Is Mac really better for music?

[MajorFubar]

Can't see it makes much difference imo. And I'm a Mac user. It's all about picking the platform you're happiest using and the one which runs the apps you want to use. I use iTunes and BitPerfect which does more or less what I want, so Mac for me. YMMV.

 

[chebby]

No.

 

[chebby]

Yes.

 

[steve_1979]

YES, Mac are better for music UNLESS you have a custom built high end desktop computer. Mac and high end desktop computers are built using high quality computer parts, such as JAPANESE-made capacitors. The quality of the capacitors used in motherboards affects the sound the most. My motherboard uses tantalum capacitors, which are best capacitors you can get for a motherboard and there is significant improvement in sound over my crappy Dell laptop. So if want the best sound without blowing $$$ on a new Mac, I suggest you try to build a desktop using a high quality motherboard with tantalum or Japanese capacitors and a SSD hard drive for playback.

To be fair my computer is an expensive custom build using good quality components that were assembled by Scan computers. It's a world apart from the cheap office computers that you get from the likes of Dell.

If you're using a computers analogue output the sound quality can vary considerably depending on the quality of the motherboard/soundcard used. But nevertheless, even a cheap office PC will sound identical to an Apple computer provided you're using a bit perfect digital output into an external DAC.

 

[fr0g]

Of course Mac is no better. The hardware inside is the same.

As has been mentioned by Dave75, people never compare like with like.

Yes, the Avi spokesperson and apple fanboy/obsessive salesman will tell you that Apple is best, but then he compares a woefully underpowered old XP machine with a Macbook.

Windows is 100% fine with music. Some machines will not be as good as others...BECAUSE WINDOWS IS ONLY THE OS!!! Many manufaturers make machines that come preloaded with Windows, some will be much better than others.

I have a 10 year old Dell XPS that is still running but underpowered for me (although it beats most Atom based netbooks including my own HP Envy X2 hybrid) in terms of power.

I have an Asus G73 which will run most modern games just fine (it's about 3 yrs old now)

My desktop is ancient, but has had lots of cosmetic surgery. (upgrades)

My work Lenovo is the dogs danglies, latest notebook i7, Windows 8 and 32 GB ram.

All play music just great!

What Apple give you is "only" the high end. ie choose a high end Windows machine and for less money, it will be qually good...

And Windows, comtrary to popular myth does NOT mess with the sound IF YOU ONLY HAVE MUSIC playing...Yes, if you choose to have 2, 3 or more sources of sound, then Windows will have to deal with that, but switch off all other apps that create sound, switch off system sounds, and ho-hum, the sound is pure...no need for rip-off apps that cost an arm and a leg. Foobar, or even Winamp will play bit-perfect, no problem.

And if you do have a decent PC/laptop, it will almost certainly have optical out anyway!

And, actually, I now prefer W8 to W7. I like it, even on non-touch. Problem is for many is it is too different and bends brains.

 

[Covenanter]

People's lack of technical knowledge in these forums is frightening. :help:

It says a lot about our education system that so many have no lnowledge of even the simplest principles.

Chris

 

[chebby]

People's lack of technical knowledge in these forums is frightening. :help:

It says a lot about our education system that so many have no lnowledge of even the simplest principles.

Chris

Yes, yes. And young people have no respect and the buses used to run on time (they didn't) and people could leave their front doors unlocked and Wagon Wheels were bigger and only cost a halfpenny ... etc.

 

[plastic penguin]

People's lack of technical knowledge in these forums is frightening. :help:

It says a lot about our education system that so many have no lnowledge of even the simplest principles.

Chris

Yes, yes. And young people have no respect and the buses used to run on time (they didn't) and people could leave their front doors unlocked and Wagon Wheels were bigger and only cost a halfpenny ... etc.

...And most people used to, odd as it may seem, listen and enjoy their music rather than giving themselves brownie points/self-back slapping because they know how something does or does not work...

 

[spiny norman]

I'm sure if I could find a kindly old gentleman willing to give me his cast-off Macbook I would find it was the best thing ever, not to mention singing the praises of the kindly old gentleman and his enterprises at every opportunity. :rofl:

 

[chebby]

I'm sure if I could find a kindly old gentleman willing to give me his cast-off Macbook I would find it was the best thing ever, not to mention singing the praises of the kindly old gentleman and his enterprises at every opportunity. :rofl:

My parents warned me about 'kindly old gentlemen' casting off their macs.

 

[Alec]

I'm sure if I could find a kindly old gentleman willing to give me his cast-off Macbook I would find it was the best thing ever, not to mention singing the praises of the kindly old gentleman and his enterprises at every opportunity. :rofl:

My parents warned me about 'kindly old gentlemen' casting off their macs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcYppAs6ZdI

 

[Covenanter]

People's lack of technical knowledge in these forums is frightening. :help:

It says a lot about our education system that so many have no lnowledge of even the simplest principles.

Chris

Yes, yes. And young people have no respect and the buses used to run on time (they didn't) and people could leave their front doors unlocked and Wagon Wheels were bigger and only cost a halfpenny ... etc.

These things are not connected as I am sure you realise. You world does change and we are materially a great deal better off than we were in the past and I don't hanker for the old days in any way. However that doesn't stop my basic point being true, our education system does right now produce people who are lacking in basic knowledge as evidenced by many of the posts to this forum.

Chris

 

[Covenanter]

People's lack of technical knowledge in these forums is frightening. :help:

It says a lot about our education system that so many have no lnowledge of even the simplest principles.

Chris

Yes, yes. And young people have no respect and the buses used to run on time (they didn't) and people could leave their front doors unlocked and Wagon Wheels were bigger and only cost a halfpenny ... etc.

...And most people used to, odd as it may seem, listen and enjoy their music rather than giving themselves brownie points/self-back slapping because they know how something does or does not work...

It is possible to enjoy listening to music whilst knowing how the equipment reproducing it actually works. Ignorance is not generally felt to be a good thing!

Chris

 

[plastic penguin]

People's lack of technical knowledge in these forums is frightening. :help:

It says a lot about our education system that so many have no lnowledge of even the simplest principles.

Chris

Yes, yes. And young people have no respect and the buses used to run on time (they didn't) and people could leave their front doors unlocked and Wagon Wheels were bigger and only cost a halfpenny ... etc.

These things are not connected as I am sure you realise. You world does change and we are materially a great deal better off than we were in the past and I don't hanker for the old days in any way. However that doesn't stop my basic point being true, our education system does right now produce people who are lacking in basic knowledge as evidenced by many of the posts to this forum.

Chris

Have you not tumbled yet that some couldn't give a s*** about how a hi-fi/AV component works.

 

[npoguy]

Not only are you apparently smarter than everyone here, you also have the super ability to know when we went to school (perhaps you work for the NSA?) My bet is that most on this site don't fall into sweeping generalization of what the education system is producing "right now".

 

[chebby]

However that doesn't stop my basic point being true, our education system does right now produce people who are lacking in basic knowledge as evidenced by many of the posts to this forum.

Chris

This is a consumer forum on the whole. It is populated by people from all walks of life and backgrounds. Do you expect everyone here to have studied electronics, computer science and physics?

Not only that, but your protest about "our education system right now" (your words) is fundamentally flawed.

People actually in education "right now" are not here on the forums (except possibly a very few). You know youself that the majority of people on this forum are midlle aged men who left education a long time ago, so you should conclude that the failures in technical education were decades ago in most cases.

 

[ID.]

It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no_elVGGgW8

 

[dcanham001]

Got to admire the fact that, on a thread where pretty much everyone has agreed, it still descends into an argument

 

[ID.]

Got to admire the fact that, on a thread where pretty much everyone has agreed, it still descends into an argument

Well, we sorted out the original question, and then had so much time on our hands that we had to fill the rest of the programme with arguments on a tangential issue.

sittingoncoucheatingpopcorn.gif

 

[dcanham001]

 

[Covenanter]

People's lack of technical knowledge in these forums is frightening. :help:

It says a lot about our education system that so many have no knowledge of even the simplest principles.

Chris

Yes, yes. And young people have no respect and the buses used to run on time (they didn't) and people could leave their front doors unlocked and Wagon Wheels were bigger and only cost a halfpenny ... etc.

These things are not connected as I am sure you realise. You world does change and we are materially a great deal better off than we were in the past and I don't hanker for the old days in any way. However that doesn't stop my basic point being true, our education system does right now produce people who are lacking in basic knowledge as evidenced by many of the posts to this forum.

Chris

Have you not tumbled yet that some couldn't give a s*** about how a hi-fi/AV component works.

Which presumably is why some of them spend a fortune on stuff that doesn't do anything!

Chris

 

[Covenanter]

However that doesn't stop my basic point being true, our education system does right now produce people who are lacking in basic knowledge as evidenced by many of the posts to this forum.

Chris

This is a consumer forum on the whole. It is populated by people from all walks of life and backgrounds. Do you expect everyone here to have studied electronics, computer science and physics?

Not only that, but your protest about "our education system right now" (your words) is fundamentally flawed.

People actually in education "right now" are not here on the forums (except possibly a very few). You know youself that the majority of people on this forum are midlle aged men who left education a long time ago, so you should conclude that the failures in technical education were decades ago in most cases.

You don't have to have studied all those things in order to have gained basic knowledge, it just takes a little research.

As for "right now" maybe that wasn't the best wording. I'm not sure when people stopped gaining a basic understanding of science but it was evidently some time ago.

Chris

 

[AnotherJoe]

This thread was answered correctly in the first reply - thats all there is to it (or should have been).

It is not a matter of in my opinion or yours - it as a matter of fact -

 

[The_Lhc]

You don't have to have studied all those things in order to have gained basic knowledge, it just takes a little research.

Most people don't care though.

As for "right now" maybe that wasn't the best wording. I'm not sure when people stopped gaining a basic understanding of science but it was evidently some time ago.

If you think the average "man on the clapham omnibus" has EVER had a basic understanding of science then you're sorely deluded. If you have anything like a basic understanding of science then you're far from average, in my experience.

 

[plastic penguin]

People's lack of technical knowledge in these forums is frightening. :help:

It says a lot about our education system that so many have no knowledge of even the simplest principles.

Chris

Yes, yes. And young people have no respect and the buses used to run on time (they didn't) and people could leave their front doors unlocked and Wagon Wheels were bigger and only cost a halfpenny ... etc.

These things are not connected as I am sure you realise. You world does change and we are materially a great deal better off than we were in the past and I don't hanker for the old days in any way. However that doesn't stop my basic point being true, our education system does right now produce people who are lacking in basic knowledge as evidenced by many of the posts to this forum.

Chris

Have you not tumbled yet that some couldn't give a s*** about how a hi-fi/AV component works.

Which presumably is why some of them spend a fortune on stuff that doesn't do anything!

Chris

No - wrong again! The reason why some "spend a fortune on stuff that doesn't do anything" or drop a clanger is far simpler than whether they are educated or not. It is because they think hi-fi mags are a bible and are thus too lazy to get off their backsides and audition before buying. To say that a lack of education is to blame is so detrimental - people, strange as it may seem, aren't stupid. What they don't have is a williness to see whether the mags are right or wrong.