Best Mini For Media Server Mac Were Far

Best Mini For Media Server Mac Were Far

While I dont recommend regularly running a bunch of high-demand processing and disc-access programs such as Photoshop while listening intently to music, the reasons for creating a stripped-down music-only Mac were far more relevant back in the days of the G5 desktop than they are today.

For me, the three most important aspects of a computer audio system are stability, reliability, and simplicity of operation.

Sound quality comes after these three primary goals are met: ultimately it doesnt matter how good your computer audio system can sound if you cant get it to work.

Even a nave user should be able to use a computer audio system almost as easily as a CD player.

Hardware Which Apple computer you choose for computer audio will depend on several factors, but principally budget and portability.

Portable Macs, whether MacBook Pro or Air, make great audio computers, especially if you want one system that you can take with you.

A Mac Mini is less expensive initially, but it does require an external monitor and keyboard for full functionality.

Some folks (like me) even use a MacPro desktop machine for audio duties.

Nowadays, the Macs I see most often used for audio are the Mac Mini or a Mac portable.

Mac Minis are the most popular desktop machine due to their size and price.

Also a Mac Mini can be run headless after initial setup, without a monitor or keyboard via the Remote Smartphone app (a Mac portable can be used this way also, but the screen will remain active).

Any Mac that supports the current or near-current operating system can be used for audio playback duties.

Considerations such as whether you want portability are more easily quantifiable than whether one Mac model sounds better than another.

Apple offers all its computers with different memory and hard-drive configurations.

You can order a Mac directly from Apple exactly the way you want it or you can purchase a barebones configuration and add your own memory and storage later.

OtherWorld Computing sells all the necessary parts as well as step-by-step instructional videos on its site for installing memory, solid-state drives, and auxiliary hard drives for nearly every model Mac.

And theres always a trade-off of ergonomics lost versus sonic benefits gained.

Access to the Internet is not necessary to play back a music file, but it does allow for greater levels of operability, including access to Internet radio (which can be very good), streaming services, and GraceNote for identifying ripped CDs.

But a system with Internet access means that more operations will be ongoing and some could have an effect on overall audio quality.

PreSonus, in its guide to Mac OS use, recommends turning off the airport wireless service while using a Mac for audio.

Obviously this drastically reduces functionality, sort of like supergluing your mouth closed to keep from occasionally drooling.

Some Mac audio set-up guides also recommend turning off Spotlight, which is the file-searching utility.

There is no reason that a current-generation Mac needs to be gelded into a barebones operating system to perform optimally for audio.

The Mac operating system and hardware were made for multitasking, and the Mac will be performing background processes while playing music even if it has been stripped-down.

Best Mac Mini For Media Server