04 GMT -5
Connection question:
The new MacMini, as well as the older MacBook pro that I have do not have optical outputs, only USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt ports. Is it then necessary to purchase something such as a Wyred4Sound uLINK USB to S/PDIF convertor (or similar from other vendors) in order to use them for a digital server? Is there another, less expensive option for a USB-to-Coaxial digital cable/connector?
Thank you for any input you can offer. I really want to figure all this out so that I can be ready as I put together a new system.
JR
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yoder
New Member
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Post by yoder on Feb 18, 2017 13:36:15 GMT -5
The optical output on Mac's is through the head phone jack. I use them on most of my Mac's.
Yoder
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