Mac Mini Audiophile, need advice please!

[JimMadeira]

Mac Mini Audiophile set up, need advice please.

Pure Music 3 used as downloaded
Mac Mini 2011, i7, El Cap
AMD RadeonHD 6630M,
HRT Microstreamer,
Paradigm Millenia One CT speakers
iTunes on external La Cie HD 800 firewire
All audio cables are Audioquest
Route is La Cie to Mac Mini to HRT to Paradigm.
My problem is that tracks (256 and Apple Lossless) sound fuzzy after minute or so playing, not clear and sharp, some are OK but most not. Any advice gratefully accepted.

 

[762999]

Mac Mini Audiophile set up, need advice please.

Pure Music 3 used as downloaded
Mac Mini 2011, i7, El Cap
AMD RadeonHD 6630M,
HRT Microstreamer,
Paradigm Millenia One CT speakers
iTunes on external La Cie HD 800 firewire
All audio cables are Audioquest
Route is La Cie to Mac Mini to HRT to Paradigm.
My problem is that tracks (256 and Apple Lossless) sound fuzzy after minute or so playing, not clear and sharp, some are OK but most not. Any advice gratefully accepted.

use another software (like Jriver, they have a trial version) to see if it's related to PureMusic3

 

[ChrisA]

Mac Mini Audiophile set up, need advice please.

Pure Music 3 used as downloaded
Mac Mini 2011, i7, El Cap
AMD RadeonHD 6630M,
HRT Microstreamer,
Paradigm Millenia One CT speakers
iTunes on external La Cie HD 800 firewire
All audio cables are Audioquest
Route is La Cie to Mac Mini to HRT to Paradigm.
My problem is that tracks (256 and Apple Lossless) sound fuzzy after minute or so playing, not clear and sharp, some are OK but most not. Any advice gratefully accepted.

The suggestion to change out the software is good. Use iTunes. Quicktime. Both use Apple's Core Audio can will pretty much just dump the audio to the interface.

One thing. For best sound ALWAYS set all digital volume controls to maximum. Never reduce the volume until you get into the analog domain and use and old fashioned "pot". The reasoning for this has real mathematical reasoning, The effect of a digital volume control is to reduce the dynamic range.

Ok after switching to iTunes or quicktime then try using the Mac's built-in audio output. The internal DAC is very good and certainly would never sound "fuzzy".

Maybe you have some clipping going on. This would be an analog problem where one output voltage is to high to use as input for the next device. So as a test cut all of that and plug headphones directly into the Mac's 1/8th into analog output.

Let us know what these tests turn up.

All that said, that fact that is starts out OK then sounds worse does make me think it is software. I'd go with Quicktime or iTunes (Apple's Core Audio is very good)