1/5/2024 0 Comments Bitperfect change directoryIf you like to poke around to figure things out yourself and can use forums to get questions answered, JRMC is a great match for you. Like all applications there is a learning curve with JRMC if you want to take advantage of its powerful features, but it's not the steepest. The combination of feature set, tablet remote control, and ease of use (compared to other apps) is unmatched. Even people who run other applications for specific playback needs frequently use JRMC in addition to the other apps. JRiver Media Center - Based on my experience I believe JRMC is the audiophile standard most used by serious enthusiasts. Not so good: Lack of advanced features, no native FLAC or DSD support, sample rate issue, default CD ripping settings are lossy Good: Price, looks pretty, integration with iTunes Store I personally think iTunes has become more awkward to use and less intuitive with the last few full version updates. In addition, iTunes lack of native support for FLAC and DSD may be showstoppers for some users. Users should take note that iTunes alone may not lead to the most satisfactory listening experience because Apple hasn't enabled the application to switch sample rates on the fly. iTunes combined with Apple's Remote iOS app is a compelling solution for many people. However, I'm guessing most iTunes users don't know about the other music application options. They can't all be wrong can they? Of course not, software is a personal choice. gorilla used by hundreds of millions of people. Here is my list of 20 audio applications to enhance your music listening experience. Anyone who tells you otherwise is misleading you. I hate to say it, but each reader will need to do a little work on his own to find the application that meets his needs sonically, featurewise, and aesthetically. Rankings would get ridiculous with awards for best PCM to DSD app (realtime) (OS X), best PCM to DSD app (offline) (Windows), best PCM to DSD128, or DSD256, etc… This list is a starting point. Plus, there is no way a single person can test all the variables of each application against its competition and against a large set of hardware. For example, if I elect to upsample audio playback using HQ Player into DAC ABC today and give HQ Player a ranking based on the outcome, the ranking may be meaningless when using DAC XYZ. Even when discussing the sound quality of different applications, it is a disservice for me to rank the applications because as soon as one part of my playback chain changes the results may change. Engineering and user interface design decisions result in products that please some people and turn off others. There is no way to rank these players because in a way they are works of art. Some of the apps below are full featured media playback and management apps while others are audio only players built for simplicity. There are literally hundreds of applications available just to play music from one's computer. Plus, you may be surprised to find out I had to pare this list of playback apps down to twenty from a much larger list. I've left out many of the great utility apps, CD ripping apps, UPnP apps, mobile apps, and operating system optimization apps because each of these are a topic in and of themselves. The focus of this list is media playback applications. What follows is my attempt to introduce you to a new application or two or three, as well as introduce the unlearned to some of the applications many of us have been using for a while. That's the fun part for me, learning what people are doing and picking up a link to a new application. On the other hand, I run into many computer audiophiles who either own or have tried more applications than I knew were available. Maybe it's the comparatively low price or rate of change and feature enhancements that leads me to think people should frequently snoop around for ways to enhance their listening experience through software. If one is happy with his system, there is no need to make a change. There's nothing wrong with that approach and it's an approach I often suggest for hardware. It's like some people selected iTunes or MediaMonkey back in 2007 and have never wondered or cared about anything else available. When the conversation turns to software I am usually a little surprised by how many people have never heard of some very popular applications. For the most part people seem to have a good grasp of the hardware options available. I enjoy hearing what everyone is using for both hardware and software. Depending on the context and location, asking someone what they are using might have illegal undertones or lead to a nice conversation about audio systems. Invariably, whenever I meet fellow computer audiophiles at audio shows or dealer events we always ask each other what the other is using.
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