BACCH-SP: The future of high-end audio? Yes.

[msimanyi]

@flkin I just found this:

Apple Mac Mini M1 | Can Be Powered from ANY POWER SOURCE

Our Mikegyver Mac Mini M1 straight from a DC source without using inverters or generators while you are in the Car, RV, Van, Boat, etc.

mikegyver.com

Ignore the reference to M1 in that last link. It's apparently for all the Minis.

 

[flkin]

Yes, @msimanyi that would work great to run the MacMini on DC. Nice find.

 

[flkin]

Here's another option - extend the Mac to use external PCIe cards. I think the Sonnet Echo SE1 is powered by external DC power. Then we can use an audiophile (reclocked) USB card like the Pink Faun Ultra or their v2.

Amazon.com

This option was proposed by someone else sometime back but I dont know if he ended up trying it.

 

[msimanyi]

Here's another option - extend the Mac to use external PCIe cards. I think the Sonnet Echo SE1 is powered by external DC power. Then we can use an audiophile (reclocked) USB card like the Pink Faun Ultra or their v2.

Amazon.com

This option was proposed by someone else sometime back but I dont know if he ended up trying it.

That is interesting! I could be convinced to try it...

Who makes the best "audio grade" USB card? I've heard of Pink Faun, but never read anything about their products. It's especially appealing if the power is external...

 

[msimanyi]

Then we can use an audiophile (reclocked) USB card like the Pink Faun Ultra or their v2

I reached out to Pink Faun. They only provide their cards for use in their Pink Faun servers, so that's apparently not an option. (Even if they might be functional stand-alone, I can't confirm if they're compatible with MacOS.)

So it seems the only option might be the JCAT USB XE. Are you aware of any others?

 

[flkin]

Pink Faun ultra card is only sold to owners of their Ultra streamer. I happen to be in good terms with them and managed to get one to for my 2.16x when it was first launched. A Sota good sounding card and should work in any PCIe slot. If the Sonnet extender actually does what it says it should work.

They do have their v2 card which is sold to the public and is the replacement of their v1/OCXO card. I also have this card and it is a step up from the v1/OCXO. Doesn’t have an OCXO clock extension but uses an updated ASM3142 chip with a 40MHz clock instead of the usual 20MHz one normal for USB.

This v2 card also sounds very good and IMO suitable for this experiment. The only other thing is to get Prof. Edgar to confirm his Bacch4Mac software can play to a soundcard. I’m guessing it’s possible.

 

[msimanyi]

A little more due diligence makes sense.

Unfortunately none of the Pink Faun cards are available for sale to non-owners. Even if I *could* get my hands on a used version, there's likely a driver issue within MacOS, unless pure luck happens.

At least with the JCAT board, they specifically state it's compatible with Windows, Linux and MacOS. That board *has* to be an improvement over Apple's USB ports built into the Mini.

 

[flkin]

I lent my Pink Faun USB v2 card to a friend running Windows/Audirvana and that worked fine. My system is Linux based under Euphony and is also working normally. I don’t have any experience with a MacOS system however.

The Pink Faun v2 card is available for sale through their dealers to anyone. Only their Ultra version is limited to PF owners.

But I get that going with a card that specifically indicates compatibility with Mac is one less thing to worry about for this experiment. If you decide to try, please do let us know how it goes. Good luck!

 

[aangen]

People used to write about using MAC Mini's in their audio system. I used to laugh and laugh. When did Apple get into Audio. And now I rely on them in my systems. The Mini is just fine for what it is asked to do. I fretted over it but lived with it for quite a while with no signs of distress. I stopped thinking about it actually. People sometimes ask how I can tolerate having one in my system. Let alone having it process any and all audio. It is fairly easy. Play music, sit in my chair and smile. If you look at the rest of the components in my system you can see that the Mini is out of place. I can easily listen to the fancy gear without Bacch. I sometimes do, for upwards of 6 to 10 seconds at a time before I switch back to Bacch. If it ruined anything, I would not tolerate it, But it does not. As far as upgrading the power to the mini, many who I know do. Me, not so much.