ATTENTION Current Mac mini/A+ users: Boot Mavericks from an SD card, load a RAMdisk, dismount your internal SATA drives, and pour a drink for the musicians walking out of your speakers!

[hifitubes]

Think for a moment, if we have accepted that digital is not just the successful transit of 1/0s from point A to B, that a voltage is involved that can be affected negatively at some point in the chain.

 

Isolation of the PC from the DAC.

 

Fini.

 

Focus on clean power downstream at attenuators or amps imo.

[Superdad]

What SD card are you using?

Nothing special, just an $18 Transcend 32GB Class 10 SDHC.

[Le Concombre Masqué]

so do I. I have previously used a Sandisk but I kept redoing it for it got corrupted every 2 weeks or so (my MBP serves other purposes for which i boot it from the ssd). Don't know yet if the Transcend will fare better but it takes a hell longer to boot from it (though both are class 10 the Sandisk claims a 32 transfer rate vs 20 for the Transcend. Wonder if I read somewhere the slower the better for the SD card...

[Superdad]

I honestly do not think the long boot times have anything to do with the speed rating of the SD card. My Transcend as configured with Mavericks boots from power button press to sharable screen (I run headless) in 45 seconds--every time! And when I operate the machine I really never notice that I am running from SD (iTunes launches in 5 seconds).

Wish I knew how to help the folks that have slow boots and poor responsiveness.

 

Best,

Alex C.

[mfaoro]

Nothing special, just an $18 Transcend 32GB Class 10 SDHC.

 

Thanks Superdad. Boot times are fine on mine. I am getting the beach ball more often than I would like but I haven't done the OS optimizations yet.

 

I am using a Sandisk Ultra Micro SDxc in an adaptor. Perhaps the adaptor is part of my problem too.

 

Thanks for all your writeups. I am really enjoying playing with your solutions regardless of the outcome. Thats what the hobby is all about .

 

Michael

[Superdad]

I am using a Sandisk Ultra Micro SDxc in an adaptor. Perhaps the adaptor is part of my problem too.

 

Thanks for all your writeups. I am really enjoying playing with your solutions regardless of the outcome. Thats what the hobby is all about .

 

Michael

 

Hi Michael: Glad you are having fin with it all. I am assuming that the "adaptor" you mention is just one of those standard SD form-factor things you put a tiny microSD card into to be able to use it in a standard slot. As long as you are not talking about an outboard, USB connected hub/card reader. Those things defeat the whole point.

 

BTW, judging from your avatar, you are really bad at taking selfles. That, or you think your hair is really cool (not so much). Pacific NorthWet--I love that!

 

Ciao,

Alex

[eltee00]

Ok I'm done playing with RAM disks and Apple scripts to automate file transfers and trying to get the best sound quality from external storage, etc. etc. etc.

 

At this point I'm going to just get two 128gb SD card (256gb sd cards are still very expensive), both cloned with clean Maverick installs and just fill them both with music files. The combined 256gb will give me enough storage for about 500 redbook rips which is more than enough for my current music collection.

 

I am moving away from playlist mode on A+ as well and going to iTunes integrated. iTunes integrated with files on SD card sound quite good to my ears, and it has the most important benefit of conveniences with using the iphone/ipad remote. The Maverick & all music files on a large storage SD card + itunes integrated + iPad remote is the best balance I can find with ease of use/convenience/sound quality.

 

Hopefully I can now enjoy my music in peace without thinking about more tweaking.

 

Hopefully.

[Superdad]

Hopefully I can now enjoy my music in peace without thinking about more tweaking.

 

Sounds like a good plan!

Life's too short to keep tweaking by listening to the same tracks over and over. Sadly, that's what a lot of this research takes. I've burned out on hearing more than a few of my favorite tunes. Occupational hazard.

[BobL]

I honestly do not think the long boot times have anything to do with the speed rating of the SD card. My Transcend as configured with Mavericks boots from power button press to sharable screen (I run headless) in 45 seconds--every time! And when I operate the machine I really never notice that I am running from SD (iTunes launches in 5 seconds).

Wish I knew how to help the folks that have slow boots and poor responsiveness.

 

Best,

Alex C.

 

 

Hi Alex, and anybody else using Ethernet to connect headlessly,

 

Still having slow boot from a fast 32GB SD; 4.5 min from restart to the clock appearing on the screen. I thought it was time I tried slimming down; so far all my comparisons have been with unmodified current Mavericks, so I tried the CAD script on OSX on the SSD of my 2012 Mini, hoping this might speed things up.

 

After a bit of help from Scott I got it to run, and I took all the options except switch off wifi (I have removed the board, so 'y' gives an error). However, now I have lost Ethernet connection, which is vital for my headless operation. Yes, I checked screen sharing (on), file sharing (off, but I turned it back on), tried repairing permissions, but Ethernet stays in the 'self-assigned IP address' configuration. The Macbook at the other end sees the Mini but can't connect. Did you leave out any of the options when you ran the script? Any other comments?

 

Cheers

 

Bob

[wwaldmanfan]

Hi Alex, and anybody else using Ethernet to connect headlessly,

 

Still having slow boot from a fast 32GB SD; 4.5 min from restart to the clock appearing on the screen. I thought it was time I tried slimming down;

 

Bob

 

Supedad is one of the smartest guys here, but his method of running the OS from a SD card is not necessarily appropriate for everyone. I tried it, and it slowed my MBP down to a crawl. Now, my computer boots in 10-12 seconds from the my internal Kingston SSD. For me, there's no drawback to running the OS and the music player software from the internal drive. The trade-off between speed and the logic of sheer convenience vs. potential SQ improvements must be considered.

[Superdad]

Hi Bob, hi Mike:

 

Given the SD card slowness many of you are reporting, I am feeling luckier by the week that my machine boots so fast and responds so well. I honestly don't know what I did special to achieve that. Sure, I have tweaked my CAD script from stock (adding and removing a few things), and of course all the usual hardware and OS turn-offs, but really it is not that different--and I recall having pretty quick boots even before that (though maybe I never booted a full OS as I always cloned my SD from a slimmed HD).

 

One thing I can thing of is that my music mini is a 2010. That's a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo as opposed to an i5 or i7. My desktop is an i7 mini, so maybe I'll time its boot-up with the configured SD card from the music mini.

 

Wish I could help you Bob with your Ethernet screen sharing. You definitely need both machines to have an IP address and subnet mask (make the latter 255.255.255.0). You can set Configure IPv4 to "Manually" and enter addresses at both ends with only the last digits differing (e.g. 169.254.87.98 and 169.254.87.99). Is this a setup where you are running an Ethernet cable direct between the 2 machines with no router or switch assigning IPs?

 

I am trying to remember if something in the CAD script tended to disable Ethernet. I recall that in a very early version, but that was fixed for certain.

 

Good luck to you both.

 

Alex C.

[Le Concombre Masqué]

There might be a variability of the SD cards : my Sandisk that deteriorated booted fast and I redid it several times (in early times I would retrieve anything thought superfluous from os languages to iTunes ; now I don't care since Mavericks only triggers what it requires) ; I build the Transcend (same reference as Superdad's) the same way and it's excruciatingly slow...

[AnotherSpin]

My Mac mini is late 2012 model, 2.3 GHz i7, 16 GB memory. It boots from SD with stripped down OS - I copied only needed parts from internal SSD with Carbon Copy Cloner (followed step-by-step instructions from Le Concombre Masqué). And, it boots real fast. I didn't make time measures, but in my perception SD card boot time is similar to the boot time from internal SSD - in both cases it is satisfactory fast. I do regular repair permissions routine and mini is only for playing music, no other activities.

[alcarp]

My Mac mini is late 2012 model, 2.3 GHz i7, 16 GB memory. It boots from SD with stripped down OS - I copied only needed parts from internal SSD with Carbon Copy Cloner (followed step-by-step instructions from Le Concombre Masqué). And, it boots real fast. I didn't make time measures, but in my perception SD card boot time is similar to the boot time from internal SSD - in both cases it is satisfactory fast. I do regular repair permissions routine and mini is only for playing music, no other activities.

 

Can you post the step by step instructions? Thanks.

[AnotherSpin]

As I mentioned, instructions were given by an active participant of this thread... Maybe you need to ask him. Thank you, hope it'll be helpful.

[BobL]

 

I am trying to remember if something in the CAD script tended to disable Ethernet. I recall that in a very early version, but that was fixed for certain.

 

Good luck to you both.

 

Alex C.

 

Before anybody gets worried by my loss of Ethernet, I now have that working after running the CAD script, with some brilliant help from Scott and Damian at CAD- I have had several useful comments during today. These guys give full service, at a weekend (!), on a product that they don't even charge for!

 

I'll report on the audio aspect later, but I wanted to acknowledge this incredible service first. Thanks for the good luck message, Alex....

 

Bob

[Montage]

Like Superdad, I use a 2010 Mac Mini as music server with Audirvana+. It has 8GB RAM and an internal 60GB SSD for OSX. The music library is on a stand alone HDD. For some time I have not been content with the sound; slightly bright and not involving, particularly when compared to vinyl.

 

Over the last few days I have taken the recommendations of 3 threads; 'Izotope SRC' for the software settings, 'Computer Audio Design OSX Audio Optimization Script' for the OSX set-up, and this thread for OSX on SD card and music on RAMdisk. I'm very pleased with the massive improvement I have experienced and I'd like to say thank you to the originators and to all that have contributed to those threads. The sound is now much closer to my analogue set-up; smoother, more air around performers, and so much more involving.

 

Whilst I am very happy with the audio result, I'm sorry to have lost some operational convenience compared to operating A+ from the iTunes library. Following a suggestion on this thread I tried moving the music library HDD to a remote location by plugging it into an Apple Airport Extreme connected by Ethernet. Unfortunately, music from this source was significantly degraded in sound quality compared with the same music from the RAMdisk. I then tried playing music from RAMdisk with the internal SDD both mounted and unmounted. I could not hear any difference. So if the internal SSD is not degrading the sound, what would happen if the music library was on that SSD?

 

As an experiment I created a small partition on the SSD and loaded 8 music tracks. I also loaded the same tracks to RAMdisk. I then created a A+ playlist with the same 8 tracks from both sources. The tracks were moved around so I no longer knew the source of each (thanks again to Superdad for the idea) and I then played the music. On half the tracks I could tell no difference between the two. On 3 of the remaining I felt that the bass was slightly better defined. These, it turned out, were tracks played from the SSD. Only on one track did I feel that the RAMdisk version may be slightly better, although my notes indicated that I was not fully convinced.

 

I concluded that, with my system and with OSX on SD card, there was no significant difference between music stored on RAMdisk to that stored on the internal SSD, with a possible slight advantage to the SSD. For that reason, I have just ordered a 1TB Samsung SSD to replace my existing 60GB. When it arrives I will copy the music library to it and should have a very compact, high quality music server. In the meantime I must revisit those Izotope SRC settings....

[jpprins]

Hi everybody,

 

 

Can anyone tell me if using Carbon Copy Cloner i can clone just OSX and selected apps instead of the whole disk ?

[jvlata]

You can select what to clone

[jpprins]

Thanks

 

You can select what to clone

[Superdad]

I concluded that, with my system and with OSX on SD card, there was no significant difference between music stored on RAMdisk to that stored on the internal SSD, with a possible slight advantage to the SSD. For that reason, I have just ordered a 1TB Samsung SSD to replace my existing 60GB. When it arrives I will copy the music library to it and should have a very compact, high quality music server. In the meantime I must revisit those Izotope SRC settings....

 

Nice report Montage. Glad you are having fun and figuring out how to get the best SQ from your system. At this point, probably the biggest next leap you can make is to remove the stock switch mode power supply and go with a really good outboard linear supply. Also, getting rid of the fairly high-current PWM pulses the Mac mini fan is injecting back into the motherboard is a very audible improvement, but that process will remain problematic for about another 5 weeks (that's when I will hopefully start shipping a DC conversion/linear fan controller board; sorry I am not supposed to promote here).

 

I too find RAMdisk a bit of a hassle, despite some nice scripts that have been written and offered by others here. I do like it for special tracks and testing. I am not sure if Jud convinced Damien to fully include separate RAMdisk loading of tracks in the forthcoming A+ 2.0. (I bet it is a bit hard even for someone like Damien to fathom, given that A+ already buffers everything into memory.)

 

John Swenson is driving up to my place tomorrow. We will be listening to several PCM and direct DSD DAC prototypes and filters, one of which (the PCM one) is the Bottlehead DAC. John put a lot of effort and unique elements into the USB input circuitry of the Bottlehead to make it resistant to ground plane noise caused by upstream changes (USB cables, computer changes such as all these things we hear with storage, etc.). So he is anxious to hear on my revealing system just how effective those efforts have been. My mail-woman just dropped off a sample of the C.A.D. USB cable which Scott Berry in the U.K. offered to loan me for 3 weeks. I am excited to try it out. I will probably smoke my Swedish Supra USB cable with my WaveIO async-XMOS>NOS PCM1704K DAC. It will be interesting to see if it makes as much of a difference with the Bottlehead DAC.

Should be a fun weekend. I love seeing John as he is such a broad-thinking, enthusiastic scientist with knowledge on all sorts of esoteric and mainstream subjects. It is so much fun to watch my teenage sons light up when he gets animated talking about garage-brew graphene, or space elevators, or how the San Fracisco trolly cables work, or about the 3D laser printer he is working on.

 

Cheers all,

--Alex C.

[Montage]

Superdad wrote: 'probably the biggest next leap you can make is to remove the stock switch mode power supply and go with a really good outboard linear supply.'

 

Thanks Superdad, that has got my interest. I've found the Mojo Audio kit, the MOD Audio internal power cable and the TeraDak and Keces power supplies. Any others options I should look at?

 

I've ordered the C.A.D. USB cable too as it is offered with a 30 day money back guarantee.

 

Best,

 

jt (Montage)

[Superdad]

Superdad wrote: 'probably the biggest next leap you can make is to remove the stock switch mode power supply and go with a really good outboard linear supply.'

 

Thanks Superdad, that has got my interest. I've found the Mojo Audio kit, the MOD Audio internal power cable and the TeraDak and Keces power supplies. Any others options I should look at?

 

I've ordered the C.A.D. USB cable too as it is offered with a 30 day money back guarantee.

 

Best,

 

jt (Montage)

 

Do a search here on CA for "Swenson." You will see a few of his posts (he is a brilliant engineer and my close friend), and a few of mine with some pictures and details about the R-core trans, choke-filtered, dual-rail, selectable voltage PS (with kit for Mac mini DC conversion and linear fan controller to eliminate the high-current PWM pulses from the fan, a mark first) that I have been pouring thousands of dollars into to enter production of. First units start shipping in 2 weeks. Yesterday was exciting as the first shipment of custom chassis from Japan arrived. Some sneak pics are here: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/keces-dc-116-linear-power-supply-unit-quick-review-17623/index3.html#post324314

Send me a PM if you want to be added to the list for news and details as production begins.

 

The C.A.D. cable is very good sounding! Wish I had some other highly thought of ones to compare it too.

 

Have a great weekend,

 

Alex C.

[eltee00]

Yesterday I upgraded my SD card to a Kingston 128gb so I can store more music on the card. Initially I was using a Transcend 16gb and the speed of the OSX running on it was acceptable. Now that I've moved to the Kingston 128gb it is unbearably slow.

 

I had cloned the clean install on the Transcend 16gb onto the 128gb. Could this potentially be the problem causing the slow down? Would it help to do a complete clean install on the 128gb?

[Superdad]

Yesterday I upgraded my SD card to a Kingston 128gb so I can store more music on the card. Initially I was using a Transcend 16gb and the speed of the OSX running on it was acceptable. Now that I've moved to the Kingston 128gb it is unbearably slow.

 

I had cloned the clean install on the Transcend 16gb onto the 128gb. Could this potentially be the problem causing the slow down? Would it help to do a complete clean install on the 128gb?

 

Wow, that is interesting. Part of me wonders if there is something about larger SD cards that makes them slow for OS boot use. I don't have the technical knowledge of the SD storage system--or of what makes OS X swift or slow--to even hazard a guess.

 

Please do continue to experiment with the cards and let us know if you discover something. BTW, I assume that you formatted the new SD card to GUID (dumb question, since it would not boot otherwise), and partitioned as "Mac OS Extended."

 

Good luck,

Alex C.