Mac OS X Music Players - alternatives to iTunes - Page 113

Quote:

Originally Posted by jontron 

I convert FLAC files with XLD (http://tmkk.undo.jp/xld/index_e.html), it does a wonderful job, and inherits  the ID3 tags as along as you are converting into ALAC.

I do most of my conversions in XLD too.

I used to use Max, but it's not as intuitive and not as good with meta data, cue files and album art.

Max seems to have become abandonware more or less.

I use XLD as well and though I once or twice seem to have found how to edit tags for multiple tracks at once that option usually eludes me. 

Anyone knows what I am doing wrong?

I edit multiple songs on an album in the cue window

I'm not sure if there's another way to edit multiple tracks at once

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtinto 

I edit multiple songs on an album in the cue window

I'm not sure if there's another way to edit multiple tracks at once

To be a bit more clear, I'm talking about converting files from FLAC, not ripping a CD.

By cue window you mean the window you get when you "open folder as a disc"? (probably the same one you get when you rip a CD.)

You can also just use "open" and select a folder instead of a file but then you get an edit window when you can edit metadata of 1 song at a time, which I have been doing up to now. Time consuming.

yes, the .cue file is like an index file for the individual .flac files

Thanks jtinto, it works. Silly I never found that back again myself.

So I've tried to read as much of this thread as I can manage, as well as one of the other Amarra threads on here.  

I've tried using Amarra and Fidelia for the past few days.  My not so golden ears can't hear a difference between the two and iTunes. Of course I've ready many reports of others hearing a difference, which frustrates me . I do have a few questions I'm hoping someone can shed some light on. For what it's worth, I'm using a Macbook Pro running 10.7. I have an SSD. I use either USB to a NAD M51 or optical out to a Parasound 1500, both of which go to my Stax.

1) Since I have an 8x upsampling DAC (why) would I want to upsample in software (e.g. to 88.2 kHz) before sending to the DAC?

2) If I am NOT upsampling in software should I care at all about the "iZotope sampler", etc, features that some programs offer?

3) If I only listen to 16-bit / 44.1 kHz audio, what benefits do I really get from software like Amarra?

4) If I turn off iTunes crossfade, sound enhancer, and sound check, is it 'bit-perfect'?

5) The one thing I did find very handy about Fidelia is that it has a 'hog-mode'. Is BitPerfect the cheapest way to grant this power to iTunes?

Thanks, 

Sameer

PS - Question 6, which I don't know if there's a good answer to, is: If iTunes and Amarra are both supposed to be bit-perfect, how can they sound different to some people? (does Amarra affect jitter in some way??)

Quote:

Originally Posted by oogabooga 

So I've tried to read as much of this thread as I can manage, as well as one of the other Amarra threads on here.  

 

I've tried using Amarra and Fidelia for the past few days.  My not so golden ears can't hear a difference between the two and iTunes. Of course I've ready many reports of others hearing a difference, which frustrates me . I do have a few questions I'm hoping someone can shed some light on. For what it's worth, I'm using a Macbook Pro running 10.7. I have an SSD. I use either USB to a NAD M51 or optical out to a Parasound 1500, both of which go to my Stax.

 

1) Since I have an 8x upsampling DAC (why) would I want to upsample in software (e.g. to 88.2 kHz) before sending to the DAC?

 

2) If I am NOT upsampling in software should I care at all about the "iZotope sampler", etc, features that some programs offer?

 

3) If I only listen to 16-bit / 44.1 kHz audio, what benefits do I really get from software like Amarra?

 

4) If I turn off iTunes crossfade, sound enhancer, and sound check, is it 'bit-perfect'?

 

5) The one thing I did find very handy about Fidelia is that it has a 'hog-mode'. Is BitPerfect the cheapest way to grant this power to iTunes?

 

 

Thanks, 

Sameer

 

PS - Question 6, which I don't know if there's a good answer to, is: If iTunes and Amarra are both supposed to be bit-perfect, how can they sound different to some people? (does Amarra affect jitter in some way??)

1) Different kind of upsampling most likely. Most upsampling DACs are really converting from PCM to delta-sigma. The delta-sigma is necessarily very high sample rate, thus "upsampling". The software will upsample PCM to PCM.

2) If you need to downsample. For instance, you're playing a 32/384k file, but your DAC only does 24/96.

3) As a member of the trade, I'll stay away from this one.

4) Yes, *but*. The "but" is, if your DAC is set to, for instance 24/48, and you play a 16/44.1 file, iTunes will not reconfigure the DAC, so it will have to upsample to 24/48.

5) I think so :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by oogabooga 

3) If I only listen to 16-bit / 44.1 kHz audio, what benefits do I really get from software like Amarra?

 

 

Thanks, 

Sameer

 

This may be obvious, but one of the main reasons I use Fidelia is because it plays .flac files. (which iTunes does not)

I have paid for one level of "enhanced" player, because I wanted access to a couple things (Matrix Reverb, Graphic EQ, Parametric EQ) -- but not the top two Add-ons, FHX and "Advanced". (yet)

The cross-feed (FHX) interests me ... but I've not taken that ($49) plunge - I did try a couple of "Mono Enhancer/Exciter" type plug-ins with Audio-Hijack Pro--which I thought might be similar to FHX (?)-- and was not excited about them.

One more thing I like (Fidelia): Seeing the waveform of the file. I think it's nice to see (with Classical especially) the 'dynamics' of the song - and you're able to see if a whole album is mixed way high (brickwalled?).

The Fidelia iOS Remote Control app is fantastic!  

Quote:

Originally Posted by solserenade 

 

This may be obvious, but one of the main reasons I use Fidelia is because it plays .flac files. (which iTunes does not)

 

I have paid for one level of "enhanced" player, because I wanted access to a couple things (Matrix Reverb, Graphic EQ, Parametric EQ) -- but not the top two Add-ons, FHX and "Advanced". (yet)

 

The cross-feed (FHX) interests me ... but I've not taken that ($49) plunge - I did try a couple of "Mono Enhancer/Exciter" type plug-ins with Audio-Hijack Pro--which I thought might be similar to FHX (?)-- and was not excited about them.

 

One more thing I like (Fidelia): Seeing the waveform of the file. I think it's nice to see (with Classical especially) the 'dynamics' of the song - and you're able to see if a whole album is mixed way high (brickwalled?).

 

The Fidelia iOS Remote Control app is fantastic!  

Very true and great if that’s what one wants. But I want about the exect opposite from a player.

I want all my music managed and played by iTunes, not an external app. All Flacs are converted to Alac thus.

I absolutely don't want any kind of effects or alterations, so no need for EQ, crossfeed or other effects.

I want the app to be as lightwight as possible, invisible is even better. It just has to deliver bitperfect sound and take care of the sample rate switching.

So for me, after having tried (and bought) 4 of the 5 main apps we've been talking about in this thread BitPerfect is the answer. I put it into my startup items so it's always ready when I start iTunes and takes over the audio system of OSX whenever I start playing music in iTunes. It does nothing when I play a YouTube video or anything else sound related on my computer. Glad I finally got to that but sadly I spent a lot of cash finding that out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by oogabooga 

 

3) If I only listen to 16-bit / 44.1 kHz audio, what benefits do I really get from software like Amarra?

 

5) The one thing I did find very handy about Fidelia is that it has a 'hog-mode'. Is BitPerfect the cheapest way to grant this power to iTunes?

 

I suppose you do know iTunes does not automatically switch sample rates? If the first song you played was 96/24 then all others after that will be up/down-sampled to 96/24 until you shut down itunes and change the sample rate manually in Audio Midi Setup, then relaunch iTunes again.

These apps change the sample rate sent to your Dac automatically without needing to restart iTunes. A bare necessity in my opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by solserenade 

 

This may be obvious, but one of the main reasons I use Fidelia is because it plays .flac files. (which iTunes does not)

 

 

The cross-feed (FHX) interests me ... but I've not taken that ($49) plunge - I did try a couple of "Mono Enhancer/Exciter" type plug-ins with Audio-Hijack Pro--which I thought might be similar to FHX (?)-- and was not excited about them.

 

One more thing I like (Fidelia): Seeing the waveform of the file. I think it's nice to see (with Classical especially) the 'dynamics' of the song - and you're able to see if a whole album is mixed way high (brickwalled?).

 

I thought about the FLAC support too, but I'm a sucker for the iTunes library, so I've decided to transcode to ALAC.  

I did try the FHX (it's enabled in the demo).  It's a pleasing effect, for sure. I don't think that I would buy it for $50, but it sounded nice!

I also like seeing the waveform, for the same reasons you mention.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AppleheadMay 

 

I suppose you do know iTunes does not automatically switch sample rates? If the first song you played was 96/24 then all others after that will be up/down-sampled to 96/24 until you shut down itunes and change the sample rate manually in Audio Midi Setup, then relaunch iTunes again.

These apps change the sample rate sent to your Dac automatically without needing to restart iTunes. A bare necessity in my opinion.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by agentsim 

 

1) Different kind of upsampling most likely. Most upsampling DACs are really converting from PCM to delta-sigma. The delta-sigma is necessarily very high sample rate, thus "upsampling". The software will upsample PCM to PCM.

 

2) If you need to downsample. For instance, you're playing a 32/384k file, but your DAC only does 24/96.

 

3) As a member of the trade, I'll stay away from this one.

 

4) Yes, *but*. The "but" is, if your DAC is set to, for instance 24/48, and you play a 16/44.1 file, iTunes will not reconfigure the DAC, so it will have to upsample to 24/48.

 

5) I think so :)

Okay, $10 for hog-mode and setting the bitrate on my DAC is good/economical enough for me to give it a go!

Thanks all!

I'm with you guys by keeping it simple, and managed within iTunes

For me that's BitPerfect

It stays out of the way and sounds great

P.S. and support the fellow canuck too!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jtinto 

I'm with you guys by keeping it simple, and managed within iTunes

For me that's BitPerfect

It stays out of the way and sounds great

 

P.S. and support the fellow canuck too!

I've been using it for a day now. I noticed a few minor problems - it doesn't seem to like if I update metadata on a currently playing song, but I don't do that often enough to care. 

Otherwise it's great and stays out of the way quite nicely.  I don't upsample or anything so I can't comment on that part of the software.  

PS - not just a canuck, but a québécois too, I think!

pretty sure he's another Head-Fier from Montreal

Quote:

Originally Posted by oogabooga 

PS - not just a canuck, but a québécois too, I think!

Toute à fait... mais d'origine britannique!