I moved from my Zen ifi Stream to Max mini m1 just to test Dirac and I was immediately stuck by the quality differnce. My Maratnz sacd3n apparently has one of the best USB Dacs and it shows !..
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I still run Time Machine daily but only when Iām not using Roon. You should always backup on a regular basis.
If you are using usb to a dac, why are you worried about any sq improvements with a new Mac? USB is the worst interface to use to a dac. Some better dacs donāt even offer usb on their dac. I gave up using usb years ago, sold my $800 usb cable, reclocker/other tweaks and will never go back
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My 2014 Mac mini has nothing but Roon on it. So I donāt even connect it to my account.
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Seriously? What should we use instead of USB then, TOSLINK?
Although with enough $800 cables and āreclockersā one could make even USB sound like crap, if at allā¦
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Not if your DAC has a great USB implementation! My DAC, the Holo Audio May KTE, sounds just as good over USB as it does over I2S. I am very happy using USB!!
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But I do not have anything besides roon on the comp. Also quit roon before time machine.
Iām not. I just would like the horsepower but would not expect any SQ differences. But I tend to think that for the horsepower Iāll have to build a pc (horsepower for HQP and for a future dac that would support higher sample rates)
Found Zen Stream NAA better than USB (from comp to dac).
Ethernet (edit: and I am referring at the USB out from comp vs bridge with usb or build in the dac)
This might be true, but no way for me to test (yet:)
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Horsepowerā¦ā¦YES
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Ethernet is a fine interface, especially for moving data over long distances, but how exactly is it better for audio than USB?
Both are moving data interface. Reading in this forum I tend to conclude that while both are ok it comes down to how they are implemented. At the implementation level I can relate to my experience, zen stream usb to dac vs m1 mini usb to the same dac, the first one sound better. I do not know if it proves anything but the implementation point (both use USB 
, and same cable when comparing)
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So your bits are still getting to your DAC over USB in this case, no? Itās not much different from same bits from a streaming service getting to your Roon core over fiber, coax, ethernet, and who knows what else before they emerge from the USB port.
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If you are getting data errors on your USB connection, you have bigger problems, really (do your files often come corrupted from a USB stick?) and USB uses CRC error correction on packets anyway.
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I totally agree 
true, same (I cannot see them or I do not know how to check them but I safely assume that they are the same)
Hi, I am using a Mac Mini 2018 as Roon Core. I find that the Mac Mini fails to download the latest version of Roon and it eventually crashes. I have to uninstall and then install the latest version manually to overcome this issue. I really like the idea of the Roon Core being on the Mac Mini as I can use the Mac Mini for other tasks as well - but this issue is driving me nuts
Isnāt Zen basically a Volumio player in a custom box? It is capable of doing things to digital signal, so who knows what does it actually put out.
I can believe in sound difference of using e.g. Zenās USB output vs. a computer USB output, but only if the receiving DAC is of a 1995 design, if not older, and is locked to source clock, dosnāt buffer, and passes all electrical noise (and USB signal itself, just like ethernet signal, is just noise in the analog domain, albeit pretty high-frequency one).
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Custom box, custom Volumio Zen Stream has NAA volumio does not.
Dac: CA 200M and iFi Zen Dac Signature v2
Iām not hard to convince and accept. In the last 2 years, since I started to buy again audio gear I can definitely stand by 4 changes only, Speakers, Amp, Mic/DSP correction and HQP. The rest: Software, Computers (also as endpoints), Cables while I can rank them I cannot be 100% positive that it is not my brain playing tricks on me. Also there is one device that I did not hear any difference before and after, the preamp (so Iām happy about it).
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I donāt think usb is the problem. Itās usb directly from the computer to the dac.
Most prefer computer to (low powered) network streamer and then to dac via usb.
Isolates any noise that could be from computer.
So Ethernet and USB!
Not to mention a lot of DACs will not output their highest rates via Ethernet inputs.
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None - itās digital. There is nothing to improve
Iāve heardā¦ different opinionsā¦ on how good (or not) iFiās customizations areā¦
But generally sounds right to me, speakers (and room correction DSP) will have the greatest effect, amp might have some (well, going from one low-distortion Class D box to another is unlikely to do anything audible), and with HQP you obviously could have as much, or as little effect as you want.
Pre-amp should not have much effect on sound either (well, unless you get a tube one because you like tubesā distortions), and if anything else does have an effect, then something is physically quite wrong, like ground loops or a piece of equipment that does not reject mains noiseā¦
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Iāve done the same thing, same machine config except I added 10Gb networking since it sits headless in the rack with my 10Gb switch that also connects to my Synology NAS which hosts the music files. I use the same Mini to run Plex for movies on the NAS. Itās so much more responsive for both Roon and Plex. Itās just sad that search isnāt local.
Iām considering a bit of DSP using the M2 Pro, it should handle some processing for headphones (Focal Utopia) and Iām going to try Dirac Live on it. Ultimately I want to look at Bacch4Mac but thatās a ways off.
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