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Very Disappointed Mac User Needs Help Setting Up a Music Server


ehrawn

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I have a first gen MacBook and have ripped my entire CD collection to Apple Lossless to an external drive. I am tired of having to move my Mac to the living room to enjoy my music and want to set up a dedicated media server. I use iTunes to manage music and videos. Although I will be mostly using the media server to listed to music (via USB to a Peachtree Audio Decco), video playback is essential. Today's announcement of the new MacBook/Macbook Pro left me wanting more. As nice as it is to not have a track button that will fail, how can Apple think that a manufacturing process will sell more products? Even though this was a laptop event, I was still hoping for some bonus spec bumps across their entire line.

 

So here are the options I am considering:

 

1) Buy the 1+ year old spec'd Mac Mini, either new or used; cringe in pain when Apple finally updates the specs, or, worse yet, replaces it with a better product.

 

2) Since there is no way I could justify buying another laptop, buy an iMac (Mac Pro would be nice, but is out of my budget); move my MacBook to the living room, permanently.

 

3) Buy an AppleTV; since my library is way to big to fit on the hard drive, I will have to run Ethernet cable to my living room (which will require some drilling though my rented house). Wireless streaming is not an option. I tried using Airdisk on my AEBS and the skips and pauses were unbearable.

 

4) Wait it out. Apple will release updates of their desktops eventually.

 

Any other suggestions? Your help with this decision is much appreciated.

 

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Hi. You're spot on re the future lack of non laptop mac products. I've been running my system using a couple of ageing mac mini's and an old G5 for 2-3 years now waiting for apple to get serious about the pricing of the MAC pro. What is really needed IMHO is a"low" spec MAC pro. eg fast Quad core processors, ONE harddrive bay, lots of RAM, bare bones everthying else. priced to compete with equivalent PC's eg < $1500.

 

I've got around the limited hardrive space of my ageing macminis by streaming everything from a NAS, and pointing itunes to that. This my friend IS the key! For music, the old MAC gear works a treat. Not sure for video though. They have very slow and limited video cards in them and only up to 2G RAM. Music: no problem, but video????? You'd need to check this out. AB

 

New simplified setup: STEREO- Primary listening Area: Cullen Circuits Mod ZP90> Benchmark DAC1>RotelRKB250 Power amp>KEF Q Series. Secondary listening areas: 1/ QNAP 119P II(running MinimServer)>UPnP>Linn Majik DSI>Linn Majik 140's. 2/ (Source awaiting)>Invicta DAC>RotelRKB2100 Power amp>Rega's. Tertiary multiroom areas: Same QNAP>SMB>Sonos>Various. MULTICHANNEL- MacMini>A+(Standalone mode)>Exasound e28 >5.1 analog out>Yamaha Avantage Receiver>Pre-outs>Linn Chakra power amps>Linn Katan front and sides. Linn Trikan Centre. Velodyne SPL1000 Ultra

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