roon control, core & output application on a Mac Mini Server (Late 2012), 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7, 16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3, Fusion Drive 2TB with UpTone Audio Mac mini DC-Conversion / Linear Fan Controller Kit (MMK) and UpTone Audio JS-2 Linear Power Supply and connected to an Apple Thunderbolt Display.
UpTone Audio ISO REGEN
Questyle CMA600i DAC, Headphone amp and Pre amplifier
TRIGON DWARF II mono power amplifier
Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6XX headphones
Bowers & Wilkins CM6 S2 loudspeakers on custom made stands
The 2012 MAC Minis work great because you can upgrade the RAM and put in a 1TB SSD for your Music files and a 1TB HDD for Backup…all in the same box. Then convert it to run on 12VDC then get a https://www.hdplex.com/hdplex-fanless-200w-linear-power-supply-for-pc-audio-and-ce-device.html
to power that 12 volts and any other device that uses DC as this LPS has adjustable outputs!
There is plenty of 2012-2013 Mac Mini’s to be had on E-Bay…They are way more modifiable than the recent release and you can get a i7 processor for plenty of speed. Also put in 16 MB RAM without breaking the bank.
And of course Roon has their own units now, that I have read are pretty nice as well…
They are very nice, combining speed and clarity in the highs/mid with nice solid, accurate bass
They’re not especially cheap (although that’s all relative I suppose) but I do think they nonetheless represent solid value given what you get for your $$
My setup with Arendal Sound Tower 1723 Speakers, Audiolab MDAC Plus preamp/dac, Advance Acoustic XA160 poweramp, Intel Nuc i7, Dirac Live Room Correction System, Tubulus cables and XTZ loudspeaker cable. Arendal Sound is a young loudspeaker brand from Norway. The Tower 1723 is a huge speaker, with 4 eight inch woofers/midwoofers. They have three ports on the back, but are in fact configured to use as closed speakers. They weigth over 50 kg a piece. One could think that these speakers are all about power, but this couldn’t be further from the truth! They have a very clean and deep bass and huge dynamics but delivered with real finesse. Soundstage is huge. You can only buy them directly from manufacturer and you can try at home for 8 weeks. The Advance Acoustic Poweramp is a French manufacturer. For the first Watts it operates in Class A. It has a huge power reserve.
?
