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Which personal confuser for ultra high end audio, MAC, PC, notebook, tablet or desktop?

Hello all!

Existing circumstances dictate the OS must be either Windows, or MAC, only.

My daily “lots of use” desktop pc is an 32 bit XP OS Dell that was used by the Spanish Inquisition.

I’ve made minor upgrades to RAM and HDD only.

I need a new personal confuser. I’m gonna get one quite soon. I need to know going forward which platform and configuration will serve a digital sourced front end best in 2017.

That is, of course, if there is still any significant disparity between MAC and PC OS with regard to present software, or hardware limitations or other concerns.

My barely used 4 year old windows 7 Dell 64bit box never has run Office 2010 right but does enable PCM file playback via Lynx AES Exp SC and JRiver & Foobar 2K and iTunes infrequently.

I’ve only had exp with Windows machines. However, I own Apple iPad Air II and iPhone 6 S. but I’m a pretty quick study so adapting to a new OS ought not be a big deal.

I do not have a working laptop and one would be a real aid for day to day situations as well as ripping and playing files, streaming audio playing videos, and so forth.

This latest ‘new’ machine will be a daily use computer for office oriented affairs as well. Email. Correspondence. Archiving documents. Data collection. Contacts.

I’m leaning towards a MAC, but not sure which way. IMac or Ibook? Both appear as semi portable and the Imac can sport a 4 or 5K display. The display isn’t a big deal for me bit the RAM and CPU needed to support the far greater resolutions of a 4 – 5K display would be nice IMO. Computer Horse power is always a plus.

The only issue I see with the iMac, is the thing itself. It’s a big display and looks like a problem waiting to happen when wiring it up or into the LAN and audio system.

I have a Synology Disc Station NAS. The plan is to acquire a versatile DAC for DSD and Tidal playback.

Am willing to add whatever else thereafter to achieve the intended goal mentioned above. Apps, additional hardware, etc.

Your experiences and Thoughts would be most welcome.

blindjim

Showing 4 responses by dlcockrum

dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
"Is someone now going to chime in and say the Ethernet cable itself matters too?"

Hi Jim, I recently installed an Aurender as my server/renderer/streamer (replacing my laptop) to my DAC. The Aurender requires Ethernet connection to my router/modem (not wireless like the Aries). The latter was located a long distance from my listening room. I started with a generic 75’ CAT6 cable between the modem/router and the Aurender. The sound was pretty "meh".

Then I relocated my modem/router to my listening room and installed a 1 meter generic CAT7 cable between it and my Aurender. Much better.

A few days later, I installed a 1 meter Synergistic Research Ethernet Active UEF SE cable in place of the generic CAT7 cable. Further improvement still. Sounding like music now.

So far, I found through comparing USB cables (Shunyata Venom vs Curious vs WW Platinum Starlight 7) that the USB cable makes the most difference by a wide margin but my experience is that the Ethernet cable makes a significant difference too.

FWIW.

Dave

dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Jim,

I trust that my earnest attempt to respond helpfully to your post was not rewarded with sarcasm.

Dave
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Jim,

Thanks for the very nice and thorough response.

There is so much snarkiness and ridicule on this forum by the eternally cognitively cynical toward those that are willing to actually try "fringe" products, simply trust their ears, and honestly report their experiences in an effort to share successes (and failures) that I have become overly-sensitive.

I try to only post opinions based on my actual experience in my system and my room & avoid condemning or promoting products that I have no experience with, excepting a few where I address certain posters that exceed reasonable limits of tolerance regarding misinformation, dishonesty, or just plain stupidity.

Your humor, style, and approach are refreshing. Keep rockin!

Dave
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
Right on again Al.

Dave
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