The "Mini Mac as audio server?" thread is about this very thing. Not so much whether it can be done--a Y-connector will certainly work--but whether it can be done well. Getting the audio out of the Mac is the real thing, and there are a number of options, very few of them $100-cheap. If you haven't bought the Mac mini yet, this is sure worth considering.
If you're ripped all those discs, you must have another computer. Use a Y-connector to hook it up to your system. Are you happy with the sound? The mini won't likely sound much different. This to say, yes I'd expect to buy a solid DAC to rival $1k-CDP sound.
The Mac mini will need some help to support a wireless keyboard--bluetooth or a USB port for an IR adapter or whatever. A bluetooth/wifi setup costs an extra $100. I'd sure recommend 512MB of RAM instead of the stock 256. In other words, getting out the door with the stock $499 is a bit tricky. If you could get an external FireWire HD case, you could open up a USB port. (I do love FireWire, I must admit.)
A whole lot of options out there. If you have a specific budget, that's probably good to state up-front. Best of luck; plenty of other people at least scheming to do the same.
If you're ripped all those discs, you must have another computer. Use a Y-connector to hook it up to your system. Are you happy with the sound? The mini won't likely sound much different. This to say, yes I'd expect to buy a solid DAC to rival $1k-CDP sound.
The Mac mini will need some help to support a wireless keyboard--bluetooth or a USB port for an IR adapter or whatever. A bluetooth/wifi setup costs an extra $100. I'd sure recommend 512MB of RAM instead of the stock 256. In other words, getting out the door with the stock $499 is a bit tricky. If you could get an external FireWire HD case, you could open up a USB port. (I do love FireWire, I must admit.)
A whole lot of options out there. If you have a specific budget, that's probably good to state up-front. Best of luck; plenty of other people at least scheming to do the same.