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worrasf
05-03-2014, 18:23
Having decided to put a toe in the water of the "digital music server" scene I have purchases a M2Tech Hiface 2 for use with my Macbook Air (256 GB HD/8GB RAM) and my Bushmaster 2. I have over 70 GB of music in my iTunes library so was planning to use that as my interface. Now I start reading all about alternatives to iTunes such as JRiver and Pure etc etc. Do the 3rd party apps offer anything significant in the way of better SQ that would make it worthwhile paying the extra for?

Gordon Steadman
05-03-2014, 18:29
Having decided to put a toe in the water of the "digital music server" scene I have purchases a M2Tech Hiface 2 for use with my Macbook Air (256 GB HD/8GB RAM) and my Bushmaster 2. I have over 70 GB of music in my iTunes library so was planning to use that as my interface. Now I start reading all about alternatives to iTunes such as JRiver and Pure etc etc. Do the 3rd party apps offer anything significant in the way of better SQ that would make it worthwhile paying the extra for?

I don't know about the difference in sound quality (I use iTunes through an external DAC and it sounds OK to me) but am totally hacked off with the latest version of iTunes. I hate the layout and the way it presents the music. As always, its a pain to go back to a previous version. iTunes 10 was terrific, I still have it on two of the Macs but my main computer has version 11 on it. Apple forget to mention that they had redesigned the interface. Most upgrades are just for security or iPad/iPhone reasons - very annoying of them.

worrasf
05-03-2014, 18:34
I don't know about the difference in sound quality (I use iTunes through an external DAC and it sounds OK to me) but am totally hacked off with the latest version of iTunes. I hate the layout and the way it presents the music. As always, its a pain to go back to a previous version. iTunes 10 was terrific, I still have it on two of the Macs but my main computer has version 11 on it. Apple forget to mention that they had redesigned the interface. Most upgrades are just for security or iPad/iPhone reasons - very annoying of them.

I have been using iTunes on my iMac with a Chord Chordette gem bluetooth DAC into my Quad 33 and I think it sounds really good but am assuming that with a direct connection via the Hiface 2 SQ should be even better. I agree the new interface is not nice. I have just downloaded JRiver 19 so will have a play during the free 30 day trial

Kember
05-03-2014, 18:46
I think the SQ difference is receding for most normal users (I don't know about HiRez) but iTunes is a PITA to use and should be a bloody embarrassment to Apple who usually make interfaces which humans can actually use.

IIRC Pure and others use iTunes for library organisation anyway and simply defeat the signal processing bits. FWIW I quite like JRiver as a user in Windows - I lost the will to live with the apple version in beta. Maybe I'll go back to it when it has settled down.

P

Kember
05-03-2014, 18:48
Oh, the other thing is that some of the paid for versions - you'll have to look them because I forget - are much, much better at organising classical music if that is your bag. ITunes is dreadful at that.

P

worrasf
05-03-2014, 19:07
I think the SQ difference is receding for most normal users (I don't know about HiRez) but iTunes is a PITA to use and should be a bloody embarrassment to Apple who usually make interfaces which humans can actually use.

IIRC Pure and others use iTunes for library organisation anyway and simply defeat the signal processing bits. FWIW I quite like JRiver as a user in Windows - I lost the will to live with the apple version in beta. Maybe I'll go back to it when it has settled down.

P

Thanks - I've installed the JRiver 19 on my MacBook Air - imported al my iTunes library with no problems. Does look very complicated under the hood though but I'll have a dabble. There is a JRiver remote for the iPad which I also downloaded but can't get to work as yet - maybe only works with the paid version of JRiver.
At the end of the day for me choice of player it will come down to SQ as while iTunes is a pain I have gotten used to it and the IOS remote works a treat.

Gordon Steadman
05-03-2014, 19:09
I've just downloaded the trial of JRiver and find it as bad as iTunes 11 - very similar interface but not so well thought out and it reeks of PC/Windoze thinking.

Sound was good but no better at all so I'll be sticking with iTunes. Hopefully, I can find a way of reinstalling version 10 and then stick with it. I can never understand why some people find it so bad. The latest version is nasty certainly but I have always found it easy to use and it organises things well.

Gordon Steadman
05-03-2014, 20:55
Ha, managed to get rid of version 11 and go back to 10 - great joy:cool:

Gordon Steadman
06-03-2014, 12:42
I wonder why Apple don't give us the option to downgrade:lol:

I guess they assume that we will be so overwhelmed by their latest 'improvements' that such an idea would never occur. I strongly suspect that Mr Jobs wouldn't have let the latest iTunes out of its cage. The designers have obviously been influenced by JRiver and tried to edge toward their idea of functionality and layout.

Well, as I said, I hate it and have gone back to version 10. I get an error message every time I open up but it doesn't stop it working (-42408). Something to do with the iTunes store I think. I only use iTunes as a music manager and don't download anything so it doesn't affect me.

Kember
06-03-2014, 12:58
I strongly suspect that Mr Jobs wouldn't have let the latest iTunes out of its cage.

Actually, Gordon, the late lamented Mr Jobs should have been shot for all the earlier versions of iTunes ever foisted on the public. It is by far the worst bit of software Apple has ever made (and I have used Apple since the mid-80s). And it is doubly unacceptable if you run a closed garden model of proprietary software/hardware, rather than letting other developers compete. I really do wonder how much better the iPod/iPhone would be if others had been able to develop other music archiving/playback software which could work with them?

Anyway, rant over!

P

stupinder
06-03-2014, 13:08
In my experience iTunes is fine sounding but a pig to use. That said I don't like the Squeezebox interface either. Currently playing with JPlayer and that seems to be bot good sounding straight out of the box and the interface is nice and simple.

Gordon Steadman
06-03-2014, 13:46
Actually, Gordon, the late lamented Mr Jobs should have been shot for all the earlier versions of iTunes ever foisted on the public. It is by far the worst bit of software Apple has ever made (and I have used Apple since the mid-80s). And it is doubly unacceptable if you run a closed garden model of proprietary software/hardware, rather than letting other developers compete. I really do wonder how much better the iPod/iPhone would be if others had been able to develop other music archiving/playback software which could work with them?

Anyway, rant over!

P
I disagree:eyebrows:

iTunes is absolutely fit for purpose and it suits the way my brain is organised/disorganised. The only gripe I have is that I can't organise different genres in different fashion. Classical and Baroque music needs to be in Composer order and all the rest in Artist. Anyone know how to do it without having to change the setting each time?

NRG
06-03-2014, 15:03
You can try Bitperfect out with iTunes as well and also tweak the o/p settings in Audio Midi, try up sampling your 44.1 material to 88.2 ;)

nat8808
07-03-2014, 01:29
I wonder why Apple don't give us the option to downgrade:lol:

I guess they assume that we will be so overwhelmed by their latest 'improvements' that such an idea would never occur. I strongly suspect that Mr Jobs wouldn't have let the latest iTunes out of its cage. The designers have obviously been influenced by JRiver and tried to edge toward their idea of functionality and layout.

Well, as I said, I hate it and have gone back to version 10. I get an error message every time I open up but it doesn't stop it working (-42408). Something to do with the iTunes store I think. I only use iTunes as a music manager and don't download anything so it doesn't affect me.

Ta da! http://www.oldapps.com/itunes.php

Downgrade your heart out! Delete iTunes and re-install the old version..

I've used that website to install iTunes on an old G4 Macbook.

nat8808
07-03-2014, 01:31
Anyone recall what these things are:

A media player by a German company which had special options for classifying classical?

A media player for vinyl rips which gave a visual representation of what the vinyl would look like and so you could place the needle on the screen?

P.S. I guess I'm asking can anyone read my mind and delve into my own memory for me..

nat8808
07-03-2014, 01:35
OK, question no. 2 answered! http://www.channld.com/purevinyl/

http://www.channld.com/images/sc-purevinyl.jpg

starbucksboss
07-03-2014, 03:37
Am I missing something...I thought if you hook up an external DAC that bi passes the lap top DAC then...its all down to the DaC. Isn't it?
I have just entered the realm of computer audio with iTunes from lap top into MF Clic into Krell amp and I think it sounds awesome!...better finally than my LP12.
Is there anything to add to the lap top that can improve this further?

Gordon Steadman
07-03-2014, 07:56
Ta da! http://www.oldapps.com/itunes.php

Downgrade your heart out! Delete iTunes and re-install the old version..

I've used that website to install iTunes on an old G4 Macbook.
Hi Nat,

After doing it my way, I found that Apple actually still have version 10.6.3 on their site for download. I installed that but still get the same error message. Its quite a common one apparently after changing versions. I suspect it might be a problem if I had iPhones or Pads or Pods to worry about but, as I don't, I'll just carry on enjoying the music:cool:

Gordon Steadman
07-03-2014, 08:01
OK, question no. 2 answered! http://www.channld.com/purevinyl/

http://www.channld.com/images/sc-purevinyl.jpg
Now that looks like fun. Not cheap though.

nat8808
07-03-2014, 09:09
Now that looks like fun. Not cheap though.

Oh yeah, £176..

... although that includes the £83 audiophile normal file player with all sorts of stuff like PCM playback of DSD etc.

So I guess £93 for this add-on which is vinyl ripping software and also a 2/3/4 digital cross-over apparently and some other stuff.

More than I'd play unless this was the last upgrade to my hifi..

Kember
07-03-2014, 09:17
All

You might find this article useful:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/129-audiophile-itunes-settings/

P

Gordon Steadman
07-03-2014, 09:46
All

You might find this article useful:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/129-audiophile-itunes-settings/

P
Thanks for the link. All my settings are exactly as he suggests.

I am still trying to find a way of having different settings on different genres. It might just not be possible of course but I live in hope. Its not that difficult to click in the relevant header to change the sorting but its a niggle.

Kember
07-03-2014, 10:00
I know of one classical and jazz file manager not currently mentioned in this thread:

http://www.musichi.eu

but if you are on a Mac you need to run a Windoze emulator to make it work.

I have also used this to good effect:

http://www.blisshq.com/index.html

HTH

P

f1eng
09-03-2014, 19:25
surplus post to requirement, sorry

worrasf
16-03-2014, 12:14
My Hiface 2 arrived and have been listening this morning via Macbook Air and BM2 - very impressed with the SQ.

Steve

webby
19-03-2014, 14:03
I disagree:eyebrows:

iTunes is absolutely fit for purpose and it suits the way my brain is organised/disorganised. The only gripe I have is that I can't organise different genres in different fashion. Classical and Baroque music needs to be in Composer order and all the rest in Artist. Anyone know how to do it without having to change the setting each time?

Copy the composer tag into the sort album tag.

Edit: you could have Baroque - Composer - year - artist in your sort album tag, then all your baroque would be sorted together by composer, then year, then artist.

starbucksboss
15-04-2014, 02:32
Having decided to put a toe in the water of the "digital music server" scene I have purchases a M2Tech Hiface 2 for use with my Macbook Air (256 GB HD/8GB RAM) and my Bushmaster 2. I have over 70 GB of music in my iTunes library so was planning to use that as my interface. Now I start reading all about alternatives to iTunes such as JRiver and Pure etc etc. Do the 3rd party apps offer anything significant in the way of better SQ that would make it worthwhile paying the extra for?

No...just learn you way around preferences ...

Gordon Steadman
15-04-2014, 06:42
Copy the composer tag into the sort album tag.

Edit: you could have Baroque - Composer - year - artist in your sort album tag, then all your baroque would be sorted together by composer, then year, then artist.

As my notifications aren't working, I have only just seen this, sorry not to respond before. I have sorted this by doing smart playlists on all genres. As I've gone back to iTunes 10, I then have the option of selecting layout differently on each. Combined with BitPerfect, iTunes now does a perfect job for me, as its free, seems like a good deal.

I put a query on a computer audio site because I had to get some tunes I recorded from vinyl for a friend on to her PC so she could listen on her iPod (strangely, we are still friends!). The damn machine wouldn't import anything using menu commands but eventually, I got them in by drag and drop. I wondered why but the standard answer I got was that iTunes is a piece of crap!! And there was me thinking it was the PC!!

webby
15-04-2014, 11:35
As my notifications aren't working, I have only just seen this, sorry not to respond before. I have sorted this by doing smart playlists on all genres. As I've gone back to iTunes 10, I then have the option of selecting layout differently on each. Combined with BitPerfect, iTunes now does a perfect job for me, as its free, seems like a good deal.

I put a query on a computer audio site because I had to get some tunes I recorded from vinyl for a friend on to her PC so she could listen on her iPod (strangely, we are still friends!). The damn machine wouldn't import anything using menu commands but eventually, I got them in by drag and drop. I wondered why but the standard answer I got was that iTunes is a piece of crap!! And there was me thinking it was the PC!!

Great, Glad you found a way.