audiofox

The easiest app to use for converting between the various lossless file formats for the Mac is XLD, a freeware program that can be found here:<br /> <br /> http://tmkk.pv.land.to/xld/index_e.html<br /> <br /> FWIW, I find myself using XLD exclusively these days for all my audio file conversion needs. The only thing it won't covert is raw DTS files (ie, fines with the suffix .dts), but that is about the only thing I have found that it can't do. XLD will also process most cue file sets, which is a rarity on the Mac platform (Roxio Toast only handles bin/cue file pairs).

At least on a Mac, iTunes will only pass the encoded DTS bitstream to the digital output, but it will not decode it for playback-I believe that iTunes does not have the dts decoder software built-in, and no Mac I am aware of has it in hardware either. I use VLC to playback DTS wav files and have had success playing back DTS files in iTunes when using the external audio digital (have used both optical and HDMI on my Mini) output. The other nuance of playing back DTS on a Mac is to make sure that the Audio MIDI settings for sample rate are 44.1 or 48 kHz depending on the DTS source file-the files will not play at all (or pass through) in iTunes if that setting is anything else. VLC doesn't seem to have that sensitivity (I just open the file and it plays immediately), so it must be reconfiguring the sample rate internally. BTW, Clementine and MPlayer Extended (also for the Mac) both play DTS files as well, but those are the only players I've found over the years that will do the job without a lot of fuss.

For those that want to eliminate the HD power supply, here is another option. I don't recall seeing this from Other World Computing (I do a fair amount of business with them), so it must be relatively new. I do know that bus powered Firewire enclosures of any size are fairly uncommon, so this caught my eye for that reason. You can get the enclosure in 2 flavors-FW/USB2/USB3 and USB 2/3. Apologies if this has already been posted. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go/

I do see 24/192, just not when I am using HDMI between the Mini and the receiver-must be user error. :-)

My Mac Mini (2010 version with HDMI) does not support 192k sampling rate over HDMI (at least according to my Audio MIDI app)-I can only get to that rate using the USB connection (and my HiFace converter). Maybe that is a limitation of the HDMI input of the receiver, since the Apple specs clearly state that the Mini supports 24/192 audio over HDMI.

My "DAC" is my Denon AVR-3808ci receiver (BB 1791a DACs), which I have used with all three digital interconnect options (USB/coax, optical, HDMI). I haven't heard any discernable difference between them (same source material, iTunes as player); however, the USB/coax option is the only one that is not limited to 96Khz sampling rate, so I use that option so I can play my limited library of 24/192 files (most ripped from my DVD-A discs).

Another possibility in AVRs is the Denon AVR-3806, which is not the latest receiver model but does have sixteen Burr-Brown PCM-1791 DACs, which have pretty respectable performance specs. You can pick up a used 3806 for less than $500, and the later models the 3808ci) are slightly more and include decoding for the more recent Dolby and DTS encoding schemes. FWIW, I use my 3808ci for as my DAC because I didn't want to give up multichannel conversion by using a 2 channel DAC, and I am pretty happy with the performance. Of course, YMMV!

Wgscott, I agree that using Norton AV on a Mac is worse than actually having a virus, since one installs the Norton app intentionally! I use ClamX, which is free, doesn't install all the nasty hidden files, kernels, etc, as with Norton, and keeps their AV defs up to date without requiring a subscription.

Reasonable precautions include knowing the source of the files that you play or run on your Mac-if you regularly download files from Usenet newsgroups, Torrents or other such places, you might want to download those files to a "sandbox" and scan them for nasty stuff before you do anything with them. If all your apps and media files are from legitimate sources, you are probably okay, but you should disable your AV program so it doesn't perform any "autoscan" functions while you are using Amarra or any other media player app, including iTunes or VLC so the scan activity doesn't disrupt the player. Your AE password will keep wifi leechers and hackers off your LAN (assuming the password is strong enough to withstand a brute force krack), but it won't do anything to prevent malware or virii from getting on your Mac if you are the one downloading the file. Having said that, I have yet to experience a problem due to malware or virii/trojan horse files (or even find one!) on my Macs since my first Mac (a Plus with no hard drive), but there is always a first time for everything, so it's better to be safe than sorry. Just do your scanning before or after your music playing, and you won't give up any performance to be safe. If you have more than one Mac, leave your media Mac out of the download path completely and do your downloading and scanning/screening on a separate computer (which is what I do)-that way you don't need any AV or other file security apps on your media server at all.

Wgscott, good to hear that you're up and running.

Sandyk, have you received your order yet? I found several titles on this site, but I want to make sure it is legitimate before I place my order.

Chipchas, can you comment on the software differences (especially the OS) between your Mach2mini and your Macbook Pro? I assume that you tersted both of your machines with the same playback app, but if that was different, please let us know.

WGscott, are you still forcing 64 bit mode with your Mini? If so, have you verified that all the kernels are 64 bit (or replaced the ones that were not)?

Mine is also OWC-their in-house brand: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/8566DDR3S8GP/ BTW, I use the same set on my i7 MBP as I do in the 2010 Mini.

I'll give you my experience with my Macs and let you form your own opinion. The Mini works as well for me as my i7 MBP for audio playback, and I have heard no difference between the two using the same software and equipment (not a true A/B test and certainly not a blind one, but the only one I can afford!). I did eliminate the variables after the digital audio out (ie, the same D/A, amp, speakers, etc), so I do know the only difference is certain specs between the two computers, which I believe is restricted to the processors and data bus speed (both are 64 bit capable and run 64 bit apps while booted into "32 bit" OS mode). The new MBP is "better" than the Mini for some specifications, but those differences appear to be irrelevant to audio playback, at least based on my experience with my 5 Macs (G5 dual 1.8 tower, 1st Gen MBP C2D 2.16, 09 Mini C2D 2.53, 2010 Mini C2D 2.4, i7 MBP 2.66) and my observation of the processor "exertion" as displayed by the Activity Monitor utility. I actually began with the objective of using my G5 tower, but the form factor (it's rather large) and fan noise made that an undesirable option. The G5 was more than sufficient for my needs from an audio playback performance perspective, but the other factors killed that option. I also get very good performance from my 1st gen MBP C2D, which is a fraction of the computing power of the 09 and up Minis (which all have Core2Duo processors) and an even smaller fraction of the processing power of the i7 MBP, but again I wanted the form factor of the Mini so I could more easily integrate it into my HT setup, so the C2D MBP will be applied to a different problem or sold on eBay. I have a dedicated 1080p monitor for my HT setup (the main display is a projector, which is not practical for general setup tasks), so I don't need the display capabilities of the MBP, but if you don't have a dedicated display to use, that may sway your final decision. BTW, I have not yet installed the SSD in my Mini (despite my signature), partly because I am content with the playback performance I get with the stock Toshiba 5400 rpm SATA drive and partly because swapping HDs in the Minis (old and new models) is a PITA. I do have an SSD in my i7 MBP, but again, it was not for audio playback but for improved OS performance and other benefits-if it affects the audio playback, I can't tell, and I have not performed any testing to see if there is a measurable difference. For the 2010 Mini, I loaded up the memory before I did any serious listening (that was easy and cheap and was before I decided to dedicate it to media use), so I can't say if that improved the playback or not (it would not seem to be a factor, but that is only speculation). I tried to avoid opinions and give you my experience, which will hopefully help you form your own opinion. Good luck!