Mac OS X Music Players - alternatives to iTunes - Page 109

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleheadMay 

iTunes + BitPerfect, forget about the soundcard. and get an extarnal USB dac.

Why on earth would you want to use Windows to play music on your Mac?

Why mac over windows (same hardware just different os :S)

Bitperfect is a good on a budget but I still prefer Audirvana + through Direct/Integer Mode.  To me it seems to make the background blacker and the soundstaging seems more focused.  This is a moot point however if you don't have an external DAC connected through USB.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ren19 

Why mac over windows (same hardware just different os :S)

???

You have an iMac, it comes with a pretty decent OS, why install the buggiest OS on the planet on it for playing music since you can do that perfectly well in OSX?

I can understand installing Windows in Bootcamp or Parallels if you need it for software you can't run in OSX and you can't find a decent OSX equivalent for, but not for playing music.

It's not the hardware of a Mac that is better, it's the OS. You can get the same and even more powerful hardware for a lower price elsewhere if you want to use Windows.

It's your choice of course and if you're happy with it why not. I fail to see the point though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmstrmbn 

Bitperfect is a good on a budget but I still prefer Audirvana + through Direct/Integer Mode.  To me it seems to make the background blacker and the soundstaging seems more focused.  This is a moot point however if you don't have an external DAC connected through USB.

Agentsim posted that integer mode will be coming to BP as well. Not in the App Store version though.

Could take a while.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleheadMay 

 

Agentsim posted that integer mode will be coming to BP as well. Not in the App Store version though.

Could take a while.

Integer mode is available using BP. Although limited to specific DACs. Am I missing something?

I have the app store version of BP, how do i update it outside of the appstore?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmstrmbn 

I have the app store version of BP, how do i update it outside of the appstore?

You don't. Yet. For now there is only the app store version if I'm correct.

Quote:

Originally Posted by paradoxper 

Integer mode is available using BP. Although limited to specific DACs. Am I missing something?

Dunno, maybe on more dacs or maybe it only works on Leopard/SL now.

See here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleheadMay 

You don't. Yet. For now there is only the app store version if I'm correct.

 

 

 

Dunno, maybe on more dacs or maybe it only works on Leopard/SL now.

See here.

I glossed over the OS. Thanks for the clarification.

How do i convert .ape to flac or apple lossless without any loss at all on mac?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ren19 

How do i convert .ape to flac or apple lossless without any loss at all on mac?

Use  Max or XLD.

Quote:

Originally Posted by paradoxper 

Use  Max or XLD.

I downloaded Max what settings i change for best FLAC quality?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ren19 

How do i convert .ape to flac or apple lossless without any loss at all on mac?

XLD

If you want to play them in iTunes you'll want ALAC. (Apple's version of FLAC).

There used to be a plugin that allowed iTunes to play FLAC as well but I'm not sure if it still works.

I rip all my music to ALAC. That way I can use it on an iPod/Pad/Phone/whatever as well.

The drawback of ALAC IMO is that if you want to use a media server you need a Mac Mini with iTunes on it for example. Simply putting the files on a NAS won't let you play them with most (if not all) network player devices like Marantz/Denon/PS Audio, etc ... These can't decode ALAC.

You can store your iTunes library on a NAS and access it with any Mac running iTunes.

I have my setup like this:

Mac Mini used as a media server with Thunderbolt drive containing all my music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, etc... The Mac Mini is connected via USB to a Dac that feeds my music amp and speakers.

It is connected via HDMI to a surround receiver with speakers and screen for playing back movies. 

Control is via various iPad apps. (I am still testing out to find which suit me best). For music the Apple Remote App is fine. You don't need the TV on to see/access your music library, you see that on the iPad.

On my MBP and iMac iTunes refers to the same library on the MM's Thunderbolt drive. The iMac is also connected via USB to a Dac that again feeds an amp and speakers.

I can also control the Mac Mini from there via screensharing.

Only one computer at a time can use the library though, but that isn't a problem for me.

I hope this makes sense, I'm pretty tired right now so might be a bit uncoherent.  ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ren19 

I downloaded Max what settings i change for best FLAC quality?

XLD is regulary updated. Max hasn't been for the last 3 or 4 years. I'd take XLD.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleheadMay 

 

XLD is regulary updated. Max hasn't been for the last 3 or 4 years. I'd take XLD.

I concur. Just threw out Max as an option. XLD is what I surmise most of us use.

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