Why do there seem to be a disproportionate number of Mac users?

quote:

Originally posted by Andy S:
... a serious question - and not one I'm trying to bring up the PC/mac debate either! Why are people using macs as opposed to PCs for front ends?

• Ease of use?
  
• Ease of setup?
  
• Perceived sound quality (won't get into the bits is bits debate again )?
  
• "it's what everyone else does"?
  
• All of the above/other reasons?
  

It does seem to me to be an expensive way of streaming data compared to a PC running either linux or windoze...

For me, the main reason for using a Mac is

(a) It just works - plug in the interface, check Audio MIDI settings, start iTunes and it works. No messing about with Kernel Streaming or WASAPI or ASIO.
(b) The Mac Mini is (virtually) silent out of the box, to get similar low level of PC you need to build yourself with custom parts (IME) which soon adds up to similar cost. Also the form factor for the Mac Mini is very good for siting in a HiFi rack.
(c) Mac OS X just works.

So mostly it's down to ease of use and setup, and I don't think a Mac Mini actually is that much less than a similar PC when you get down to it. Having said that - I keep thinking about building a mini Linux PC to compare.

Eloise

As above plus the superb itunes interface, the firewire output, the software player options Amarra etc.

I think there is a perception of more mac users because they are a lot more vocal about the +'s of mac and -'s of PC's.

Personally I have both and like both but use a PC for a variety of reasons. I do love the Mini mac and think it's a fab off the shelf solution and have been tempted by one on many occasion!

quote:

Originally posted by Eloise:
So mostly it's down to ease of use and setup, and I don't think a Mac Mini actually is that much less than a similar PC when you get down to it.

Hmm did wonder if that was the reason... It was a bit of a pain to get everything how I wanted it configured the way I wanted it on my HTPC

quote:

Having said that - I keep thinking about building a mini Linux PC to compare.

Eloise

If you're after a mini Linux PC - you could do worse than an Acer Aspire Revo 3610 - very cheap at £180 and then put xbmc (free) on it - it'll also play ripped dvds/blu rays faultlessly too...

No virus's is the main reason and simplicty. It just works

Although i don't think they are that popular accept within certain groups. None of my friends or family has a mac.

I have a few macs as well as PC's.

I was brought up on PC's but they do frustrate me. Macs seem to simplify things (IMO) and never seem to piss me off like PCs do.

I have also heard that Macs sound way better than PC's can even dream of

who the hell gets viruses WITHOUT going to shady "free" porn sites? Seriously?

quote:

Originally posted by Right Wing:
I have also heard that Macs sound way better than PC's can even dream of

But only if you pay lots for high quality streaming software

So, it appears (from those that have posted) that it's mainly down to ease of setting up (I can understand that given what I went through to get my system working - and I'm a real computer geek too).

Since I started with computer audio I sticked to PC because they offer a great flexibility for tweaking but I understand that many prefer Macs just because of its simplicity. I believe in this sense Macs are more for those who don't like messing with PC configurations but I am afraid computer audio benefits from tweakering.

That's an easy one. I am a long time PC user until getting a Weiss DAC and tried to fudge with PC Audio. If I was lucky I may manage to get some sound out of it on a good day. And even then I had to worry about bit perfectness and stopped other processes from competing for resources.

With the Mac there is just one way of doing it, and it usually is the right way that works 99.9% of the time.

Bottom line life is too short and I would rather be listening than fiddling with PC settings.

quote:

Originally posted by Eloise:
I don't think a Mac Mini actually is that much less than a similar PC when you get down to it.

Ooops - meant to say a Mac Mini doesn't cost much MORE than a similar PC (taking into account getting silent PC working).

quote:

Originally posted by JYOW:
With the Mac there is just one way of doing it, and it usually is the right way that works 99.9% of the time.

Bottom line life is too short and I would rather be listening than fiddling with PC settings.

I totally agree with you there JYOW. The reason Mac is sucessful (in all fields) is that. It was a conclusion I came to when trying to get a Hackintosh working one time. Why mess with the hardware to get Mac OS X to work when I can just use Windows. The simplicity and hardware software symbiosis is what makes Mac OS X.

[/QUOTE]If you're after a mini Linux PC - you could do worse than an Acer Aspire Revo 3610 - very cheap at £180 and then put xbmc (free) on it - it'll also play ripped dvds/blu rays faultlessly too...[/QUOTE]

I did this setup for my mother - but with win7 - the little PC are amazing for the money. It plays flac with 10% processor usage and HD movies no probs all for under £200! its now known affectionately as the landmine and all my mothers friends (pensioners) wooo at it and a few of them have gone out and bought the same setup!

My brother in law is about to use it as a front end into a DAC for his hifi.

I would recommend them to anyone! Especially as they bolt onto the VESA mounts the back on a TV.

quote:

Originally posted by Occean:
My brother in law is about to use it as a front end into a DAC for his hifi.

Funnily enough, the mobo I have has exactly the same chipset - and that's what I use it for. Bought the mobo version (Zotac ION FWIW) as I already had HTPC case, silent power supply and Blu-Ray reader. Coupled with an SSD it's brill!

quote:

Originally posted by Andy S:
... a serious question - and not one I'm trying to bring up the PC/mac debate either! Why are people using macs as opposed to PCs for front ends?

• Ease of use?
  
• Ease of setup?
  
• Perceived sound quality (won't get into the bits is bits debate again )?
  
• "it's what everyone else does"?
  
• All of the above/other reasons?
  

It does seem to me to be an expensive way of streaming data compared to a PC running either linux or windoze...

All of the above plus... For some reason I have never caught myself smiling in front of a PC because of how it does things (I have wanted to smash it to kingdom come though) and for some bizarre reason the opposite always happens to me in front of Macs.

We have 3 macs at home (including a mac mini as media centre) and 2 PCs. I try to avoid Microsoft Windows as much as I can.

Macs? Just work. Beautifuly, everytime. And when they dont, and you've got the extended warranty (a must) you pick up the phone and there is an person whose first language IS english, helping you on every single step. If it cant be fixed, they'll send you a new one (this has been my experience since 2006 when I switched to Macs and never went back)

But of course, if you're too price sensitive, macs aint for you. A good friend of mine couldnt compregend how/why a 3 year old macbook went on ebay for as much as a brand new Windows laptop (around £400) But with macs you know where your money goes...

Personally, I think Windows is much more flexible and has much more apps, games. I would not care too much about ease of use or simplicity because I want to know how stuffs work anyway. However, what really makes me buy Mac is that I do not have to worry about viruses and malware. It is not because I visit some dodgy web sites but because the potential of getting these hassles accidentally from friends, relatives, etc.

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:
who the hell gets viruses WITHOUT going to shady "free" porn sites? Seriously?

And your point is?

I use a Mac Mini for music. Cost wasn't really an issue. I could have perhaps saved a few hundred bucks with a PC. The main benefit of the Mac is stability. It just keeps running without freezing and requiring reboots.

But I don't really find it any easier to use. I know my way around Windows OK, so that wasn't it. But every Windows machine I've ever had just gets more temperamental and slower over time, including my work machines which are "managed" by our corporate IT.

Linux here. But I can see the attraction of the mac if you can justify the cost and you want something completely plug and play. Mind you, once Linux is set up on your hardware, it's just as easy.

Microsoft? Don't get me started...

True story: I wanted to update the firmware in my AV receiver, the update was provided by the manufacture as a Windows executable. I rebooted my laptop into Windows Vista (which I only keep on the laptop for this sort of thing), connected to the cable and tried to update the receiver - failure after failure after failure. Turned out that the update app was an XP application which wouldn't work under Vista, in compatibility mode or otherwise. Just before giving up and borrowing an XP machine, I tried using WINE (open source windows runtime environment for Linux) under Ubuntu Linux. It worked perfectly. The moral of this story is that Linux has a better XP emulator than Vista does.

quote:

Originally posted by DarrellK:


Microsoft? Don't get me started...

You are blaming Microsoft for this? The mfg of the receiver gave you an update for XP when you have Vista.

How is that Microsoft's fault?

This is a fairly pointless thread.

Most PC users dont like Macs. Most Mac users dont like PCs. Both have different lists for "why".

Who cares? Use what you like.

I personally could never use my Mac for music. "my buddies iMac are a different issue. Constant swirling beach ball. iTunes takes FOREVER to open. Songbird crashes the Mac almost daily. The Mac always "forgets" about the external drive etc... Fluke crashes often. XLD is somewhat stable but can crash during a rip.

I would assume that the number of Mac vs PC users in this forum correlates to the rest of the general public. Whatever ratio that is.

Also, I dont think the problems inherent to either platform are exclusive to that OS. There are plenty of issues on each side of the table.

But the "it just works" is so tiring. My current hifi PC "just works" everyday for the last 5 years.

Also, I love the "off the shelf" and "no additional setting need in iTunes" comments.

Like choosing "ASIO out" in Foobar is somehow harder than opening iTunes preferences and making sure EQ is off and you are not up or downsampling things.

"It just works off the shelf".... but you need pure vinyl or Amarra and maybe a hiface

That is hardly any different than configuring Foobar or J River etc....

To each their own.

The ONLY people I will really listen to when this comes up ad nauseum are people that own both.

-patrick

PS - Macs NEVER getting viruses and trojans is complete BS. My buddies iMac was infected somehow. Some issue with his iChat. In any event, the ONLY solution for him to fix it was a $300 trip to the Mac Solutions store. I will post a copy of his receipt for the fix if you need proof.

Patrick, for what its worth you sound like a typical PC user, don't take it the wrong way, just take it for what it is.

Mac users 'sound' the same

PC users 'sound' the same

You fall into the pc camp.

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:

PS - Macs NEVER getting viruses and trojans is complete BS. My buddies iMac was infected somehow. Some issue with his iChat. In any event, the ONLY solution for him to fix it was a $300 trip to the Mac Solutions store. I will post a copy of his receipt for the fix if you need proof.

LOL
Correct, Macs can get some funny stuffs from the internet as well. I recall that some Mac users get trojans because they install pirated software (sad!), it is them who make that happen.

quote:

Originally posted by pcstockton:

quote:

Originally posted by DarrellK:


Microsoft? Don't get me started...

You are blaming Microsoft for this? The mfg of the receiver gave you an update for XP when you have Vista.

How is that Microsoft's fault?

My little story was a sort of light-hearted aside - more ironic than anything. However MS do provide a "compatibility mode" in Vista which turned out to be less effective than the unofficial open source alternative. But this is the least of MS's sins.

How about deliberately breaking backwards compatibility to force users to upgrade? Using their near-monopoly to subvert industry standards in the name of their own profits ("embrace, extend, extinguish")? Putting so-called usability above stability and security? Peddling the lie that granny can buy a PC from a know-nothing dealer in fridges, and get some benefit? Polluting corporate IT with a toy operating system?

I did say don't get me started

quote:

Originally posted by garyi:
Patrick, for what its worth you sound like a typical PC user, don't take it the wrong way, just take it for what it is.

Mac users 'sound' the same

PC users 'sound' the same

You fall into the pc camp.

I use and own both. Take that for what it is.

quote:

Originally posted by DarrellK:
Using their near-monopoly to subvert industry standards ..... Polluting corporate IT with a toy operating system?

It is too bad the world at large is so stupid. Somehow the world's finest IT minds have missed this. Maybe they just never heard of Mac computers?

If it is so bad, why do people continue to use them?