Is hearing differences OS dependent?

[wgscott]

I'm wondering if this has ever been addressed. Select all that apply.

[tranz]

This is probably a trap, but I will have a go.

 

It can be, but more to do with the hardware and software you can use with the various OS versions. For example:

 

1. Windows allows you to use an SoTM, JCAT or PPA USB board which is off limits to Mac users

2. There are optimization packages available for windows users such as AO that Mac does not have. There are some scripts and various guide steps from e.g. Amarra and CAD, but it is not for the beginner

3. Mac has the very good sounding Amarra, which is not available on Win

4. Linux allows you the least amount of concurrent processes running in the background

 

Just a few to get started.

[wwaldmanfan]

This is probably a trap, but I will have a go.

 

It can be, but more to do with the hardware and software you can use with the various OS versions. For example:

 

1. Windows allows you to use an SoTM, JCAT or PPA USB board which is off limits to Mac users

2. There are optimization packages available for windows users such as AO that Mac does not have. There are some scripts and various guide steps from e.g. Amarra, but it is not for the beginner

3. Mac has the very good sounding Amarra, which is not available on Win

4. Linux allows you the least amount of concurrent processes running in the background

 

Just a few to get started.

 

1. Mac has the very good sounding Audirvana Plus, which many feel is superior to Amarra.

2. Mac allows you to use the Computer Audio Design OSX Optimization Scripts V1.2.2 for Mavericks, which reduces the number of running background processes and threads by 30-40%. Whether or not this has a meaningful effect on SQ is another debate.

[wgscott]

This is probably a trap, but I will have a go. .

 

No. It is completely innocent and for entertainment purposes only.

[Allan F]

On my CAPS v3 Carbon, I am running Win 8.1 Pro (32 bit). While I haven't installed any optimizer programs, I have disabled a number of services according to the guide that Chris posted a long time ago. I don't know to what extent, if any, this contributes to my hearing differences between hi res and Redbook and differences between USB cables. I suspect none, as I could hear differences between the Redbook and SACD versions of an album long before I went to Computer Audio, and I have been able to hear differences between cables ever since I replaced generic interconnect and speaker cables with better ones decades ago.