I’ve seen a few amazing man caves and she shacks while covering cool computer setups for Cult of Mac, but not many can compete with the home of today’s M4 Mac mini setup. The user converted a backyard shed nestled in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. So now the man shed M4 Mac mini setup doubles as a home theater sporting a gargantuan screen. You can find all the gear in the links list below for both the computer and home theater setups.
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M4 Mac mini setup shares converted shed with home theater
Apple's tiny new desktop features an M4 chip with 10‑core CPU and 10‑core GPU "built for Apple Intelligence," plus 16GB unified memory, 256GB SSD storage and Gigabit Ethernet.
- Apple M4 chip is powerful
- Compact desktop design
- Headphone jack on front
- BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard and mouse)
Redditor bandwagonbetty (“BB”), based near Seattle, Washington, showcased the M4 Mac mini setup in a show-stopping man-shed home theater in a post entitled, “Converted my backyard shed into a WFH office & theater [Outside Seattle, PNW].” These conversions in sheds or garages are typically impressive, but this one might take the cake. And the M4 Mac mini (16GB memory, 512GB SSD storage) setup with a forest view is just part of it, considering the stellar home theater setup. Redditors were over the moon with praise and jealousy. And snark, of course.
“I’d cause fights with my wife simply to go hang in the shed,” one said.
“I was about to say, I know his wife [is] punching the wall somewhere with this setup … he’s only going back in for dinner lol,” added another.
“Marriage counseling in 3…2…1…” quipped a third.
And yet it seems the shed and the marriage coexist in harmony. BB replied to someone who noticed the one chair in front of the huge screen and asked if he ever has guests by saying his wife visited the shed once to for a cosy viewing of the movie The Martian.
Here’s BB’s description of the shed-turned-WFH office and theater: “Space is about 9ft, 8in (3m) by 11ft, 8in (3.5m) and I added the 7ft x 4ft bump out with window for the workspace. Did most of the work myself but subbed out HVAC and electrical from the house. The walls and ceilings are finished plywood and a bunch of 3/4-in acoustic tiles (cheap from Amazon). Picked up a few refurb Samsung Frames 43in for artwork on the side wall.”
And you may notice, as one Redditor did, that BB uses a Pro Display XDR stand for his 32-inch curved LG 3440 x 1440p resolution display.
Q&A with BB about the man-shed setup and home theater
Photo: [email protected]
Here’s a quick Q&A with some interesting information, compiled from commenter questions and BB’s answers.
Q: What is that colorful cover on the Mac mini?
A: It’s a Slickwrap (Mac Mini M4 Retro Color Series Skins) — it turned out OK, but I still like keeping it under the desk.
How’s that shotgun mic for video calls? Good quality?
About as best I could do without bolting a mic arm or having something sit on my desk. I really didn’t want a streamer setup with a full cardioid condenser mic in my face, but the Rode mixer is decent and I think it sounds great for work meetings.
I’m guessing the screen is transparent? I don’t see LCR
Correct, silver ticket 120-inch AT Woven screen with in-wall Polk.
Do you have 2 Samsung frames just chilling there?
Yeh, I picked up 4x refurb units like 3 years ago when they were super cheap (~$300 each for the 43in). Setup the other two in the house for more art.
How are you powering your R100s on your desk, using zone 2 of the receiver?
I have a small 5 y.o. S.M.S.L SA300 2.1 amp connected to my mini via USB (Polk and svs sub). Sounds great and has been rock solid!
Do you just control the volume through software or remote? As an aside, do you have window treatment behind your desk at night or it’s visible from the outside (a bit creepy imo)?
Yep just software — the Mac sound controls work well for this particular unit. There’s a remote somewhere that o have never used. I tried a few models recently when considering upgrading and none of the 2 or 3 models had that capability enabled (Mac sound controls were essentially disabled). I do have a black out roll blind but only use it when I want to watch something immersive during the day for light control. We have enough privacy in the backyard that this space is not visible from anywhere… so it would be super super creepy if anyone was in a position to see me.
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This display features a 21:9 aspect ratio, QHD (3440p x 1440p) resolution, sRGB 99% color gamut, 160Hz refresh rate, VA with HDR 10 compatibility and AMD FreeSync Premium.
- Large screen area
- Hi-def resolution
- Vibrant color
- Not the biggest or highest-resolution monitor
Computer and display:
Input devices:
Audio and video gear:
- Insta360 Link webcam
- Rode VideoMic Go II shotgun microphone
- Polk Audio Reserve R100 bookshelf speakers
- SVS SB-2000 Pro subwoofer
- Elgato Key Light and Elgato Key Light Air
Home theater 7.2.4 setup:
- Epson LS12000 laser projector with Silver Ticker 120-inch AT Woven screen
- Marantz SR6015 Receiver, Apple TV, Zidoo media player, Panasonic UB820 Blu Ray player
- LCR speakers: in-wall Polk Audio 255c-LS speakers and in-wall Polk Audio 265-LS speakers
- 2x surround, 2x rear surrounds: In-wall Polk Audio 65RT speakers
- 2x top front overhead, 2x top rear heights: Polk Audio OWM3 speakers
- Polk Audio SVS SB-2000 Pro subwoofer
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to [email protected] (iPhone pics usually suffice). Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches, challenges and plans for new additions.
