I have used Audirvana 3.5 in the past on an MacBook Air (bought in 2013), which is now on its really last leg. So I need to replace it and would like to upgrade to Audirvana Studio. I have an ESOTERIC SACD K-05X with a nice DAC built in (capable of DSD 2.8 / 5.6 / 11.2MHz) and USB2 audio input.
There are a few older forum entries discussing the pros and cons of Apple vs PC but none seem to be recent.
→ What I am not sure about is should I buy an Apple mini or a small INTEL NUC or one of its derivates (which one?)
I read a lot about “noisy” PCs and are really not sure what to buy to get a nice sound. Some say that older NUCs are better than new ones…
which Mac is good enough? Apple does not seem to support 11.2Mhz
I would be really thankful for any recommendations!
If you don’t need a lot of I/O, the new M2 MacBook Air is a platform that will give you performance that is unequaled… Make sure you get at least 16GB of memory in any Mac you choose… the more memory the better…
Based on my personal experence, I would opt for Mac mini as the power supply is more stable and far less noisier than those of most PC’s. I recommend you to listen to a test of the team at Alpha Audio on streaming audio. comparing several option like Roon, JRiver and Audirvana. Listen till the end as they come to the conclusion that a more stable power supply is always beneficial to any kind of sound reproduction. Link: Can you hear a difference in streaming audio software? We are going to find out! - YouTube
I would also opt for 16GB as memory option. I reckon that a M1 Mac mini will do the trick equally good as a newer M2. I am using both an iMac and a MacBook Air (M1) with Audirvana 3.5 and Origin. All file formats are supported (including Hi-res, Masters, MQA, DSD). Every time I play with either 3.5 or Origin I am genuinely by the open and detailed soundstage in a myriad of very broad range of musical styles (classical, vocal singer-songwriter, jazz and some contemporary music provided it is recorded without a bass boost.
I hope that my personal experience and that of AlphaAudio will help you in your decision to moving forward to audio nirvana.
