View Full Version : Mac or PC
jantheman
07-11-2010, 10:25
OMG, I hear you say....not another one.......well,yea but no but yea...it is I'm afraid.
I feel strangely drawn to the shiny side, towards a Mac. Having been a PC user at home and spent a substantial part of my working life in a PC (not politically correct) environment, I find I have a hankering to have a go with a Mac.
Whatever I decide, a laptop is the way I'm going. Reorganisation of my living room means that SWMBO has banned my PC tower and all the other bits that are required to make it work. Can't say I blame her really...these things tend to take up as much spaces is available.
As it stands the main thing that is stopping me from dashing out (well not dashing but as quick as my dodgy frame will carry me) and laying down loadsamoney on a Mac is' you guessed it....the cost. Similar spec Mac and PC, the PC turns in at around half the price.
Software wise, I am using XP on the PC and using Media Monkey but I have to say, I do like iTunes. Output is to an M2Tech Hiface then to my choice of DAC.
So guys....what shall I do, continue with a system I know and dont particularly love or take the plunge, sell wifeys jewellry (maybe wifey as well) and get the Mac.
Oh yes....any comments on Mac reliability are welcomed....thats important to me.
Think you have answered for yourself here;
“Similar spec Mac and PC, the PC turns in at around half the price.”
I can only think of one advantage a Mac may have over a PC when it comes to audio and that’s that a new Mac can play 24/192 files natively.
As for itunes, pah, pile o crap :ner:
Wot about buying a PC and spending the cash you get for the missus on J River?:lol:
if you want a computer based set up purely for audio i'd seriously consider a mini-mac. it's small, whisper quiet, and you can either use your hiface for output or buy a dac with async usb thereby avoiding the mini's crap 3mm jack digital out. You'll need to buy new however if you want to run Snow Leopard which apparently enables better SQ than previous Mac OS systems. Unfortunately i can't run SL on my older G5 so i can't vouch for that tbh.
The PC route probably is cheaper but in terms of power/speed etc i think the macs are more competitively priced than many people think. the figures can be confusing although i'm no expert in this field. itunes apart, (can take a little getting used to but it looks fab), running a mac is way more intuitive than a PC. everytime i have to use a PC I end up wanting to throw it out the window its so frustratingly shit. They're also considered more reliable than PC's and ime 99% of the time any problems are easily fixed by the user with the install discs and a little knowledge. I haven't had to send a mac out to be fixed for years. dont forget, with mac you're only operating essentially with 2 levels - Mac OS and then any software applications on top like photoshop, word, etc. With a PC your dealing with 3 levels because windows is essentially only a copy of Mac OS.
any extra money you spend on a mac you'll easily make back in reliability and peace of mind.
You can't compare like with like in terms of cost between PCs and Macs. If you do, you'll end up with a PC every time. You have to look at the long term investment. Here's my example.
I paid £400 a few years ago for a Dell Inspiron laptop. It was great when I bought it, came with Windows XP and worked a treat for music playback. I spent countless hours trying to get it working the way I wanted it to in terms of having a nice interface for music playback, something that in the end was a futile exercise as you have a choice of nice interface OR decent sound quality. Then there was load of faffing about with audio setup what with having to bypass Windows KMixer and using ASIO drivers for decent output. Then there was the obligatory Windows re-install every few months. After 18 months it was looking a bit forlorn, the battery held its charge for about 10 minutes and the screen had gone pretty dim. Then the power supply packed in and that was pretty much that.
Replaced with a Macbook Pro - OK it was £1100. That was in 2007. I'm typing this message from it now and it still looks and feels as good as it was the day I bought it. The battery is still going strong and the screen is infinitely better than it ever was on the Dell. The only time I've re-installed the operating system was when I upgraded to Snow Leopard from Leopard (at a whole £25). There are no audio drivers to faff about with, and there is NOTHING wrong with iTunes on a Mac if you configure it properly. I've recently bought an iPad which is the most wonderful remote control for iTunes you can imagine. Put quite simply, there's more time to enjoy music on a Mac than there is on a PC. That in itself is worth the extra outlay. Plus you'll save in the long term.
I second the recommendation for a HiFace or an asynchronous USB DAC though. The optical output is rubbish.
OMG, I hear you say....not another one.......well,yea but no but yea...it is I'm afraid.
I feel strangely drawn to the shiny side, towards a Mac. Having been a PC user at home and spent a substantial part of my working life in a PC (not politically correct) environment, I find I have a hankering to have a go with a Mac.
Whatever I decide, a laptop is the way I'm going. Reorganisation of my living room means that SWMBO has banned my PC tower and all the other bits that are required to make it work. Can't say I blame her really...these things tend to take up as much spaces is available.
As it stands the main thing that is stopping me from dashing out (well not dashing but as quick as my dodgy frame will carry me) and laying down loadsamoney on a Mac is' you guessed it....the cost. Similar spec Mac and PC, the PC turns in at around half the price.
Software wise, I am using XP on the PC and using Media Monkey but I have to say, I do like iTunes. Output is to an M2Tech Hiface then to my choice of DAC.
So guys....what shall I do, continue with a system I know and dont particularly love or take the plunge, sell wifeys jewellry (maybe wifey as well) and get the Mac.
Oh yes....any comments on Mac reliability are welcomed....thats important to me.
You could always try a live-boot disc of Ubuntu Studio on a PC and see if that works for you.
It's a free download, usually works OK, is stable and all the software is free. If you don't like it, you've lost nothing!
spendorman
07-11-2010, 13:26
You could always try a live-boot disc of Ubuntu Studio on a PC and see if that works for you.
It's a free download, usually works OK, is stable and all the software is free. If you don't like it, you've lost nothing!
Good idea. I use Linux Mint 9 on my laptop, it's great.
Some of the above are valid points. I can’t comment on Snow Leopard because the Mac I had didn’t have it.
Yep, it’s true that a new Mac is a lot easier to set up when trying to get bit perfect audio, but that’s the thing, despite what has been written above, audio from itunes isn’t that great imo.
There are some posts on this forum and elsewhere from Mac users who have found Flac files superior to AIFF and ALAC and itunes doesn’t do Flac.
A lot of the more innovative audio software won’t run on Macs.
A great many Mac users who use Macs for audio move to Amarra as their preferred player and like anything to do with a Mac it seems Amarra is expensive.
So yes, Macs are easy, but you pay through the nose for that and have a lot of restrictions on what you can run on a Mac.
Macs look nice………Isatso? Rather depends on what you compare them too.
Macs are more reliable……… I have not seen any evidence that there is any truth in this. Like everything else, you get what you pay for. Both my Sony’s have run for 4 and 5 years respectively without problems relating to their reliability. The problems I have had have all been software related and that’s because I can run anything on them and have tried anything and everything out on them.
The debate will rage on for years no doubt. The simple fact is that on a PC you can run just about anything should you chosse to do so and are prepared to struggle with the OS.
On a Mac you’re severely limited and what you can run seems to cost a fortune by comparison.
Both are capable of bit perfect audio.
audio from itunes is more than fit for purpose.
Anybody who thinks FLAC sounds better/different to AIFF or WAV really ought to put their mouse down and go out get a girlfriend.
I take it the girlfriend will have better hearing then? ;)
audio from itunes is more than fit for purpose.
Anybody who thinks FLAC sounds better/different to AIFF or WAV really ought to put their mouse down and go out get a girlfriend.
I would... I really would, but my wife would go apeshit.
I use mac's at home and pc's at work.stated before I'm reluctantly going to get a small pc to run a linn ds player fairly soon, although tempted to see if I can get the system working right through the mac.
You pays yer money and takes yer choice.
I get a load more pleasure using a mac than I do with a pc. How often do you read of people who have switched to macs and then switching back to pc?
audio from itunes is more than fit for purpose.
Anybody who thinks FLAC sounds better/different to AIFF or WAV really ought to put their mouse down and go out get a girlfriend.
Apart from the fact it's overpriced, iTunes treat their customers like criminals, they refuse to co-operate with the Open-source software movement, their software used to hang practically every time my daughter tried to sync her iTouch on my old Windows Vista machine, one crash causing the iTouch to fail thereby needing to be sent away because nothing could be done with it at home.
Not that I'm bitter, you understand, I've just had an awful lot of hassle with them.....
;)
Buy the CDs and rip 'em to FLAC if you want to have them on your computer or on a portable player. That's what I say. (Married happily 18 years, BTW)
:D
jantheman
07-11-2010, 15:43
(Married happily 18 years, BTW)
:D
Amateur.........:lolsign:
MAC users are less than 5% of the US population,world wide the number is even smaller so you will run into compatability issues with other users or like your going through now with the Lynn.
If I had a MAC I would want snow lepard,but for me PC is still the best route.
If you buy a MAC get a refurbished one from a Apple store ( brick and morter or online) and it will be half the price.
Almost the price of a PC and still has it's warenty.
BTW: I have seen pleanty of teachers switch back from MAC to PC,or just use there MAC at school,public schools use all Macs almost exclusivly for students but the whole school system runs on PC.So menny teachers use a MAC for the class room and have aPC note book for the real world.
Apart from the fact it's overpriced, iTunes treat their customers like criminals, they refuse to co-operate with the Open-source software movement, their software used to hang practically every time my daughter tried to sync her iTouch on my old Windows Vista machine, one crash causing the iTouch to fail thereby needing to be sent away because nothing could be done with it at home.
Not that I'm bitter, you understand, I've just had an awful lot of hassle with them.....
;)
Buy the CDs and rip 'em to FLAC if you want to have them on your computer or on a portable player. That's what I say. (Married happily 18 years, BTW)
:D
yeah, itunes isn't everyone's cup of tea that's for sure. one of Apple's least intuitive pieces of software.
funny how men react when they think their sexuality, or lack of it, is being questioned. just remember i never asked anyone if they were married/attached, happily or not, but some of you lot thought you'd tell me anyway. ;)
Amateur.........:lolsign:
It's true. I bite mallets!
('ammer chewer)
jantheman
07-11-2010, 16:42
It's true. I bite mallets!
('ammer chewer)
:donk::lolsign:
Beechwoods
07-11-2010, 16:51
I have a MacBook, and a Mac Mini, and have to agree with Lovejoy regarding the longer term investment angle. In my experience, Apple's OS releases are far less hardware dependent than Windows releases, which always seem to require reasonably up to date hardware to perform properly. I had OSX Tiger (10.4) running on a Clamshell laptop that was shipped with OS9... that's like running Vista on a machine designed to run Windows NT.
There is plenty of innovative software available for the Mac; I guess the only perceived issue you might have is if you want to try the same software that all your PC based friends are using. I agree, that could be frustrating, but there are 2 things you should be aware of:
1. All current Mac hardware can run Windows natively. Google 'Boot Camp (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1461)' for details. You can basically 'dual boot' into either Windows or OSX as you wish. You just need a Windows disc to do the installation.
2. If dual-booting is too much hassle, you can run Windows in a Virtual Machine like 'Parallels Desktop (http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/desktop/)'. This is great if you just have a few Windows apps you can't do without. It runs the Windows app as if it were an OSX App... no rebooting or other hassle.
You can also use Linux on Apple hardware via either Boot Camp (http://www.helium.com/items/421906-how-to-install-linux-on-an-intel-mac-with-boot-camp) or Parallels Desktop.
These extra benefits do make Mac hardware rather more attractive if you like the general benefits of Apple's OS, but don't want to lose your Windows or Linux options.
I use Cog, by the way for audiophile grade audio playback on the Mac. It's free and very good.
I have a MacBook, and a Mac Mini, and have to agree with Lovejoy regarding the longer term investment angle. In my experience, Apple's OS releases are far less hardware dependent than Windows releases, which always seem to require reasonably up to date hardware to perform properly. I had OSX Tiger (10.4) running on a Clamshell laptop that was shipped with OS9... that's like running Vista on a machine designed to run Windows NT.
There is plenty of innovative software available for the Mac; I guess the only perceived issue you might have is if you want to try the same software that all your PC based friends are using. I agree, that could be frustrating, but there are 2 things you should be aware of:
1. All current Mac hardware can run Windows natively. Google 'Boot Camp (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1461)' for details. You can basically 'dual boot' into either Windows or OSX as you wish. You just need a Windows disc to do the installation.
2. If dual-booting is too much hassle, you can run Windows in a Virtual Machine like 'Parallels Desktop (http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/desktop/)'. This is great if you just have a few Windows apps you can't do without. It runs the Windows app as if it were an OSX App... no rebooting or other hassle.
You can also use Linux on Apple hardware via either Boot Camp (http://www.helium.com/items/421906-how-to-install-linux-on-an-intel-mac-with-boot-camp) or Parallels Desktop.
These extra benefits do make Mac hardware rather more attractive if you like the general benefits of Apple's OS, but don't want to lose your Windows or Linux options.
I use Cog, by the way for audiophile grade audio playback on the Mac. It's free and very good.
I didn't know any of that but then agein ,I am the vilage idiot in the land of compudumb.
I am lucky at all my laptop even works after putting my hand to it.
Thermionic
07-11-2010, 17:18
At work long ago I had an Apple IIe, and used Visidex and Appleworks when they were new(!). It was a good reliable machine and it saved my firm a lot of money. So having become used in the very early days of personal computers to something fairly slick and useful, I have always found PCs something of a frustrating disappointment. I was a bit like having driven a Lotus being told that a Morris Minor was a performance car. When my second laptop (a Sony Viao running XP) eventually slowed up and showed signs of death, which is something I am told happens with XP, I couldn’t face re-loading Windows and decided to look for something else. Actually, my wife got fed up with me hitting and swearing at the beast, and one morning suggested that we took at trip to an Apple shop. I must admit I didn’t take much persuading to come away with a nice shiny new Macbook Pro.
Well this was chalk and cheese. Yup, the mac was about three times the cost of a laptop PC, though you could (on this site) think of it as not even the cost of an SME 5, and as a Stellavox and Nagra fancier the carved-out-of-the-solid aspect of the Apple struck a definite chord.
I’ve not looked back since, and have found the MBP to be a useful tool. The ‘philosophy’ of the software is different in that it tries to assist rather than obstruct and it also seems far more robust. Though of course there is at times a steep learning curve. I have not explored Itunes much other than playing existing files through the USB ports, and for Flac I use ALC (must check out Cog, thanks Nick). But after a couple of months fairly un-traumatic use the only complaints I have is that the case can be a bit cold in the mornings and the front edge is a bit sharp.
I suppose the most telling aspect of my own conversion is that sometimes when I grab my wife’s (Windows) laptop I am reminded how slow, arthritic and seemingly obstructive the whole machine is. In fact she gets quite annoyed at me poking fun at it.
Just IMHO:)
At work long ago I had an Apple IIe, and used Visidex and Appleworks when they were new(!). It was a good reliable machine and it saved my firm a lot of money. So having become used in the very early days of personal computers to something fairly slick and useful, I have always found PCs something of a frustrating disappointment. I was a bit like having driven a Lotus being told that a Morris Minor was a performance car. When my second laptop (a Sony Viao running XP) eventually slowed up and showed signs of death, which is something I am told happens with XP, I couldn’t face re-loading Windows and decided to look for something else. Actually, my wife got fed up with me hitting and swearing at the beast, and one morning suggested that we took at trip to an Apple shop. I must admit I didn’t take much persuading to come away with a nice shiny new Macbook Pro.
Well this was chalk and cheese. Yup, the mac was about three times the cost of a laptop PC, though you could (on this site) think of it as not even the cost of an SME 5, and as a Stellavox and Nagra fancier the carved-out-of-the-solid aspect of the Apple struck a definite chord.
I’ve not looked back since, and have found the MBP to be a useful tool. The ‘philosophy’ of the software is different in that it tries to assist rather than obstruct and it also seems far more robust. Though of course there is at times a steep learning curve. I have not explored Itunes much other than playing existing files through the USB ports, and for Flac I use ALC (must check out Cog, thanks Nick). But after a couple of months fairly un-traumatic use the only complaints I have is that the case can be a bit cold in the mornings and the front edge is a bit sharp.
I suppose the most telling aspect of my own conversion is that sometimes when I grab my wife’s (Windows) laptop I am reminded how slow, arthritic and seemingly obstructive the whole machine is. In fact she gets quite annoyed at me poking fun at it.
Just IMHO:)
I'm like that with Linux!
Hmm, some interesting stories.
Now this is what I don’t get; afaik Apple put the same shite in their stuff as any other computer manufacturer or are they making their own processors, motherboards, RAM etc…….I think not.
Okay, the software they use is different but the hardware which is what determines the mechanical reliability of a machine is basically the same as all the other makes.
Now in all honesty I would rather have a linux OS; from what I’ve seen it canes the white fruit raincoat and the microshite stuff, but……..
So, I say the build quality can be bought with any OS so the debate is really around the software.
So, how many of you Apple supporters use the native Apple applications for audio?
(I really really really dont like Apple as a company)
After 26 years of working in IT, I find operating system debates pretty pointless - no one is going to change their opinion and the 'minority' (ie. OSX and Linux) supporters tend to defend their position vociferously.
(Posted from my laptop running Ubuntu Linux whilst listening to music streamed by my Ubuntu Linux media PC from my Ubuntu Linux fileserver) :eyebrows::ner:
Hmm, some interesting stories.
Now this is what I don’t get; afaik Apple put the same shite in their stuff as any other computer manufacturer or are they making their own processors, motherboards, RAM etc…….I think not.
Ah yes maybe, but the aluminium unibody case is a sight better than the usual plastic cases on the run of the mill laptops.
After 26 years of working in IT, I find operating system debates pretty pointless
Agreed, Keith, I try not to get into it now. I choose to use Windows 7 and find there is nothing I cannot do with it. I only get annoyed with Apple Macbooks at work because they are so crap on a network. However, there are better things to debate.
Ah yes maybe, but the aluminium unibody case is a sight better than the usual plastic cases on the run of the mill laptops.
Hi mate,
Just a quickie, could you please add your first name and location to your profile, as per the new requirements for all members?
Cheers! :cool:
Marco.
Sorry Marco,
Hadn't posted for a while but been lurking around!
Hi mate,
Just a quickie, could you please add your first name and location to your profile, as per the new requirements for all members?
Cheers! :cool:
Marco.
The PC route probably is cheaper but in terms of power/speed etc i think the macs are more competitively priced than many people think. the figures can be confusing although i'm no expert in this field.
They use the exact SAME harware.. there are no hardware performance differences between two similarly spec'd machines because they will be the same machines.
Didn't use to be this way but Apple caved in to easier and cheaper ways of making their machines some years ago. The Motorola chip based ones were arguably better than similarly equiped PCs but then only for certain tasks (audio and graphics being two).
itunes apart, (can take a little getting used to but it looks fab), running a mac is way more intuitive than a PC. everytime i have to use a PC I end up wanting to throw it out the window its so frustratingly shit.
Personally I find the opposite.. I've been using PCs since about '87 as a kid and everything micorsoft from the DOS back then has still retained it's logical, technical way of working, if you know what I mean. That's to say, that underneath the fancy GUI (that becomes more thickly laid on with each new Windows release) everything is still there where you would expect it to be from a technical point of view - a bit like finding that under the bonnet of your modern car, all the working parts are laid out as you'd expect and all are servicable unlike perhaps the reality of most modern cars where there are a lot of magic, sealed electronic units that only the dealer has the gear to deal with.
They're also considered more reliable than PC's and ime 99% of the time any problems are easily fixed by the user with the install discs and a little knowledge. I haven't had to send a mac out to be fixed for years.
'Considered' is the very important word here. I would say the exact same as the above with all the PCs I've ever had and pretty much all of those have been hand-me-downs or found/recycled PCs. Normally problems are all software based and down to lazy inplementation of installation/uninstallation procedures.
Now, things are better in that respect with a Mac.. because you are less free to buy shitty software! It's a kind of restriction apon the user that protects their computers - a nanny computer state/company.
dont forget, with mac you're only operating essentially with 2 levels - Mac OS and then any software applications on top like photoshop, word, etc. With a PC your dealing with 3 levels because windows is essentially only a copy of Mac OS.
Kind of true but problems have arrisen in the past with Apple and OS X because of this. People have been left in the cold at a dead end in terms of upgrading their OS because their expensive software can no longer work with the new OS implementations.
With Windows, that underlying Kernel doesn't necessarily change that much, just the layer above so the well constructed programmes are still sitting on the same kernel foundations as before.
any extra money you spend on a mac you'll easily make back in reliability and peace of mind.
Depends on how you like to run your finances IMO. Many people are happy to throw a larger sum into one product for perceived peace of mind and reliabilty but you have to realise that by spending more at one time you are setting a larger amount to depreciate where it could be invested in something else actually growing or at least keeping up with inflation and holding value.
Macs do seem to have better batteries than lot of PCs but inside those battery packs are just standard off-the-shelf units. They can be upgraded and changed though.
Now, after chopping up that post as my answer to most typical reasons for owning a mac, I would not though dismiss buying a mac at all! You just have to consider that its plus points are really really worth that extra £600 odd quid for the same spec..
I think that most of the Mac's plus points and a PC's bad points are solved by moving to Linux.
The only two plus points I think that leaves for a Mac are its design and better software innovation as a whole - because the commercial image of a mac breeds that kind of thinking.
If you want a computer as a play machine or to run some specific software like Logic or Pro Tools, then by all means get a Mac.
If you want the machine to carry out a specific role like music server then pick and choose the hardware you need and set it up with Linux for that specific role. That way lies reliability AND low cost.
After 26 years of working in IT, I find operating system debates pretty pointless - no one is going to change their opinion and the 'minority' (ie. OSX and Linux) supporters tend to defend their position vociferously.
(Posted from my laptop running Ubuntu Linux whilst listening to music streamed by my Ubuntu Linux media PC from my Ubuntu Linux fileserver) :eyebrows::ner:
..usually because we've got some sort of axe to grind against Windows...:eyebrows:
Sorry Marco,
Hadn't posted for a while but been lurking around!
Cheers, Jim - mucho appreciated! :)
Marco.
jantheman
08-11-2010, 08:45
Thanks for all the replies...this has become quite a lively topic with pro's and con's of each being outlined very well. Convincing arguments for either have been put forward and I find myself more enlightened to the benefits of each. What I dont find, however, is that I am any nearer to making a decision as to which way to go. I would be particularly interested to hear from anyone who has swapped from one to the other about whether they thought it was a good move or not. Something is going to have to give soon bearing in mind the pending VAT increase. Please keep the debate going and then maybe, just aybe, I will be ablle to make a decision in a week or two. Thanks to everyone who responded.
Why not try to perform some set functions on each? There are Apple shops in many towns and you can surely borrow a Windows 7 machine for a while? There is nothing like hands-on to decide for yourself.
jantheman
08-11-2010, 09:39
Why not try to perform some set functions on each? There are Apple shops in many towns and you can surely borrow a Windows 7 machine for a while? There is nothing like hands-on to decide for yourself.
Fair point Martin....I have W7 already so am familiar with that...but Mac demo at PC World and its like isnt going to add up to much I think. My nearest Apple shop is 40+ miles away....travelling is a problem for me at the moment.
Has anyone tried 'Boot Camp' which allows Windows and OSX to work on the same Mac?
Has anyone tried 'Boot Camp' which allows Windows and OSX to work on the same Mac?
I've tried Boot Camp for running Windows XP, Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux. Running Windows is completely seamless and hassle free. Linux on the other hand can be a real pain and I've managed to hose the entire hard drive once by trying to install it.
Windows 7 is the best thing Microsoft has ever done.
It works with no flaws and it's very fast and easy to use.
I will not change till I am forced to,I'm ruined for another operating systum.
I will recomend Kapinsky antivirus software with it though as it was made to work with windows 7 from the foundation up,and it dosen't slow your computer down at all unlike a more popular brand .
magiccarpetride
09-11-2010, 18:30
OMG, I hear you say....not another one.......well,yea but no but yea...it is I'm afraid.
I feel strangely drawn to the shiny side, towards a Mac. Having been a PC user at home and spent a substantial part of my working life in a PC (not politically correct) environment, I find I have a hankering to have a go with a Mac.
Whatever I decide, a laptop is the way I'm going. Reorganisation of my living room means that SWMBO has banned my PC tower and all the other bits that are required to make it work. Can't say I blame her really...these things tend to take up as much spaces is available.
As it stands the main thing that is stopping me from dashing out (well not dashing but as quick as my dodgy frame will carry me) and laying down loadsamoney on a Mac is' you guessed it....the cost. Similar spec Mac and PC, the PC turns in at around half the price.
Software wise, I am using XP on the PC and using Media Monkey but I have to say, I do like iTunes. Output is to an M2Tech Hiface then to my choice of DAC.
So guys....what shall I do, continue with a system I know and dont particularly love or take the plunge, sell wifeys jewellry (maybe wifey as well) and get the Mac.
Oh yes....any comments on Mac reliability are welcomed....thats important to me.
I've switched to Mac four years ago, after being beaten badly by the Windows (extremely shitty house-of-cards OS that is super vulnerable to virus and malware attacks).
Mac proved its mettle to me, as it's been running super reliably without expecting me to become systems and network administrator. Mac is an appliance that just works.
However, I find Mac to actually be very troublesome because it is basically a proprietary system. Yes, it is super sturdy and super reliable, but you can't really do much with it. And I'm speaking mostly as a consumer of high definition music. Macs are shitty when it comes to my ability to enjoy high def music.
At this point, I'm considering switching wholesale to Ubuntu. I would never ever go back to Microsoft. Apple ended up being too locked-in, too proprietary for my taste, with a shitload of overt or covert DRM issues. Basically, this vendor is on the side of the whiney lawyers and the residual income crowd. I detest that. Plus, the Mac seems to be turning into an iPad (I think Apple is abandoning the desktop metaphor and switching wholesale to the mobile computing arena; I'm not too crazy about that either).
There isn't any DRM on hi-res is there?
Have you tried AyreWave as a player?
Macs are shitty when it comes to my ability to enjoy high def music.
How so? I've never had any problems with anything up to 24/96, but then I only have a 24/96 DAC, but I thought 24/192 was available too? There's always the fact that you have to change the Audio MIDI settings to match what you are playing, although since having an rDAC in the system I've left it at 24/96 permanently and had no cause for complaint. Pure Music or Amarra get around these issues too.
magiccarpetride
11-11-2010, 19:33
How so? I've never had any problems with anything up to 24/96, but then I only have a 24/96 DAC, but I thought 24/192 was available too? There's always the fact that you have to change the Audio MIDI settings to match what you are playing, although since having an rDAC in the system I've left it at 24/96 permanently and had no cause for complaint. Pure Music or Amarra get around these issues too.
My issue is that I cannot easily manipulate high definition DXD files on the Mac. Often times I need to downsample/dither down to 24 bit/92 kHz some DXD files in order to stream them properly to my Logitech Touch, and I can't seem to find the way to do it on the Mac.
Consequently, for me, Mac sucks balls in the high definition music arena.
Stratmangler
11-11-2010, 19:42
It's ironic, when you consider that most Pro-Tools manipulation in recording studios is done on a Mac.:eyebrows:
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