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Bigfish

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  1. I think Paul Hynes may now make one or maybe Chris of BPT. Good luck!
  2. I really appreciate your time to type and post your comments. It helped me to better understand the complexity of this issue. Ken
  3. I have reviewed this thread and realize I was lucky to have the opportunity to audition two linear power supplies for the cost of shipping. To my ears they were both better than the switching power supply, in my system. I do not know if it was a result of cleaner power to the Mac Mini, a reduction of noise back to the AC Outlet or a combination of benefits. I know that it worked and it worked better than any power cord I have evaluated in my system. There will be many other opinions about the Power Supply posted on Audio Circle over the next few weeks. My advice to anyone wanting to improve the sonic performance from a Mac Mini is to consider trying a linear power supply and trust your own ears. Ken
  4. Per the above comments it would seem the poster believes I may have achieved the same result with power conditioning ahead of the Mac Mini. If this is the case why did we (my wife, my neighbor who was blind in the test, and I) hear differences between the two linear power supplies? Neither linear unit should have been allowing noise back into the AC Circuit - correct? In any regard some of the folks on the Bolder PS Demo Tour have their Mac Minis connected to high-end power conditioners. It will be interesting, at least to me, if they still hear the sonic improvements from the Bolder Power Supply. I would also note that DB Audio Labs is claiming they can deliver much of the benefit of a linear power supply with a new, filtering AC Cable to connect from the wall outlet to the stock switching power supply. I presume the cable would work by preventing noise from the AC. It is also one half the price of a Linear Power Supply. Ken
  5. Both of the power supplies I auditioned this weekend were made by manufacturers with reputations for supplying power supplies for audio. When I signed-up for the demo tour of the Bolder Unit I really questioned if I would be able to hear a difference between the linear supply and the stock brick. The other manufacturer saw I was signed-up for the Bolder demo tour and asked if I would compare his unit to the Bolder Unit? The second manufacturer was certain I would hear a difference between the stock brick and a linear power supply. He was also confident I would hear a difference between his power supply and the one provided by Bolder. Going into this evaluation I too wondered if any linear power supply would be sufficient to improve sound quality versus the stock switcher? While both power supplies were better than the stock unit the unit from Bolder was definitely a step-up from the other linear power supply. My neighbor described the one unit as a step up in performance but somewhere between the stock and Bolder Unit. Thus, based on what I heard this weekend, I believe the quality of the parts inside the power supply impacts the sound quality from the Mac Mini. YRMV Ken
  6. Terminal is located in the Utilities Folder which is found in Applications. Good Luck,
  7. The following was written by Eric Hider of DB Audio Labs (Manufacturer of the Tranquility DAC) and posted on Audio Circle: The USB input implementation is not using the specific async. technology. - The USB input is a cumulation of selected low jitter parts, unique low litter pathways and proprietary receiver optimizations meant to keep the cost of the dac from skyrocketing, avoiding using costly async. or other methods. Ken
  8. Guys: I first tried the two finger method (holding 6 &4 Keys while booting) and the computer did not boot into the 64 bit mode. The instructions I orginally posted the link to references this as a possibility. When it happens you have to follow the instructions to make your computers boot into the 64 bit mode. Once I completed the instructions mine boots into the 64 bit mode with every boot. Ken
  9. Wayne of Bolder supplied the power supply I evaluated as part of a no charge demo tour on Audio Circle. I do not feel it would be ethical to open the unit and post pictures on the internet. Sorry! Ken
  10. My neighbor and I just completed a session of comparing the switching stock power supply versus two different linear power supplies. The linear power supply made by Bolder Cable Company was the best of the three and the difference was significant versus the stock brick power supply. My neighbor was blind in the test as he was never told which power supply was in use. He consistently picked-out the Bolder Supply as being the best. His description was it was like H.D. TV and comparing it to standard definition. The Bolder linear power supply provides more definition to the music, tighter bass and a much deeper soundstage. My neighbor was very surprised at the results of our listening session as he could not believe changing power supplies to a computer could make such a significant difference. I should also note that the linear power supply from the other manufacturer was better than the stock switcher but not as good as the Bolder Unit. I would prefer not to name the second manufacturer as he may be able to refine the power supply to further enhance its capabilities. At this point I can definitely recommend the Bolder Linear Power Supply to anyone looking to further upgrade the sonic performance of the Mac Mini. Ken
  11. Speakers: Usher Dancer Mini II's with Diamond Tweeters Amp: Moscode 402AU Preamp: Mapletree 2A-SE Preamp with Tung-Sol Round Plates Music Storage: W.D. Firewire external H.D. Transport: Mac Mini with 4GB Ram and Solid State H.D. DAC: Tranquility with DB Audio USB Cable SCs: JPS Superconductor 3's ICs: JPS Superconductor 3's PCs: Black Sand Silver MKV's Room: Treated AC Power: Two Dedicated 12 guage lines each with 20 AMP Breakers I will comparing the two linear power supplies for the Mini against each other and the switching power supply this weekend! Ken
  12. My feeling is that the 64 bit mode is slightly better than the 32 bit mode. The best part is it is a free tweak! I am running Pure Music in Hog Mode! Ken
  13. I have read comments from two Mini Owners on AC that use linear power supplies. I understand the potential benefit of eliminating a switching power supply from a 2 channel music system. I was just hopeful folks here on Computer Audiophile had experience - if they realized sonic benefits (hopefully) and more importantly did not cause any harm to the computer? Oh, yes, for the cost of shipping the two power supplies plus the fact I am dealing with two quality manufacturers I decided to participate in this demo tour. Hopefully, it will not be a regretable undertaking. Ken
  14. This weekend I will have the opportunity to evaluate linear power supplies from two manufacturers to compare to the stock switching power supply for my Mac Mini. Do any of you have any experience with a linear power supply for your Mac Minis? If so did you hear a benefit from the linear supply? Thanks, Ken
  15. How many of you have experimented with running your Mac Mini as a music server in 64 Bit Mode. I followed this link this afternoon: http://blog.leanopen.com/tag/64-bit/ I need to switch back and forth between the 32 Bit Mode and the 64 Bit mode a few times but I believe the 64 Bit Mode is better. I would appreciate comments from those of you that have tried this. Thanks, Ken
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