A nice aside to this whole discussion is the history of the audiophile fixation with the USB interface for digital audio.
Several iterations ago of the Windows operating system it was discovered that USB digital output on a Windows computer was not bit perfect due to an issue with the sound driver. This issue was addressed both in several completely free programs (e.g. Foobar2000) and in subsequent releases of the Windows operating system. Another way to deal with it was to use a Mac. However when using a Mac and iTunes it was discovered that when listening to various music files with different sample rates iTunes did not handle the different sample rates correctly, which by the way Foobar2000 handles correctly as does both the Transporter and the Touch, so the answer was to install an additional paid music player called Amarra (http://www.sonicstudio.com/amarra/amarra_purchase_landing) which has different versions varying in price and features from $30 to $650. Of course any self respecting audiophile would only use the $650 version. Now comparing the computer based audio playback on a Windows computer versus a Mac (aka Apple) computer from an audiophile perspective we get: Windows computer (anywhere from $200 to $2000 and up) + Foobar2000 ($0) + either USB or optical or coax (many Windows motherboards have optical or coax digital audio outputs) digital audio output + either a USB or non-USB DAC Mac/Apple computer ($500 and up) + iTunes ($0) + Amarra ($650) + USB output + asynchronous USB DAC So just based on the computer and software alone the Mac system costs more and therefore must be better since in the audiophile belief system whatever costs more is always better. And so we get to the present state of affairs. Windows machines at one time did not have bit perfect playback but that is no longer the case. Both the Transporter and Touch have always offered bit perfect playback. By "bit perfect playback" I specifically mean the ability of the digital outputs to transmit a bit perfect digital audio stream to an external DAC. However in the case of both the Transporter and the Touch the audiophile world has for some strange reason deemed both of these devices as unworthy of high end audio playback. And so we have now have the only acceptable and audiophile approved system for the playback of computer based audio consisting of the following components: A Mac Mini, Mac laptop or Mac desktop computer > iTunes with Amarra > USB output > asynchronous USB DAC One thing I find really funny is that while marching in lock step to their belief system so many audiophiles have the nerve to call those of us who dare to break ranks "close minded", but then turning of truth into lies and lies into truth as always been a big part of the audiophile belief system. Living Rm: Transporter-SimAudio pre/power amps-Vandersteen 3A Sign. & sub Home Theater: Touch-Marantz HTR-Energy Veritas 2.1 & Linn sub Computer Rm: Touch-Headroom Desktop w/DAC-Aragon amp-Energy Veritas 2.1 & Energy sub Bedroom: Touch-HR Desktop w/DAC-Audio Refinement amp-Energy Veritas 2.0 Guest Rm: Duet-Sony soundbar Garage: SB3-JVC compact system Controls: iPeng; SB Controller; Moose & Muso Server: SBS on dedicated windows 7 computer w/2 Drobos 'Last.fm' (http://www.last.fm/user/jazzfann/) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ralphpnj's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10827 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=103684 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
