najibs

At first I really wanted the Aries Mini to replace my Mac Mini. In the end I bought a used Bryston BDP-1. It has AirPlay, Spotify, Tidal, USB ports galore, dNLA, streaming, etc. I got a used one for $1k. No more tweaking, no need to buy an additional power supply, and it's arguably the best device out there. Built in Canada, and has a 5 year transferable warranty. Used they can be had for almost half of what they cost new.

I just found this on Indiegogo https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ockel-sirius-b-the-powerful-windows-10-pocket-pc#/ It's basically an iPhone 6 sized Windows 10 computer that fits in your pocket. It has: Windows 10 2x USB 2.0 ports HDMI Wifi, and t 2GB built in RAM (is it upgradeable though???) Micro SD slot wifi All for under $200 on Indiegogo 100% silent fan free design There's also a version with no OS pre-installed. Small, fanless, full connectivity...It's caught my attention, as right now I use a 2011 Mac Mini. Discuss...

That "guru" isn't such a Guru. Mac Mini is probably the BEST computer, as it is proven to have the lowest jitter out of its optical out than any other PC. Im not a guru, but the facts dont lie...

Get a Stello U3 USB to SPDIF converter. Get a good USB cable to go from the computer to the Stello, and a good SPDIF cable to go from the Stello to the DAC. The Stello was magical. It makes music sound so much smoother and less digital. Try it and see for yourself... Ive tried many other USB to SPDIF converters and theyre not created equal. You for more for a Stello, but it's a significant step up in sound quality. It was the one thing that made my system beat my CD player, which other things hadn't, including upgrading DAC, trying out $400 speaker cables, etc...Stello made the bigest difference.

So has anyone received either the USB or Analog upgrade and installed it themselves? Im very eager to hear how much of a difference each and both of the upgrades have made, before I pull the trigger and order...

Hmmm, I might be interested in both upgrades. I have a Bifrost with no USB, but if it really is THAT good, I'd like to try new new add on. Also, for the analog section upgrade, it says it was derrived from the Gungnir. Does the gungnir sound significantly better than the Bifrost?

I have the Stello U3 and it's fantastic. It made a nice difference to the sound in my system. Less digital, more airy and detailed, and just better. Never tried the M3tech, so I can't comment on that. My computer is a Macbook connected to a Simaudio 100D DAC and Rega Brio-R. Also, if you see my other thread, I did a comparisson with a new Mac Mini with and without the Stello U3. The Stello does make it sound better, as well.

Im using the latest version on both computers. Also, I imported my license file into the trial audirvana to activate AUdirvana + as on the other computer. Same thing though. Can't tell the difference in sound, with the Stello U3 attached to both. Im feeling I should return the Mac Mini, keep the Macbook I have and spend $500 elsewhere, like towards a VPI traveler turntable to replace my Pro-ject Debut III.

And BTW, this is my setup: Computer (old Macbook or Mac Mini) Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable Stello U3 Kimber Kable DV30 SPDIF Simaudio Moon 100D or Emotiva XDA-1 DAC Atlas Element Integra RCA interconnetcs Rega Brio-R integrated amp Audioquest speaker cables with silver bananas Totem Arro speakers. What do you guys think is the weakest link in the system?

So I got my Mac Mini, but to be honest I can't hear a difference between it and my 6 year old Macbook. Maybe it's because it's on via USB to a Stello U3 on both computers, so it's not making a difference, since the Stello is re-clocking everything? Comparing the old Macook with Stello U3 versus the Mac Mini through the optical port, the old Macbook with Stello clearly wins. Comparing both on the optical port alone, the mini does sound better. So, since I have the Stello, I don't think it makes much sense to keep the Mini and instead spend the money on something that will make more of a difference, no? On the mini I have Audirvana trial, but on the Macbook I have Audirvana+...there should be no difference between the trial and the plus version, right? I just want to make sure sound quality and software im comparing apples to apples.

I wonder if there would be a sonic advantage by buying a big SDHC card, with the mac mini having an SD slot, and playing music from there? considering that there's no moving parts like a hard drvie, theoretically, it should sound better, no?

Audirvana+

Well, I bit the bullet. I ordered a refurb though, directly from Apple. For $469 I got a refurb 2011 Mac Mini, I5-2.3GHz, 500gb drive, 2gb ram (which Ill upgrade to 8GB). Once I get it, Ill post my thoughts if there's any difference.

Well, just to se if it's the computer or not, move it away, even on the floor temporarily, jsut to see if it gets rid of the noise. If the noise persists, it's the computer. If it goes away, then you're gonna have to keep the amp and the computer away from each other. Are you using a standard USB cable? If so, I'd recommend a higher quality cable. I found using an audiophile grade USB cable made a good difference in my system.

I already use a Macbook (from 2006, Intel Core 2 processor, 3GB ram) with Snow Leopard that I use stricly for computer audio, and nothing else. I have another laptop for personal use. I'm aware that the 2011 and newer Mac Minis are the best computer you can get for computer audio, mainly because the optical output has very low jitter. However, I won't be using the optical output. I'd be using it via USB connected to a Stello U3. Having said that, would I see an improvement in sound quality moving to a Mac Mini? Also, I've heard Snow Leopard, which I currecntly use, I still the best OS for computer audio because of Integer mode. Apparently Snow Leopard cannot be installed on these newer Mac Minis. Would I be going backwards, or is the newer Mountain Lion OS still better for audio? Thanks