Submitted by AT0MAC on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 07:28
I'm playing music from my computer, but it's without doubt music optimized.
First of all it's a 2007 model of a Mac Mini, but no longer just any old Mac Mini, it's the world's first Black Mini.
What I mean here is that I have modified it into a stylish little black anodized shell, shinny silver logo, black vinyl top and hi-fi feets.
The internals have got quite a big notch up too with things like 802.11n AirPort Extreme internals, 500GB hard drive, 3GB RAM and a new sparkling copper heatsink with IC Diamond 7 thermal paste to keep things cool.
That's not all my gear, the little thing contains my online music from primarily Last.fm but also my iTunes library and my FLAC files from all my CD's.
They all run trough a NAD Hi-Fi system, more specific a NAD C165BEE pre-amplifier (but a C565BEE DAC/CD coming soon) connected to either my active studio monitors or my AmazingHeadphones-Denon AH-D2000!
Can't wait to have the money to get a NAD C565BEE DAC/CD and some Van Den Hul cables, that's going to turn it even sweeter than it already is!
See mine here @Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/at0mac/sets/72157623403909795/
See how I build it, here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=182066
Atomac, others;
It is really best to use memory in even amounts. This is especially true for 64 bit buss processors. While the bridge will allow mixing of sizes it will cripple the performance as many operating systems place kernel extensions in the top memory area which will now be 32 bits instead of 64 bits and suffer greatly.
My superMini uses the mermon intel mobile version of the Core2Duo at 2.6GHz. I have a OCZ Vertex 120G hard drive and 4 gigs of memory. It's smoken hot little puppy.
Thanks
Gordon
J. Gordon Rankin
~~~~~~~~~~
Wavelength Audio
http://www.usbdacs.com/
http://www.wavelengthaudio.com/
http://www.guitar-engines.com/
I know it is best do run Dual Channel RAM, but when you have a 2007 mini and not endless money to trough arround you don't have much option.
Either I could spend a lot to get 4GB of RAM, or I could find myself a great bargain for 3GB on eBay.
The thing is the 2007 Mini is restricted to only recognize up to 3.2GB out of 4GB of RAM, so that would be a waste of money the tiny gain it gives to go from 3 to 3.2. Sure there are some DualChannel benefits by doing so, but if you look up some test results on the web you'll see the real world test show such a small difference that in my view is too little to pay too much for if I went out for the 4GB.
Another thing is, SSD is not an idea option in my view when I'm constantly putting new music in, that gives me a good deal of read/write activity and will scatter my files all over the memory, most likely to give me worse perfomance than intended (compared to the price the disc cost with a decent size of memory on - >250GB).
So far as I know there are no trimming options for a Mac yet, like there is in Windows 7 (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/storage/2010/02/04/windows-7-ssd-perfor...) correct me if I'm wrong.
But if I'm right, then I again go for the low-price/big buff (500GB) platter disc and from time to time do some defragmentation if I feel I need it.
I did'nt go for letting other Mini's breathe the smoke from my tires, I went for making a smoking hot Mini that matches my NAD - and I succeed!
...side note is then that yes, I did too gain some performance out of the better HDD and RAM, but that's just a side effect, did'nt really needed it (but it is nice to get rid of the external drive for my music though).
See how I build it, here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=182066
About the trimming of a SSD, there are some guys talking about it here:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=744885&page=2
One of them shows a good point WHY you need to trim an SSD:
Picture shows performance before and after he pulled the disc out his macbook and put it in a windows 7 laptop to run the trimming. I don't intend to buy another computer, and I for sure don't like Windows - so that option is not for me = SSD is so far not for me.
See how I build it, here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=182066
Hi AT0MAC - I love what you've done to the Mini. Thanks for sharing!
Chris Connaker
Founder
Computer Audiophile
Thanks :)
See how I build it, here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=182066
Verrrry attractive little music server you've got there. Thanks for sharing.
BTW, when I went "asymmetric" with my MBP's memory (2+4gb), hence losing dual memory channel functionality, the benchmark penalty (Geekbench 2.1) was a streaming score being lowered from 1964 to 1922, memory score lowered from 2294 to 2276, and total score going from 3274 to 3268. My sig. below has more specifics re: the h/w and s/w involved. This MBP doesn't allow 64bit kernal operation mode in Snow Leopard, so I've just kept it a Leopard machine.
It would be nice to know if the benefits of the extra memory override the penalty due to the loss of dual memory channel functionality (which, benchmark-wise, seem to be slight)...
AC conditioning: 2x Cinepro Powerpro10 balanced power transformers
Source > MonarchyDIP2496 > TacT2.2x(w/mods) > LavryDA11 > Bryston4B-ST > GradientHelsinki1.5
Sources: MBP3,1/10.5.8(w/160gbSSD,6gbRAM) - iMac9,1/10.6.2(w/8gbRAM) - RokuHD - LGbh200
S/W: Playback- Amarra-mini, Pure Music; Ripping- XLD
Atomac,
I had a 2007 mini it showed all 4G available and used in both the unix terminal and system profiler. Also what is the cost difference... like $10. I think 4G of DDR2 as 2x2G is like what $79. Even if you only get 0.2G more data it will align and run better.
I don't store music on the system drive that is a BIG mistake. You have to think about the system when you develop it.
Ok here is what I mean...
DAC <===== USB ====== Computer [Internal SSD] <--------- Firewire Drive Music Storage
Above is my basic model... Here we make sure we do not use a USB hard dive because the access pipe will be synchronous to the access pipe going to the dac. We also know the system hits up the drive big time in UNIX so we leave that access internal. With the Music Drive on the Firewire Bus and the Dac on the USB Bus we have allowed all the controllers including the system drive to be on totally different busses. This means that all the control and passing of data is not congested on any one controller and the hardware can do the heavy lifting without compromise.
SSD drives for the system are critical. Look at the development the WAZ is now doing. The lack of seek time and the overall speed of the cache in these new controllers makes the OS really fly. I would say I get more than a 20% pop...
For the rest of you nay sayers on the SSD front... hear this. We have a pretty large recording studio here. One of my buddies and legendary guitar hero's Rob Fetters has a ULN2 and a MacBook Pro. He does all kinds of recording and we swapped his system disk for an SSD. Now everyone in town including the large recording studio's are swapping their system disks for SSD's. They heard a huge difference in the recordings and now they are believers.
http://www.thebearsmusic.com/
http://www.robfetters.com/
The bad ass red stacked amplifier on Rob's site is my design as you can see the larger oval badge in use.
Guys there is a old Cramps song that I use to apply to a lot of things... "Nice Legs, Shame about her Face".
You can dress stuff up... but it's really about what's inside that matter most!
Thanks
Gordon
J. Gordon Rankin
~~~~~~~~~~
Wavelength Audio
http://www.usbdacs.com/
http://www.wavelengthaudio.com/
http://www.guitar-engines.com/
As long I'm sticking to the 16bit stereo format in FLAC and AAC, I see no problem in running the system the way I do it.
Those files are not heavy in processing need, even for the disc buffer and system buses.
But yes, you do have a point if we are talking heavy files like FLAC in 24bit or Apple Lossless that both require a lot of decoding and processing power, but also have a file size that gives the buses something to chew on.
When I some day are making a version 2 of this system it will of course be HD optimized in every aspect, but that would need a new mac mini with far better RAM options (than my current 2007 have), a trimming agent build into the system, a ssd system drive and a external drive of some sort. I don't see the need for it now, we are not there yet with the files available and even if we were, we don't have a true 64bit system available yet (it's only at best partial 64bit) for unleashing the true potential of that kind of bad ass mac mini.
For short, as times are now it's too much hassle (and money) and too little audiophile gain - because remember that, I'm not doing this for the power and "fly away" effect (talking about data rate gain), I'm doing this for the audio quality and visual quality.
See how I build it, here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=182066
Guys there is a old Cramps song that I use to apply to a lot of things... "Nice Legs, Shame about her Face".
You can dress stuff up... but it's really about what's inside that matter most!
Personally, I like 'em smart AND good looking!
AT0MAC, that's ambitious. It kind of makes you wonder why Apple doesn't offer it in black because it looks great! I can't believe you took a hack-saw to those copper cooling fins.
Yea I should really get me that Dremel next time I do something like this... ;)
See how I build it, here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=182066
Why did you opt for NAD? Mini looks nice, but having NAD is kinda like putting a Ford Escort Engine in a Ferrari.
Just my opinion.
Michael J. Howell
Macbook Pro, Airport Extreme Base Station, AppleTV, Majik, Numerik, Katans. Linn Silver and Audioquest 3 Toslink, AQ - Indigo (bi-wire), Mapleshade Bedrocks (yes these actually work).
I am looking at my Wavelength Brick and thinking I'd rather see my Mac Mini turn black than the Brick turn white.
Because I'm all in for most quality for lowest price, and NAD is a very serious contender to that fact.
About the sound NAD have always been a bit darkened and layed back, untill now - the new "mid range silver feet series" changes everything, gives you a very clear and punchy sound without that much coloring you would else have expected from NAD. The C165, C565 and C245/275 sounds absolutely amazing, you have hear that combo to believe NAD can sound like that.
See how I build it, here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=182066
Give Computer Choppers a call like I did, I'm sure Alex there is happy to help with another black enclosure for you too:
http://www.computer-choppers.com/
:)
See how I build it, here: http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=182066
Unless I'm much mistaken (which often happens) it wasn't the Cramps, it was The Monks. To confuse things further, not the Monks you're thinking of (ie the American band) but a late 70's UK one hit wonder lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfEsmXbjcyg
None of which is relevant to the topic, I just decided to research and thought I'd share :)
Just for the record, I started listening to The Bears after looking at the guitar-engines website. Great band, and not one you're likely to hear much about through radio / tv these days. You gotta love the internet, huh?
Also just for the record, the Black Mini looks great.
Thought about it...but I don't want to get into that kind of project just now; too many others already under way. I admire that you did it, though.
About those Computer Chopper guys: Wow! I had no idea... That's some seriously crazy customizing. A polished platinum iMac? A 24k gold PS3? No problemo.