2. pc-audio
  3. 1427695667

Are Mac and PC equal?

Can a PC be just as good of a music server as Mac if set up properly? Can a PC with foobar2000 or Jriver work just as good as a mac setup with iTunes or whatever storage and streaming options exist? My portable external hard drive has flac and mp3 files, and I will stream spotify or tidal, pandora, Internet radio, etc.
Can I buy a PC tower or laptop (and if so what features/system requirements do I need for a great system) and get results equal to a mac? Digital files & streaming will go to an external DAC then an integrated amp and tower speakers. Thanks.
128x128labguy
hybrid81
32 posts
 
Either or will do the trick so long as you pair them with a good dac/amp/speakers.

It really comes down to what operating system and software you are most comfortable with, because you'll likely upgrade the hardware so that the computer will really one be a storage and or interface device.

Tidal is awesome, by the way. It's interface and usability is behind Spotify at the moment, but their is no comparison with regards to sound quality. I dropped my Spotify and Digitally Imported subscriptions after about 30 minutes of previewing Tidal. I imagine that all of the major players in streaming will soon offer hifi, which will make the decision kind of like the one you face now: the sound quality will be mostly equal, but the interface and usability will be the deciding factor.
yioryos's avatar
yioryos
723 posts
 
I am sorry for asking this,but what exactly is Tidal?
I see it mentioned a lot,perhaps I am behind times.I imagine
It's probably like an Internet radio service, that has customized playlists but with high bitrate playback.Correct?
George
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"04-01-15: Yioryos
I am sorry for asking this,but what exactly is Tidal?"

http://tidal.com/us
sidssp
1,077 posts
 
Since you are planning to use external DAC, I suggest you get a Mac and try both OS X and Windows yourself to see what you like best. It is because you can run Windows on a Mac but you can't run OS X on a PC. All you need to do is to run an application call Boot Camp which came with your Mac. It will guide you through step-by-step installing Windows on your Mac. I have done it many times. It is very easy. You will need to buy a copy of Windows of course. After that, you can choose to boot into OS X or Windows and switch between them.
mesch
3,466 posts
 
I have been using Mac/OS. Have both a Macbook Pro and a Mac Mini with Pure Music installed for playback. CDs are ripped as AIFF files using itunes error correction. I have found this to be an easy and reliable path to computer audio. The sonics seem compatible with my remaining equipment. Somewhat better than a my Arcam DVD137 used as a transport into a Bryston DAC-1. I do use a USB?SPDIF converter between computer and DAC.

What computer operating system do you currently use ?

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