I don't think everyone here believes that we all experience music in the same way. I'm inclined to believe that you are hearing a difference. It's the "why" that is somewhat confounding. And while our enjoyment of music is highly subjective and individual, the mechanism by which digital audio files are communicated to a device which converts them to a signal that can be reproduced by analog amplifiers and speakers is not. And it cannot be because digital data transmitted on a TCP/IP based network *must* be bit perfect. When it's not, the packets of bits are re-transmitted until they are perfect or the communication fails. If that were not true, I could not be typing this message to you, could not send it to the forum, and you could not read it. And the Internet would not work. And my home network would not work. And every business network would not work. I've been an IT professional for 30 years and know only too well what happens when networks fail.
But what you are describing is not a network failure. Your network works; bits are accurately communicated between your server and your DAC. Either those are the same bits or they aren't. If they aren't the same, why? If they are the same, then either 1) your analog set up is different or 2) you are different. You made the proposition that iTunes integration correlates with the difference and the question is, how? In what way would iTunes affect what bits of data reach your DAC? And if it doesn't, which according to people more knowledgeable about the subject is the case, then what other change in the digital domain would affect what bits reach your DAC? But "bits are bits" is not a belief-system. It is an empirically demonstrated quality intrinsic to the very fundamental operation of your (and everyone's) network. It is true whether you accept it or not. It is not alchemy, astrology, numerology, or some form of magic. The physics and mathematics of how networks function is well understood and documented in mind-numbing detail. So, yes, "bits are bits." Win7Pro(x64)[3.3Ghz i5, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD system, 15TB storage], LMS 7.9.0 -> Logitech Squeezebox Classic V.3 -> Cambridge Audio DacMagic -> NAD C160 -> 2 x NAD C272 -> Quad 22L2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ get.amped's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10022 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=101788 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
