Raspberry Pi3 vs MacMini 2010 - what to do?

[Giuanniello]

I used a Pi3 to stream lossless music to my stereo system through a DAC (a Caiman SEG for instance), I don't like all those many cables, the Pi with it's power supply, the DAC with another one... I got the chance to get a 2010 MacMini with a Core2 Duo CPU, 4GB RAM and spinning disk, it works on and off, sometimes it is smooth and flawless and other times there are sound interruptions which I realised not to happen with MP3 music.

 

I also have a 2014 MacMini with a more powerful (...) i5 CPU even if running at, I seem to recall, 1.5Ghz so not really that much more powerful but this Mini got the IR receiver broken so I won't be able to use the little remote to control it just for play-stop and skip features.

 

Thinking to revert back to the Pi3 to play my FLAC music but again a mess of cables (the Pi got no case and uses an old mobile phone usb charger with over 1A power) and, I guess, a degrade in SQ.

 

Given the hardware I own what would you do to arrange a media server to play FLAC music? I would not want to throw money away, upgrading old gear makes no sense, I mean, yes, I'd spend 50 euros for an SSD to fit the 2010 Mini if it would fix the sound interruptions but I am not pretty sure it depends on that, the Mini solution is nice cause I can either use a remote interface through another computer like a MacBookAir or through Audirvana off of my iPhone, the Pi solution is less easy to control (make my playlists, add, delete, folders etc etc).

 

Do you think I better trash it all away and forget it all or is there anything I can still try to make any of the two work?

 

Grazie e buon fine settimana

 

 

Giovanni