haggisman

Thanks, think it is hard but possible, albeit may loose some functionality with a 'retro' Snow Leopard install - thunderbolt. Let you now how I Hget on- will play with this weekend. Any advice re a NAS? H

In sort of the same vein (I hope). Lurked here quite awhile, be great for some pointers please Aim to get base Mac Mini 2.3 i5 summer 2011. Increase RAM to 8gig. Swap out HD for 66gig Crucial SSD; partition into 2 for dual boot(Lion/Snow Leopard). Clone the original HD and install Lion (so could use mini via plex>HDMI). Other partition install Snow Leopard - need this as Lion doesn't support integer mode (leastways directly to usb Dac). Q1 Assume this is do-able; Q2. Can I install from Snow Leopard from disc (will use a Macbook as a "target computer - assume can pick up the optical drive this way?). Or do I need to install Leopard first - I have Leopard disc also (or maybe get away with just putting in Leopard serial number. Or do I have to set up Snow Leopard on a pristine usb drive and clone it onto the SSD? Q3. Re the NAS server - any difference in using one that streams via ethernet as opposed to firewire? Understand that it is felt inadvisable to have music on an external drive stream by usb with a simultaneous usb DAC (Arcam rDac). Could use NAS some distance away in the house via Cat 5; alternatively could put it in cellar and connect via Firewire 800 to the Mac mini in the room above Q4 Re 3 above, any advice re best NAS - assume could maybe run PLEX on the NAS? Sorry for so many questions.

Hello there and glad to see you back in the fray. Be good to take the semantics of the "brouhaha" offline as of themselves might be a worthy discussion - suspect the written word can open to interpretation. Anyhow, I digress (but maybe would be an interesting discussion, keeping personalities out of it). Re the matter of time to burn in etc, casting aside the contention re it happens or doesn't, would I be wrong in assuming that if it happens one ought to put through a device a wide spectrum of notes/frequencies etc. Or have I got it wrong? Could one just play white noise for ~ 100 hours? Or could the time be foreshortened by a variety of music/sounds/types of music and if so what? Again, and I hasten to add I am a noob to this, does a "bad burn in" detract from the ultimate sound? Am old enough to recall the caveats regarding proper running of a car with respect to the subsequent well being of engine/gear box etc. Hope your around to answer. H

Hello there. The noob here. I came to this forum for audiophile info - and gratefully got it. The side issue regarding personal sensitivities is surely just that, a side issue. I personally would value Andrew's return and have said so in my first post. Am a bit unsure how the latter part of this thread morphed into the nuances of well intentioned or not etc - most fora do include a degree of individual opinion and its variations, isn't that the nature of all human discourse? I would have hoped that most people could agree to disagree without taking umbrage - though maybe I just have a thick skin - not uncommon with a bull in a china shop;-))

Thanks for both your posts. Will ponder a wee while though think will go for the rDac -may just enquire re the costs of a bespoke power supply. Re burn in, yep, can buy into the nano aspect of burn in, but maybe with a slightly raised eyebrow. Suppose what would be perfect would be instant switching betwixt brand new and the same "run in" models to nail it - likely done somewhere. Certainly makes sense in terms of proper working temperature, still uncertain re the initial 100 hours or so, but maybe all a question of preconception (?my misconception) of what is solid/inflexible. As mentioned in my original post, was disheartened re the drop in performance and that prompted my enquiry before ordering the rDac

Hi Eloise, thought must be you. Hope Andrew returns - seems a shame to leave thus. Guess we all have good (and therefore also bad) days. Today's good, sun shining after a bank holiday and I'm still off - reminds me of the lines in Wind in the Willows "After all, the best part of a holiday is perhaps not so much to be resting yourself, as to see all the other fellows busy working." Now, what Dac should I get, decisions, decisions..... Seems a supply problem with the rDac, perhaps more thoughts forthcoming will help the choice.

Hello there. First post though been lurking a while as pondering purchasing this Dac. Maybe Eloise is one and the same whom pops up in UK AV forums. Anyhow, to the matter in hand. This Dac would be the first foray into this area - hence have gleaned much from this forum and glad I've found it. Would very much value some pointers re a number of issues that have come up in the previous discussions. 1. Would an alternative power supply enhance the performance - if so, what would one such be, and how much would it cost (in UK). Clearly if significantly costly, could/should perhaps look at alternative Dacs - my use would be usb/firewire from a 2007/8 mac mini. 2. Very much value some info re burn in. I can easily understand the concept where moving parts in speakers are concerned, ditto electrical equipment needing to reach its operating temperature. Am a little uncertain as regards electrical components - what actually happens in say first 1-200 hours to alter the sound. It seems a little unusual - can't think modern day jets/cars/electronic surgical instruments (computer assisted or otherwise) have run in period for their electronic parts - but maybe I am showing my naivety. Am very conscious this is my first post and in light of the "brouhaha" at the end of this thread I emphatically don't want to pour petrol on a fire. I was disheartened to hear that you found the rDac deteriorated after initially sounding good. That it subsequently improved (? a tad ? a lot) was a consolation - but if you have found time to re- compare it to the higher end Dacs as before, it would be very informative. It would be helpful to me in my decision as to buying it or not. So, as a sign of, a request for help/information, not the catalyst for a flame war - far from it.