Experience with Mach2 Music Server?

Ozzy,

The short answer is yes, assumming the 1 TB drive is either USB or Firewire, and you ripped to a popular music format.

The Mach2 will work with USB or Firewire drives. We recommend that you keep the drive and DAC on seperate interfaces (1 on USB, the other on Firewire).

We setup iTunes and Play which play most of the popular formats, so you shouldn't have to re-rip your music.

Darrell
www.mach2music.com

Having now owned the Mach2 for a couple of weeks, I have some basic observations.

First, a learning curve existed for me, and I consider myself reasonably savvy when it comes to Mac computers. There were a few roadblocks along the way involving "headless" set-up with my home network that I solved on my own.

Second, careful attention must be paid to the sample rates configured on the Mac, and in the playback software. Make certain the rates match the capability of your DAC and of your USB>spdif converter (if applicable).

Third, the MacMini does not make noise. However, the external hard drive on which the music files are stored does quietly whir, which can be heard a few feet away during quiet music passages.

Fourth, the computer and/or hard drive can vibrate a good deal at times; particularly during ripping of CDs. The vibrations travel through my rack and into my components despite the fact the components are are placed on various vibration control footers (Stillpoints and Synergistic Research MiGs). I placed 3/8" sorbothane pucks under the MacMini and hard drive and mass loaded them with brass weights. This has reduced the transfer of vibration to the rack. I would not recommend hard footers. They do nothing to stop the transfer of vibration to the rack.

Hi Tvad... and the music? What was the contribution of the Mach2 to your experience of music after using it for a couple of weeks? Improved? Less so? About the same? What were some of the significant changes (or lack thereof)?

:) listening,

Ed

I've only been listening to the Mach2 for two days. The other 12 (or so) days was spent trying to get the system up and running.

Also, I'm spending most of my time ripping CDs, and not listening critically.

However, I would say that thus far it's about the same as my Esoteric UX-3Pi...perhaps a little less harmonically rich...but that may or may not have anything to do with the Mach2 (could be USB>spdif conversion, etc).

No conclusions can be drawn at this point.

Tvad,
The external hard drive making noise would be an issue for me. Dead quiet back ground is very important with music. Can the external hard drive have a long firewire cable so the external drive could go in another room? This would be very inconvienent for many. Firwire is high speed, so would it degrade the music?

I am also interested in how it sounds with critical listening. At RMAF, one room sounded very good and another sounded OK. Also, is the program installed using an equilizer in the program to tweek the sound or is it flat out of the Mac Mini? Being a purist (using no tone controls), I have found several with computer based music systems are using tone controls. Some call this room correction, but is it not just tone controls?

The Mach2Music Server is marketed as plug and play. What issues are there with networking?

Thank you for the information.