Pure Music or Bit Perfect - Do you hear the difference compare to iTunes?

[whatever]

I'm new to all these Pure Music, Bit Perfect, dinky dunka...

 

All I know is iTunes and some other third party video and music players like Media Player Classic, MPlayerX, etc.

 

What difference are you getting going from iTunes to Pure Music or Bit Perfect exactly? Are you getting better sound? Like in what ways? Can you describe? And are you suppose to change equalizer settings or do you leave it off? Right now I'm using straight iTunes with its built-in equalizer.. Please enlighten me.

 

thanks

 

[Munchoba]

WHy not download the trial versions and ''see'' for yourself?

I believe BitPerfect has one and I know Pure Music does and, why not try Amarra?

You should see your music open up, hear distinct instruments where none used to be...

Enjoy and decide!

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[Mark Powell]

Not the product BitPerfect but bit perfect reproduction of the music data.

 

You can't have that if you have any form of equaliser. I suggest (and only suggest, no more) that if you don't care whether your music is reproduced bit perfect, and like an equaliser, there is little point in installing anything to 'improve' iTunes.

 

I stress that this really is just a personal opinion.

 

[whatever]

Munchoba, I've been hesitant on installing anything as it might leave residue in my Macbook if I decide I don't want it and want to remove it...

 

That's the kind of answer I was looking for. I like the sound of music open up. I'm getting interested.

 

[whatever]

Mark,

 

Can I adjust equalizer after installing BitPerfect or Pure Music? Will equalizer work?

 

[dpstjp]

Pure Music allows you to play music files on your MAC that iTunes won't (such as FLAC, for example), as well as having a better playback engine. iTunes merely acts as the database for your music.

 

If all your music files are 126kbs MP3 then Pure Music will be of no benefit at all, iTunes already handles this. Pure Music will help if you have a collections of FLAC rips of your CD collection, (although iTunes will handle ALAC files which are also lossless). So generally Pure Music will help you to play higher quality music files than iTunes (ALAC aside) on your computer.

 

Please bear in mind that to get the true benefit of better music you will need to use high quality external speakers, not the internal ones on your computer. You will need additional kit to get the sound from your computer to the speakers (I use the Halide Bridge USB-S/PDIF cable, and there are other similar bits of kit you can read about on this site).

 

However your insistence on using iTunes built-in equalizer (as Mark Powell points out above) having achieved "bit perfect" reproduction from playback makes no sense. It's a bit like trading in a Chevrolet for a Ferrari, and then sticking much thinner "space-saver" tyres on it and only driving it on cobbled roads.

 

 

 

[Julf]

"It's a bit like trading in a Chevrolet for a Ferrari, and then sticking much thinner "space-saver" tyres on it and only driving it on cobbled roads."

 

Well, maybe the OP likes drifting?

 

 

 

[whatever]

Thanks for the info, dpstjp.

 

Some audio files I have are FLAC and some are from CD's, and I'm planning to get more n more high quality files. 320 kbps is bare minimum in my standard.

 

Question: Since Pure Music (or BitPerfect?) provides better sound quality, even with the use of iTunes equalizer, I should still get a bit better sound, right? For example: Without PM, you get 88% sound quality. With PM, you get 91% As long as there is a tinnie winnie gain I don't mind. But I gotta use equalizer as treble is lacking.

 

[dpstjp]

It would help all of us if you told us what system you're listening to your music through.

 

I really don't think that you can say one method it "88% versus 91%". How are you measuring percentages?

 

At present there is simply not enough information to know why your treble is lacking. For all we know you could be using just a subwoofer...

 

[whatever]

dpstjp, I use the following:

 

- Macbook Pro 13.3"

- AudioEngine A2 speakers

 

This is for nearfield listening.

 

I don't use subwoofer on this setup.

 

 

 

............. though I am planning on getting a sub later.

 

 

 

[whatever]

In equalizer I only raise the highs, 4k by one notch, 8k by two notches, and 16k by three notches. Similar settings for the lows with the mid one notch below.

 

If I don't use equalizer, it sounds ghey.