vinylist

Mrs. Reed (which somehow I doubt anyone calls her but they are married) or Laurie Anderson is a consummate artist, a very well rounded giver of beauty and art to the world. She is not only a musician, albeit a rippin' one, but still...she has been busy with her MANY other talents. If the internet is good for one thing it surely is research on celebrities (and things for sale) as well as sharing info. So click around maties and behold what she's done! She got the Gish prize in '07 for being an artist! I saw Laurie at the Kabuki Theater in SF and "if I recall correctly" ( a very iffy affair with my memories as of late) she opened for the Ultra-Whacked writer William S. Burroughs. She did some music along with performance art and was mesmerizing in the true sense of the word. And sublime!

Hi all, Does anyone have experience with, or do they even exist, high resolution (audiophile quality) streaming music websites? One s that would be similar to Pandora, Lala, Mog...that kind of thing; with the exception that all the music they offer (subscription or otherwise) is at way high bit-rate or even lossless format. I'm not talking about sites like HDtracks and the like. I'm talking about sites that realize HOW we hear the music they offer will determine a product buy or a subscription buy. The best I've found is mog.com at 320 kbps and run a five spot a month. User friendly, nicely planned and interesting features for discovering new music. Is that the best I'm gonna get?

Hola bmckenney, While I appreciate everyone's input, more than one mac/guru type buddies of mine (and a couple of folks at this and other 'forum' type websites) have said that, with the kind of Art & Work I do, running all the programs I will be running, it will effect/affect the musical output no matter what peripherals I get. And that a 'dedicated' music source/server type set-up is the safest bet of not having to just keep buying and buying and trying and trying and will have ZERO interference. Besides I was prepared, as mentioned previously to spend about 3K, but I'm always willing to listen to reason and your reasons why 'exactly' one would be far superior than the other. Especially if you've tried it both ways. I've given myself 2 to 3 months for research, seeing as how I need to wait for my 'work from home' computer stipend before anything happens, and it needs to be UNDER 3K. So please, keep it coming. All ears I am.

Hey Jonmarsh, Muchisimas gracias for all the info...very helpful indeed. DACs and Interface connections, you couldn't be more right. Even with my (near crap) Dell Inspiron soundcard, once I switched from the USB interface to an s/pdf out through the S-Video & Coax adapter-(Dell made) my Beresford DAC went from 16/44.1 to 24/96Khz with the sound, while not adding more warmth, it did add a major definition/separation/clarity that I'd been missing. Especially in the FLAC & M4a formats! And strangely enough, acoustic music like blues, jazz, and folk really leapt like a Gazelle. As far as where I'm going (and aren't people who really "listen" always going/searching?) - ya gotta see this! BUT, I've previously been a vintage nut and shunned any newer techs because I don't (and still don't) believe music should 'surround', DVD movies, YES! Music No!, and most stuff made seems to be made to break within a year or two. I'm on my fourth DVD player form Best Buy, through extended warranty, in three years. OK, yes within the last couple of years I've been researching the new configurations of SS and Tube combo tech and I must say it's rather impressive. Add to that the Apple's quality build, DAC's, Interfaces, Component specific pre-amps ( I have a Bellari VP-530 phono tube pre-amp for vinyl burning) and such and THE SOUND!!!! Easy to to see, while I'm keeping my Vintage set-up, I'd like to start putting together an as modern as I can afford stereo system also. That's why I post here and many other sites as part of my "key area" research phases and try and take my time and keep an open mind. The PS Audio looks amazing, a little $$ for my blood, but ya never know. Until then I've been awfully gratified with the Beresford and can't wait to hear it with my upcoming Mac config (2-3 months out). I am gonna check out Pure Vinyl as I'm still undecided on which ware to use for burning in my collection, it does do that I'm assuming? Thanks again, you're expertise has been helpful and enlightening!

Well, as the most important thing in listening is how it sounds to the 'listener', and you haven't heard the Beresford, well that's kind of moot, hmmm? I had read the opposite and they give you 30 days to decide...plenty of time for burn in and lots of experimenting. It is a great DAC "for me" Also, if you reread my posts you'll see I'm not only buying for Audio but for my Art and business as well. To each his own eh?

Does that have anything to do with my original thread, rooob?

After posting in many, many places, talking to some Mac/Guru friends, and Jeff over at Beresford (My DAC maker), for me the best way to get my audio and Mac needs met, seems to also be a money saver as well! Instead of a way buff Mac Pro at 2,800$ minimum, with the add-ons I want, it would seem that a 699$ Mac-Mini as my dedicated music maker/server etc...& a mid range Mac Book Pro at about 1,500$ for the art and biz would be the best of all worlds. Crazy huh? Any thoughts? Please let me know, if for any reason, this doesn't seem to make the most sense to you. And thanks everyone for all your help and patience.

Hola Waterlogic, I hear ya, and thanks for advice, gems, all gems, nothing beats experience. If my billfold allowed...well, fill in the blank. I do however need to use the unit for both my work (fiction, large image art, and my little cash-cow called demonstration work) as well as all the other life/work bits that we use our AI boxes for. But it's like my car, it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. The music is a must and a mini, I don't think could do all the other stuff I need. I'd love to be wrong and spend less than a third of what the MacPro goes for, but... I've only checked out the M2tech Hiface, but I'll take a look at your other recommendations. Thanks for doing the work for us.

I'm interested in the audio aspect, of course, but I'll be using the mac as my main OS too. One for all, all for one. I've posted this query on a few other audiophile sites and the main philosophy seems to be the Power Mac is truly the best option for, not only audio, but just about everything else I'll be doing. The fans are a bit noisy but the tower will be far enough away from my stereo to have an effect. If I was just interested in a mac as a server, I would get the mini in a heartbeat. The Power Mac is way $teep and doesn't include a monitor, but I've got a few nice screens I can use. Anyway I'd still love to hear more comments and anything else Mac and audio related!

Thanks for the info Dynobot, I'm sure it will come in handy. But, My question is what would be the best Mac to go with from an audiophile angle? I'm partial to laptops but not set on one. In other words which Mac should I be looking at? Imac, Powerbooks, Powermacs, and which model would best serve the music. Also...If I'm not mistaken, Amarra (and iTunes of course) doesn't support FLAC yet. Which IMHO is the best format for quality audio reproduction.

I'm getting ready to switch from DellHell to MonopolyMac in a few months and have begun my audio research. I have a Beresford TC-7520 DAC running to my home stereo, and a Bellari VP-530 tube phono pre-amp for burning in my vinyl collection. My question is what would be the best Mac to go with from an audiophile angle? I'm partial to laptops but not set on one. The rest of my home set-up is McIntosh 2100 amp, Yamaha C4 preamp, Denon DP-47F TT with Ortofon bronze, Rotel RCC-955 HDCD, Klipsch KG-4's and JBL Aquarius 1's. So while this isn't the most modern equipment, it does deliver some darned decent analogue wonderment.