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Mac mini or Synology (or something else)??
#1
I am totalt new to both Devialet and ripping my cd's. I want to keep my system as simple as possible. I understand that a Synology can be connected directly with USB and that seems like a good solution? But I am also looking at a Mac mini, hopefully controlling it with an ipad, connecting it with ethernet? What is recommended? AIR does not work properly, especially with 88.2
Spiral Groove/Soundsmith - jRiver/Audiophile Optimizer/Process Lasso - Devialet 1000 pro - Rockport Ankaa
Nordost Valhalla, Brahma, Frey2+ & Tyr2/Ansuz Mainz C/D8
Isoacoustics OREA/Shunyata Dark Field/Nordost QV/QK
Devialet Gemini
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#2
I'm using now a ethernet wired connection between my Devialet and the router and using my laptop to handle the compute and treat to my network. This works for now very good and I'm thinking of bring the ethernet cables to a definitive level (now using cat 5).
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#3
What is the size of your music collection?

Depending on the size, and if you intend to use a NAS for anything other than your music files, there may be other options to consider.

Do you prefer Apple solutions for your system, or open to a Windows 10 solution (i.e. using a NUC)?

Also, what does this mean? I have AIR3 running on both a Windows 10 and a MacOS system with no issues. I am using ethernet connections, not wireless.


"AIR does not work properly, especially with 88.2"
Roon ROCK on Intel NUC6i5SYH/Ethernet | VPI Avenger | Devialet 440 Pro CI | Vivid Audio Giya G3 | Auralic Aires Mini | Synology 1812+ NAS
SXSW, US
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#4
My plan is to rip my entire cd collection, appr. a thousand cd's. A NAS will probably only contain music.

I want my system to be simple, and a Mac mini looks pretty good as well. But I am a win 10 user normally.

With wireless AIR I get a lot of noise, especially with 88,2/24 and other hi-rez.
Spiral Groove/Soundsmith - jRiver/Audiophile Optimizer/Process Lasso - Devialet 1000 pro - Rockport Ankaa
Nordost Valhalla, Brahma, Frey2+ & Tyr2/Ansuz Mainz C/D8
Isoacoustics OREA/Shunyata Dark Field/Nordost QV/QK
Devialet Gemini
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#5
(27-Nov-2016, 10:22)frejo Wrote: My plan is to rip my entire cd collection, appr. a thousand cd's. A NAS will probably only contain music.

I want my system to be simple, and a Mac mini looks pretty good as well. But I am a win 10 user normally.

With wireless AIR I get a lot of noise, especially with 88,2/24 and other hi-rez.
You could run Windoze on the Mac....
Project Eperience X Pack with Ortofon Rondo Red MC, Oppo BDP 105D, 2 x Sonos Connect, QNAP HS251+ NAS with 2 X 6TB Western Digital Red, Mac 5K 32GB running Lifetime Roon, iPad Pro 12.9" for remote control.  Etalon Ethernet Isolator, Devialet 440 Pro CI, Sonus faber Olympica ll with Isoacoustics Gaia ll feet, Auralic Taurus Mkll headphone amp.Denon AH-D5000, Sennheiser HD600 and HD800 with Cardas cable,  Van Den Hul The First Ultimate and Crystal interconnects, Furutech power cables, GSP Audio Spatia speaker cable.
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#6
(27-Nov-2016, 10:22)frejo Wrote: My plan is to rip my entire cd collection, appr. a thousand cd's.

Have fun Big Grin

Did you think about TIDAL (and maybe ROON) so far? 

Of course, feel free to rip day and night for a couple of... äääh months?!
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#7
So you have a bunch of options.

A thousand CDs is going to be about 700-750GB if you store them uncompressed (i.e. AIFF).

You could add a second hard drive to the Mac Mini to store the music files if you got a Mac Mini.

Currently the Samsung EVO 850 1TB SSD is on sale at places like Amazon for $249.

If you can connect both your Mac Mini and Devialet to ethernet, that should resolve issues with AIR3 that you are experiencing with WiFi.

Or you could use a Windows 10 system. For example you could purchase an Intel NUC, add a M.2 drive for your boot drive, and then add a second drive (such as the Samsung I noted above to hold your music files).

That would run ~$715 for Intel NUC6i3SYH, 8GB memory, and both a M.2 boot drive and the Samsung SSD 1TB drive. Just add Windows 10, and connect via ethernet, USB, or Wireless.

BTW - I don't think connecting a Synology NAS via USB is an optimal path in your situation. You only really need the NAS if you anticipate a very high volume of music files and/or intend to use it for other purposes as well. IMHO.

Have fun! You have lots of options. Oh, and don't forget to backup all the music files after you rip them.
Roon ROCK on Intel NUC6i5SYH/Ethernet | VPI Avenger | Devialet 440 Pro CI | Vivid Audio Giya G3 | Auralic Aires Mini | Synology 1812+ NAS
SXSW, US
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#8
(27-Nov-2016, 18:55)baddog Wrote: So you have a bunch of options.

A thousand CDs is going to be about 700-750GB if you store them uncompressed (i.e. AIFF).

You could add a second hard drive to the Mac Mini to store the music files if you got a Mac Mini.

Currently the Samsung EVO 850 1TB SSD is on sale at places like Amazon for $249.

If you can connect both your Mac Mini and Devialet to ethernet, that should resolve issues with AIR3 that you are experiencing with WiFi.

BTW - I don't think connecting a Synology NAS via USB is an optimal path in your situation. You only really need the NAS if you anticipate a very high volume of music files and/or intend to use it for other purposes as well. IMHO.

Have fun! You have lots of options. Oh, and don't forget to backup all the music files after you rip them.
I was thinking FLAC, is AIFF a better sounding format?

I also took a brief look at my cd collection and not all of them are going to be ripped. Quite a lot of not-so-good music there so no no need right now for a second hdd... I am not going to be able to connect a Mac mini and the Devialet to Ethernet, I'll have to chose one of them.

Can a Mac mini be controlled by an ipad?
Spiral Groove/Soundsmith - jRiver/Audiophile Optimizer/Process Lasso - Devialet 1000 pro - Rockport Ankaa
Nordost Valhalla, Brahma, Frey2+ & Tyr2/Ansuz Mainz C/D8
Isoacoustics OREA/Shunyata Dark Field/Nordost QV/QK
Devialet Gemini
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#9
Yes a Mac Mini can be controlled by an iPad if you wish to run headless. Depending on the music software you buy, many offer iPad applications to control playback (i.e. JRIVER, Roon, etc..) If you choose to use the Music Server as a UpNP application than there are other iPad options such as Lumin and Linn Kinsky/Kazoo. You could install Minimserver as your music server, and control playback via iPad with either the Lumin or Linn applications.

Another option, sorry to throw so many out there is have your Mac Mini with both wireless (to access internet and control via iPad) and ethernet connections. Wireless will be to internet, ethernet will be a direct connection to the Devialet. You can use AIR3 in this scenario, there are other posts on this forum that detail how to set that up.

I would spend a little more time researching the possibilities, starting first with the less expensive ones. Do you have a spare Windows machine lying around?
Roon ROCK on Intel NUC6i5SYH/Ethernet | VPI Avenger | Devialet 440 Pro CI | Vivid Audio Giya G3 | Auralic Aires Mini | Synology 1812+ NAS
SXSW, US
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#10
Thank you for your answers.

I don't have a spare windows machine, but a used one is rather cheap. If I'll buy a Mac Mini, that will be used as well. Now that I'm ripping, I'm using my w10 laptop with jriver, which sounds nice especially if I chose the "play from memory and not disk" option. But hi-rez gets very noisy after a while. And I wish a remote to the computer, perhaps jremote will work??
Spiral Groove/Soundsmith - jRiver/Audiophile Optimizer/Process Lasso - Devialet 1000 pro - Rockport Ankaa
Nordost Valhalla, Brahma, Frey2+ & Tyr2/Ansuz Mainz C/D8
Isoacoustics OREA/Shunyata Dark Field/Nordost QV/QK
Devialet Gemini
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