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
There are +/-'s to using both. I suggest going with the platform with which you are most familiar, you can get great sound with either OS. Plug-ins and multiple software are available on both platforms to get great sound. I have seen both platforms used at RMAF over the past few years, but Mac is more common at this show. That said, I'm a PC and I'm very happy with my sound.
I will say that Mac's are kinda set up already to support high end audio, that was one of Job's priorities. But I'll never use one because the OS annoys me. To each his own.
Have both 21" iMac with iTunes / Audionirvana plus and a PC specifically built for music playback.

For ease of operation and the way everything works together the Mac setup is vastly superior, everything works together seamlessly, theres no noisy fans remote control is easy from either iPad or iPhone

Th PC is set up with JRiver, and when properly configured it sounds very good. To me its not as easy to operate and the whole PC thing with noisy fans etc just makes it less attractive to use.

Sound quality from both setups are great with maybe a slight nod towards the Jriver/PC setup.

YMMV

Good Listening

Peter
Hi
If you don't want to get a mac mini or mac book, then look for a Lenovo T-510 or 520 or 530 laptop i5 or i7.
It was given as an advice to me from a computer nerd that also likes audio.
George
For audio, I use Windows and Linux. But I wouldn't buy a pre built PC. In most cases, the parts they use are very low quality. Its easy enough to buy the parts and put it all together yourself. Then you know its done right.
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.