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kendrab23

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  1. The Havana DAC is limited to 16 bit 48 kHz. Mine has been upgraded with about $1400 in parts, and is better than anything else I have heard up to $3000 range with standard Red Book CD files, which is all my music collection has (some 30,000 tracks in WAV format). I had been feeding files to it with an Intel Atom based music server, but the computer died and I decided to switch to an Apple computer. I know iTunes will work, but am looking for higher quality sound than what it is capable of. I am willing to go with the Audirvana+ software (it is similarly priced to the PC based J.River Media Center software), but am unsure if my DAC is compatible with it. I am trying to get an idea of the best 2 or three software playback programs for Mac OS X 10.8, and perhaps an idea why one software is recommended over another. I am also trying to determine the best software for ripping bit perfect CD files on a Mac. I am unsure whether iTunes can do this, and there is not a lot of info about the XLD software. So any suggestions on this would be quite welcome. For now, I plan to use my new Mac Mini with Quad Core 2.3 GHz processor to get a sense of sound quality. If it proves as good as I hope, I will get another Mac Mini with Dual Core Processor (perhaps a used one) and use it ONLY as a music server. I would consider eventually upgrading that with a better power supply, if the sonic improvements are worth it.
  2. I know there are several highly rated software programs on the market for Mac, but as a newly converted from PC user, I am unsure what to buy. The Audirvana + software seems pretty well respected, but the Amarra and Pure Music softwares are also mentioned a lot. My goal is to get the best software program for critical listening. I plan to feed the signal to a modified Mdht Labs Havana DAC, which is a 16 bit 44.1 kHz Non-Oversampling DAC via USB connection, and want to ensure the software is compatible with it. At a future date, I plan to get a Metrum Hex DAC (like 6-12 months down the road), and want to ensure the software will work with it as well. Also, what software do I need to get bit perfect WAV files from a CD on a Mac? I want to stick with WAV format as I have 1.3 TB of WAV tracks from when I was using J.River Media Center on my PC (unless there is a conversion program that converts WAV to AIFF files without altering the original sound quality). Kendra B.
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