My playback system is operating with macOS 12.7.1 on an quad core i7 2.7 GHz Mac Book Pro… Audirvana resides on the System SSD and my music library/folders/files exist on an external SSD… None of my music library folders are on my System SSD… The only “Music” folder associated to me as a user on the System drive is the one created by macOS for music application support or if I want to have audio files stored there (which I do not want) 
It’s a misinterpretation of what I described in this statement below… Subsequently I assumed (incorrectly) that you would understand when I described the scenario using “…the Library folder(s) residing on the Library drive(s)” as referring to the folders containing your Music Library files.
Is this a requirement that Damien has made? I may have missed it perhaps. Or is this a suggestion that you have?
I have two minis with external ssd, MacBook Pro m1 with a large internal ssd. Synology NAS, they all seem to work well with Audirvāna. The majority of my files are redbook cd rips maybe this is less taxing of resources?
@Agoldnear you still misunderstood…
We know your system, @DonaldM as the same layout as yours and mine… all is good now.
End of thread 
There is a logic to this, beholding to macOS operations + Audirvana operations request interrupts and bus throughput… I actually have my DAC on a USB 3.0 controller via the Thunderbolt bus and my music library on the USB 3.1 bus… The DAC being at the top of the USB bus hierarchy
The computers cpu still has to handle all of the data and run the application in the end, it’s not like you have doubled the size of the pathway or enabled more throughput. It still has to get through the funnel in the end.
This is the same way I organize my local files, easy access.
It’s how well it handles all of the data across all of the I/O buses… Yes a faster CPU with a faster memory bus will perform better… this is a given… nonetheless, it is good practice to provide the least amount of interrupts as possible, no matter the speed of the platform configuration… I’m eyeing the M3 platform, which has A/V sub-system support, however I won’t be putting music files on the system drive, even one this powerful…
Price difference being almost insignificant M3 why not. But there are some reports of some shortcomings of the m3 , high temperatures, fans loud. Do your homework, a m1 or m2 will easily handle what you need to do.
I’m not an early adopter… I’ve learned my lesson from being on the bleeding edge over the years…
M1 or M2 will make you very happy, you still thinking to go laptop or maybe go mini this time?
Mac Studio and a lot of memory is where I’m headed…
I have a M1 studio ultra as my work machine: couldn’t be happier! I read in the US heavily discounted right now. Not here in Europe though😥
Studio is getting the M3 has been announced?
Always the case when Apple releases something new. This time not even facts just concerns……. The anti Apple bunch in the tech media struggling this time to get a “…gate” which they always try to do with an Apple release
Been running engineering simulations whilst upsampling files to 768 KHz or 705 kHz with AS all day. No hiccups with AS, no fan noise no heat (a couple of hours was spent resting the notebook on my legs…….barely got warm. The old Core i9 MacBook Pro would have resulted in 3rd degree burns!!)
Smooth sailing all the way with an M3 Max 16 core CPU, 40 core GPU, 128 gb ram, 4 TB internal SSD. All music stored on the internal SSD.
Not sure where the “you must run your library on external drive” comes from. Keep the chain as short as possible to my mind!
Perfect experience with the M3 and yes the Space Black takes me back to pre Titanium Power Book days. Love the M3 but TBH only shaving a minute or so over the M2 Max on simulation runs (run times of 45 mins +-)
I have my music files on a separate internal ssd , is that acceptable?
That’s the worst possible thing you could do! Said no one
Phew! I was worried.
My Mac Mini M2 has a 250Gb internal SSD.
For this reason I use an external 2Tb SSD for music files.
If the M2 had an internal 2Tb SSD I would definitely be using it to store music files.
I was going to partition the SSD into two parts, a small one for the operating system and Audirvana, and the other for the music files.
If an M1 or M2 appears at an excellent price, they are more than enough, I bought the M2 because I found it for practically the same price as the M1.