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Apple Macintosh Music System

This post has been along time coming for me. I have been lurking around for years, and have learned a lot from the people here. So here it is....

I really like my Apple Mac and iPhone. I like the quality hardware and simple software. I like that it works. I like than I can automatically backup with Time Machine and Time Capsule. I like the AirPort Express. I like the Remote App. I have ripped all of my music to Apple Lossless. I have a main system that I connect directly to and other systems that I stream using the AirPort Express. I like the way Apple allows me to access my music and share it with other devices, and around the house. I am very, VERY happy with my Apple setup.

I want to squeeze every bit of "musical information" out of my Apple system. Here is what I have found works best, but please feel free to make recommendations. I haven't listened to and tried everything.

1. MacBook Pro with a nice SSD drive. It sounds silly, but the SSD makes a huge difference. Not to mention how quick boot time and app launches are.

2. Van Den Hul polished glass optical cable to DAC. I've tried "coax" and "USB", but the optical output seems to sound a little better and more consistent.

3. Altmann DAC with a Optima Red Top power supply. Geeky, but that DAC sounds wonderful when battery powered.

4. Altmann AMP or 47 Labs Shigaraki amp. Both are sweet and gentle.

5. 47 Labs Lens speaker. Amazing!

6. 47 Labs OTA cable for interconnect and speaker cable.

As you can see, I like a smaller (more intimate) sound. I have owned a lot of Linn and Naim gear in the past, but the Altmann and 47 Labs gear still amazes me with every listen.

I'm open to something new, if I can improve.

What other DACs with optical inputs should I consider?

What about "chip amps" and single driver designs?

Any suggestions?

Thanks for your time....
timbrepitch

Showing 2 responses by mb9061

mb9061
137 posts
 
I've an IMac that I've tried with optical. To be honest, USB sounds much, much better in my setup. That said, toslink versus USB may well depend on the DAC and it's input implementation (the DAC3 for example doesn't handle USB very well, as I owned one for a time).
mb9061
137 posts
 
Jax2 makes some great points.

I recently did some comparisons between WAV, AIFF and Apple lossless with my IMac. System is an MHDT tube DAC, Turbo-3 USB converter and a Rogue Audio Stereo 90 tube amp (modified). All files are played at 24/44.1 (I'm personally not a fan of upsampling with digital music).

WAV seemed a bit veiled/less dynamic. Could be due to a Microsoft file type being played on a Mac operating system with Apple software.

ALAC seemed broader in soundstage with better midrange presentation (snare drums and vocals were better presented, the soundstage seemed more enveloping) although the higher frequencies weren't as clear and defined as AIFF. Crucial thing here is to use error correction, regardless of CD condition. Error correction matters in rip quality.

AIFF had slightly more definition in the higher frequency and in that respect appeared slightly more accurate. That said, it was also too bright (likely due to presenting a better picture of the higher frequencies). The music also seemed less involving than ALAC, although I don't like using that term (hard to explain it any other way however). My system is pretty "warm" overall as it's all tube with a tube DAC, but I still can't handle the brightness AIFF imparts.

ALAC seemed to be the best "middle ground" in my setup, but proves the point that file types are also system/listener dependant.

Thing that sucks is, I then tried to convert an Apple Lossless file to AIFF within ITunes to see if I still had a future option of AIFF if I go ahead with Apple Lossless right now (you'd think it would work and compare equally to a direct AIFF rip from a CD). Not quite. AIFF conversion from Apple Lossless sounded the worst of all when done this way.

You would think that bits are bits at least in the software domain and that so long as the software is working as it should, all should be equal. Unfortunately it's not (and that's not opinion, it seems everyone agrees these file types sound different). Comparison couldn't be more simple when all you have to do is flip between the beginning of songs with an Ipod Touch using the remote application.

The tough part is, you have to commit to a file type unless you have a lot of time and memory on your hands to rip 2-3 versions for each CD.

Another thing that I found was that actually using the oboard hard drive of the computer sounded better than an external drive with my IMac. That again is probably system/computer dependant...
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