sonics1

@Gordon Do you have a view on whether the NOS MacBook Pro would also beat a 2009 or 2010 21.52 imac for audio quality ? - I don;t know of a mo to the imac that would give an extra sata port (maybe there is a way of doing it id you lose the superrive). Also, interested in your comment that the MBP would easily be better than any mini - would appreciate if you can clarifyy why - battery power might be one very good reason, but there may be others as well Hope you can shed some light on this - I like the potential of the imac since it has a screen already and can take up to 16GB RAM - but if the sound quality is dubious that would make me think at least twice ! (The computer will not be a dedicated server)

Thanks Chris for the prompt post re preferences. I hope you see fit to update them when you have finished your listening tests with the Linux boxes. Those kind of subjective preferences are invaluable and stating them unequivocally makes the site much much more useful (to me at any rate !!)<br /> <br /> I am very hopeful that Linux will prove to be a real winner - neither XP nor OSX are (AFAIK) deterministic OS's, whereas some Linix distros sich as 64studio and Ubuntu Studio (again AFAIK) have realtime kernels which can prioritize processes properly or at least a lot better than the mainstream commercial OS's. All it needs is a few of the interface makers to write great drivers, a Linux port of a good player and then we're off !!!!<br /> <br /> All success with your site which I continue to find a very useful reference.<br /> <br /> Rgds

Above you posted:<br /> >> I can let people know exactly what I'm using and what I prefer. I've listened to countless configurations on many operating systems and hardware platforms. <<<br /> <br /> The config information is extremely useful. What would be great is to know, at least as far as the complete tested rigs, the order of preference sonically, the order of preference for convenience of operation, and the order of preference for reliability (e.g propensity to destroy tweeters with blasts of noise), and finally the system that you personally end up using the most. That would really save a lot of time and more important guide equipment selection.

imfidelis That is truly the jackpot - I could not have hoped for a better set of workstations to compare. Appears you are either in or close to the pro audio field. I would be fascinated to know whether the G5/AES16 beats the MP/AES16e for example, and with which OS version. Look forward to seeing the write-up even if it comes in parts. Regards

Just to correct any potential misunderstanding .......... The idea is NOT NOT NOT to try to be sure about the audible differences. It's taken for granted (by me at least) that most people have two ears on the sides of their head and can actually hear ! For this purpose it does not matter at all how informal your listening was. In my personal view informal is fine because that's how most people actually listen for pleasure anyway. As long as you don't have a road drill going off in the same room. Just give your impressions - what pleases you more when you listen to it - that' all. The other info requested is just so everyone can see the context of the listening. Maybe I should hace titled the thread 'Listening Impressions' or somesuch. Hope that clarifies ..............

Just wanted to thank you for getting the site together. As someone who has a foot in the recrding camp as well as the listening camp i appreciate this site, as audiophiles will often go to even greater lengths than many in the recording business in pursuit of good sound quality.

@Chris Thanks for the welcome ! Clearly you have your time cut out with all you are doing - at the same time, I am sure many readers would be as interested as I am in the kind of listening comparisons between the best player on the Mac (which seems to be the Amarra platform ?) and the best on XP. Maybe we can get at this in a slightly different way without you having to spend time doing any more listening tests, and just get some feedback on what you have already listened to. In the CASH list page under the Berkeley DAC, you write that the best sound you have heard is the Mac Pro / Lynx AES16e and Berkeley combination. That comment was presumably valid as of the date of last update for that page - so what software player were you using on the Mac for that test, and was the Mac booted up under OSX or uner XP/Bootcamp in relation to that comment ? So presumably you prefer the sound quality of that system over and above the sound of the Dell 530 'server for a song' ? @everyone else !! Have any of you good folks done any comparisons similar to those I outlined in my last post, between the best on Mac OSX an the best on XP ? I will put up a new topic on the music servers section of the forum to ask a few key questions - probably best to separate that out now. I started a topic on the forum here: http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/what-sounds-better-listening-test-results-Music-Player-Software-Server-HardwareOS-combinatio as a placeholder for the results of your listening comparisons to avoid cluttering this thread.

OK - here goes. In the thread "Questions to Amarra", link http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/Questions-Sonic-Studio-re-Amarra I posted some questions about sound quality of the best Mac OSX combination vs the best XP combination. It would be great to see the results from other members of their own listening tests - specific questions I am interested in are: Mac OSX based systems, vs XP-based systems Lynx AES16 vs AES16e on Mac and PC (on the Mac this will mean comparing a modern PCIe system with an old G4 or G5 system) What software file players sound best - not just the library type apps like iTunes but anything from simple file players like Wave Editor for the Mac, right up to big DAW apps like Logic or Samplitude, if you happen to have tried them. Posting guidelines request - to help keep this in focus and allow us all to learn from each other to improve our systems .... Put down as much as possible about the testing rig/configurations used. Put down the approximate date you did the listening test Only post regarding listening test comparisons, not stuff like "Well I've got this rig an it souns great to me" those types of post are definitely unwanted by this OP ! :-) Please no posts about theory or opinions or jargon like 'bit-perfect' or 'jitter'- only actual listening comparisons experienced. Posts requesting specific comparisons are fine and actively encouraged. Some of the things that make a difference to SQ in practice will greatly surprise. If we can keep this in focus, I think this will be really helpful to a lot of people in gettng the best out of their music. I am interested in exactly that - anyone's genuine experiences that can help with getting a better system together are extremely welcome. Hope those that have done tests, especially people like the friend Chris referred to in his article on the Dell XP server who did extensive tests that even included some mastering engineers, will see fit to volunteer their experiences. Hope Chris approves !!

Hi Chris First post here - I have been reading this thread to try to get to the bottom of something empirically. (sorry Stve N) I want to find out which OS is sonically better for audio, OSX or XP. So much remains unknown even by good engineers as to why certain things sound different, that ultimately the only test that is worthwile is whether one system sounds better than another. You put up an excellent article on the cheap Dell 530 workstation, with the Lynx AES16, with the legacy driver. I want to know the following: If you but that system up against your Mac Pro / AES16e with the Amarra software running on it, both systems going through the same DAC - let's say your normal reference DAC, the Berkeley Audio Design, which rig is more pleasing to your ears ? And how would you characteize the difference ? And on a % scale, how much better would you rate one over the other (on a purely subjective scale) ? Secondly, if you repeat the test using the cheapest DAC on your CASH list, what are your views then ? Does the preference stay the same and does the % difference get bigger or smaller ? And then, the really interesting test - if you take the better system using the best DAC, and simply change the DAC to a lower spec model, what price is the DAC when coupled with the better sounding server that gives you equivalent sonic quallity to the inferior system when the inferior system coupled with your reference DAC ? The great benefit of a site like this is that it seems to be operating from a spirit of genuine inquiry, so actual experience and comparisons are worth hearing about. That would allow me and others who have posted here to get some feel as to how well the best Mac system you have complete with the best Mac player, souncard and drivers, against the best combination on XP, as well as giving everyone a steer as to the relative importance of the server vs against the DAC. In preparing the files, it would be great if you can use a copy of the same source file(s). You may even have done this already. Hope you will oblige us. My reasoning is that I simply want to get an idea of where my investment will be most effectively made, based on actual experience. BTW, it may be that you have discovered something on the Mac that is better than Amarra - if so, can you advise, n do the test with that one instead !! Over to you !