Apple versus PC

I prefer a Mac in every regard. Higher quality and very simple. Design and build of the mac is much, much better....hardware and software.

If you ever get a chance to use the free Apple Remote App for the iPhone/iPod Touch, you'll never use anything else to listen to music again. I've owned some very expensive CD players, but my Apple setup sounds exceptional when used with a good DAC.

For example: I've got a Linn Klimax DS that I'm thinking about getting rid of because the Apple/DAC setup sounds very close and is MUCH easier and reliable to use. MUCH, MUCH better!

I'm not "anti-Windows" at all. Windows Vista sounds very good as well, but the Mac is more of a completely integrated solution. I run Vista on a MacBook (BootCamp) when needed, but I don't use it much....at all.

Hope this has been helpful. Thanks....

This is only because you were not bypassing kmixer on the PC. The PC can sound just as good or better than Mac. With XP if you unmap the device, it is superb. The USB interface you are using makes a big difference too. If you are getting 24/44.1 rather than 16/44.1, the sound quality wil be great with Vista. Some USB devices do this.

The Firewire thing is filling the gap right now for 24/192, but it is not asynch. As soon as we have async USB supporting 24/192, it will beat this firewire. This year.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

This depends on how dirty you want to get your hands.. Although I've never gone down this road, from what I've read: a PC desktop, not laptop running windows (pre-vista), completely optimized for audio playback using a 3rd party audio player with a very expensive audio card will sound better than Apple. And, of course, all of this information is readily available on this site as well as many others: how to build, how to optimize, players, audio cards, etc. If you're up for the research and like to get technical, than you'll end up with the best sounding application.

Like Fytunes, I've gone down the easier road and use Apple with Itunes/Front Row interface with a DAC. IMO, it sounds exceptional.

PC audio is a bit of a mine field - either with a Mac or a PC - perhaps in the stampede by companies to grab a share of the desktop audio playback market coupled with the inherent "non-standardness" of every PC running together hundreds of thousands of non-proprietary code - crappy and bug infested software is out there.

Software bugs, Digital volume controls, Sampe rate and bit conversions/truncations can all cause errors. Here is a useful resource

Whether you use Benchmark or another great sounding DAC it is critical to achieve "bit-transparency". The same issue exsists with DVD and BD players.

In some cases it all works fine and then your latest software "upgrade" may inadvertently wreck things - so it is a completely moving target....unless you have test instruments then how do you know everything is "bit-transparent" and how do you know it remains so?

I use MAC audio (iTunes) around the entire house streamed from my office to an airport express - so wherever I want. Great convenience. Ii love it. I buy a lot of music by listening on the Apple Mac speakers ....but I still BUY THE CD'S (if I can get them).

Call me old fashioned but my main system uses a Mac-mini to control everytihng (pick tunes and make a playlist from the comfort of the listening chair). HOWEVER, I use ordinary CD players (five megachangers) to produce the music (all software controlled using A1 Sony protocols). I have never had a problem with this setup and it ENSURES my audio reproduction chain is FOOLPROOF.

If you have a large CD collection and are worried about "bit-transparency" but want the convenience of software control and management of your music then I highly recommend my rather foolproof approach.

I will change one day my main system to all software but I am in no rush given the hundreds and hundreds of unhappy user reports where software got hold of the "bits" and lost something somewhere/somehow from a conversion.

Th e problem is it is INSIDIOUS....youu do not know you have a problem unless you are constantly making tests and cross checks...a simple software update could be enough to land youu in trouble without your knowledge. Thi smay sound extreme but lets face it - this is an audiophile forum!