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After a short stint with Mac Minis in 2013, I have been with Aurender products since. I purchased the Bryston BDA-3.14 recently. It is my first Bryston product in 35 years in the hobby. I like the AKM 4490 and 4497 Aurender implementations. So I kinda knew what to expect. Bryston's implementation sounds every bit as good as these products. I would go so far to say that MM has met my expectations. I find MM better than mConnect but not as familiar Aurender Conductor. There are good videos on MM (about 40 min of succinct tutorials) but they pre-date Qobuz addition to MM. The features of MM is extensive, Airplay, NAS, External drives, network broadcast from attached drives, frequent updates/feature advancement, Bryston tech support login to the machine, rock solid app stability, absolutely seamless connectivity to the web interface, etc. These are benchmark performance leaders in many cases. It's just not pretty? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. :-)

My QB-9 is on its way to Ayre for the upgrade. I can't wait for its return after reading this review. The QB-9 has always been a landmark product since the early days of computer audio. Its return with the Twenty technology is the most exciting digital news I have heard in sometime, with a nostalgic kicker.

I had a similar issue. Playing 192/24 files down sampled to 96/24 on Mountain Lion the playback would shut down randomly. I redownloaded, reinstalled and everything is great!

Great customer support for Channel D (PureMusic)! I downloaded several 24/96 Albums from HDTracks (my first) and all of the flac files were ending a few seconds early. Emailed Channel D pM support - about an hour later, the easy fix arrived via email, "download pM 1.85c". Previously using pM 1.85 on Lion. Thanks Channel D!

Thanks Ted_b...hiding in plain sight!

I am a novice to the Pure Music but I can say that the default setup with Lion is trouble free so far. I'd like to be able to turn off the streaming banner as I am screen sharing the Mac Mini with a MacBook and the extra "real estate" would be preferable (without going the hide route). Redbook files sound good. The native FLAC format makes it a fair-priced solution for macs. If you have your library in AIFF or Apple lossless, it may not the as valuable as it is to my large FLAC library. Tried to A/B it with Amarra but couldn't download from their site - decision made. Amarra was running a sale on Mini for $195, not sure if it has closed out.

I am just getting back into high-end audio after a 15 year "lack of focus" and there are so many new (new to me) quality brands out there. After a little research, I found the REL subwoofer line to be well suited as a two channel low frequency "anchor" for a nice set of monitors. They hook up directly to the speaker signal from the amp(s) or receiver posts (and/or LFE). This feature improves the musical performance and integrates with deep, tight, and fast low frequency signals. There are no timing issues sited above. Although it is a single box, it processes left and right bass signals from the speaker mains. I went with the Serie R range which is "middle of the road" of their products and I'm impressed (B&W 805 Diamond/REL 328 Serie R combo). A used REL "T" series could be a good choice.

Check this link for various lists, classical , jazz, blues, rock, etc. For classical, I generally struggled with the complexity of combining "the right music", with "a good recording", and "a great performance". The lists helped me organize my interests with the other parameters (mentioned above). Of course the lists are opinions but I put all of the lists into a spreadsheet (I know - can't help myself) and started buying 16/44 cd's. As my experience matures, I'll move into the hi-res examples - noting the recommendations provided by other CA posts here. I have appreciated live classical music for many years but couldn't get traction with building a modest collection. I have been pleased with the results of my purchasing - thanks to this process. Another consideration is checking the A/V resources a your local library. Some libraries have an extensive offering. The Link: http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/music0.html

Eager to know - hope I haven't comingled the various pieces we were discussing-Hoping for tubes.

I spent some time with at local high-end store this afternoon. We discussed the combination of amps, DACs and preamps as I am preparing for a new system. Audio Research is poised to release a Preamp/DAC in 1q2012. I believe it may be unveiled at CES in January (rational speculation), RTM February? It may be the ideal centerpiece for a new two channel sys. I understand it will integrate the DAC-8 technology with one of their tube based pre-amp designs. I can hope the combination will be equally remarkable to the separates. (Me want to go to there) Any 30 Rock fans in the audience :-)

Everytime I feel like the hunt for the right DAC for my system has ended, another bit of research turns up a contender. There have been the $1000-1500 "flashes in the pan" but I believe my decision will drift substantially higher. A recent rationaliztion: flexibility is key, for me. It will be the piece that sticks around for a while and the other components will play catch-up. I have built some great systems in the past by playing "leap frog". The Ayre QB-9 was the central considration for a week but the AR DAC-8 has the flexibility I seek and it is now the principal consideration. I am also warming to the concept of a matched Audio Research system (Pre, DAC, AMP). A used Berkeley could be be a great solution to your quandry. Buying new, the Ayre would be my choice for the budget target, with surplus (more money for cable game)! My other leading consideration is bit rate. Due to the hard drive space, and availability of 192 material, I don't consider 24/192 a high priorirty, personally. If you do want the bleeding-edge, the Antelope Gold reviews well but I have not listened to one. It's a preamp with remote, 32/384 capable, lots of input flexibilty and upgradeable with a matched power supply. The journey is lot of the fun!

Hi All, I love this site! I have been away from Hi-fi for about 15 years and "tripped" over CA.com while looking for a fanless computer case. Since then, I have 50 new bookmarks on my browser, tore down a wall in my house to prepare for a listening room, lots of network cabling and the system building has begun. The one thing I can say for absolute certainty, "wow, how things have changed". Here's my audio back ground: an evolution of several systems with parts made by Mark Levinson, Proceed, McIntosh, Apogee, B&W, Rotel, Magnepan, Thiel and Denon. I have put myself on a significantly smaller budget but still have "that sound" in mind. I feel a bit lost in the current landscape but that is part of the audiophile allure. Anyway, Here's what I've got, my intended use and a couple of questions for your much appreciated opinions. Receiver (on the way)- Integra DTR-70.3 Optical - OPPO BDP-95 Suround Speakers - Orb Audio 7.1 and 8 inch powered sub External SSD HDD to put the FLAC files on and plug into the OPPO. FLAC's upload via J.River MC 16 (found that via CA.com, thanks) 120GB uploaded so far. I took a couple of hours at a local store to listen to B&W 804 and CM8. I am going back to pick up the Integra and a furman 15 PFi. They will prep a more indepth review of B&W CM8, CM9, 804 and Monitor audio with some of my own disks on that visit. I am fine with the satelites (TV, Movies, etc.) but I want a different two channel experience. Really like the Orb's but looking for a bigger "hit" from a cabinet speaker and want to avoid brightness/harshness from the mid/upper range frequencies. I am going to "bi-amp; the spare two channels of the receivers for the stereo listening. Q: What do you think about the speaker matching with the Integra? Monitor Audio, B&W, or other suggestion. Musical range from Classic rock, vocals, jazz/fusion/blues, and some hard rock. The last speakers I had were Thiel 3.6 fed by Levison 23.5 x 2. My room is 13' by 19' so a smaller speaker is in order. The THiels (2.4) may be a bit hard to drive without some heavy iron and I'm committed to the receiver way of life for now. Q: Has anyone used the OPPO USB/ESATA for music listening? I really appreciate any thoughts, opinions or guidance. Glad to have found this community, audiophile and internet are like fire and gasoline.