I will try to stay out of this thread because of my obvious bias except for the occasional correction, if needed. I want you to get unbiased feedback from the thread. E-mail us at www.mach2music.com if you have any questions though.
The 2010 MacMini (and our Mach2) do have an internal fan. It is very quiet though. You need to have your ear next to the MacMini to tell its on.
By putting a SSD drive in the Mini, the system will run a little cooler and quieter, but the fan still comes on at times. Even at 2.5 feet away though, I don't think you will hear anything. I literally have to put my ear 2-3 inches away to hear anything.
We all have different hearing acuity, and tolerance for ambient noise. I'm sensitive to it.
I simply cannot take a $1495 flyer (actually several hundred higher after add-ons) on a unit that may be unacceptably noisy due to its proximity to my listening position.
I have a hard time imagining that you would hear it. I am not sure what you would expect though, the mini is almost silent, probably quieter than a laptop. I can hear my external drive, but not my mini. Otherwise buy a mini, and if you like it, send it to them for their mods.
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