And this is why when buying (or building) a windows based PC it’s important to buy quality hardware components from reputable brands. You want an Asus or Gigabyte motherboard, named brand RAM, name brand harddrives, power supplies ect. The motherboard is especially important. ASUS and Gigabyte continue bios updates years after they release motherboards to make the already rock solid experience even better. They also use top quality chipsets from the likes of Intel. This is important because Intel typically has rock solid drivers. So yes, it’s important to make sure the software that controls the hardware is up to snuff. I think a lot of the issues people have had in the past with Windows computers is related to what you said in that Apple only has a few SKUs of hardware to deal with so they can easily make sure the drivers and bios for that particular computer works near flawlessly. The same experience can be had from a Windows PC, but it does cost more money. You cannot buy a $300 windows PC tower and expect the operating system to run like a base $2000 macOS model. The drivers on that $300 PC are probably awful and will make the computer freeze and BSOD like crazy and in those circumstances I can see why one might move to a mac.What developer is going to spend a ton of time on the software for cheap hardware? However with the right hardware you can have your cake and eat it too with Windows; rock solid experience and a plethora of applications and granular control. You may get the rock solid experience on macOS, but the software and level of control is just not anywhere near Windows.
These exact same things can be said about iOS and Android. The fact that Apple only has a handful of phones to deal with regarding software to interface with the hardware gives them a distinct advantage. Android, like Wndows, needs to be able to function with an almost infinite amount of hardware, but that’s not the case with iOS. But on the mobile front, I don’t think the gap is anywhere near as wide as it is with Windows vs macOS. iOS and Android are slowly becoming nearly indistinguishable from one another and the app selection on both is pretty excellent.
I understand the importance of quality hardware. Our PC based systems were well engineered and often ran $10K+ per stand alone system. There was absolutely no compromise when it came to the hardware we selected for our purpose-built PC based systems. Regardless of the brand of any motherboard, processor, or RAM that my unit procured, when we drove them to their limits and beyond, PC based systems failed more often than the Mac-based Windows systems I used. The trade off with Mac is you will never get the throughput that you could achieve with a high-end, hot-rodded PC system. But for mission critical work, reliability trumps any slight performance advantages and for the majority of home users, Mac hardware is more than enough to get the job done from a speed/performance perspective. Gaming is a Mac weakness for sure, but that is a area of concern for some, but not all.
Please understand, I am not arguing Mac OSX vs. Windows. What I am saying is that based on my professional experience, I have been able to run Windows in all of its glory and all if its power in a Mac based system while still enjoying all the benefits of Mac OSX. And Windows, based on the demands I have placed on it, has been more reliable in a Bootcamp’d Mac machine than any cost-no-object expertly designed PC-based system.
Expensive hardware does nothing for a PC if it has poor drivers or the motherboard has a faulty BIOS. There are too many variables to consider that may have made your PCs faulty. I’ve been running my main desktop for 4 years now and have not had a single crash or BSOD but my significant other has had a plethora or OS related issues on the mac. All of this is anecdotal. My only point here is that Windows often gets painted as glitchy or somehow unstable and I simply don’t agree with that. And you saying a VM of Windows running inside macOS makes me believe that even more. Obviously those PC had major issues if a VM was considerably more stable. I doubt it was the operating system.
The demands I place on computers is beyond what most casual users could ever comprehend. My experience is what it is, and is by no means an attempt to discredit or minimize yours or anyone else’s opinion on this matter. That fact that I extensively use both operating systems substantiates the fact I am not a hater of Windows. I use both and will continue to happily use both, just on Mac hardware.
Elk - FWIW, when it came time to replace my laptop recently, I had the same feeling about the current Mac laptop options - as did a lot of other Mac owners - and I’ve been 99% Mac since the 80’s. It really seems like Moore’s Law has slowed of late, and so the latest Mac laptops were not significantly different in performance (still i7s, etc.) and were, from my perspective, increasingly narrowed with regard to interfacing with other bits. That is, they are going all in on USB-C and TB such that you pretty much HAVE to use adaptors of some sort.
So - I got a barely used one from a couple of iterations back for a fraction of the cost of a new one. Great machine, same horsepower as current machines, but still has TB, USB, HDMI, and SD card slots in the sides.
Another possible bug with this latest version? I am noticing a lot of static in dynamic music using AAC format streamed from tidal via roon. I did not notice this with last version of the bridge on my dsj. Example “Still falling for you” Ellie Goulding.
@Veneet thanks!! that fixed it . I had no idea the codecs had to be updated periodically. I would of hoped roon would of updated them if required via their software updates…I guess it is left to us to do it manually
@xrford so happy that worked for you too! I am disappointed they don’t tell us to update it. My understanding is they can’t automatically include it as it would be a royalty they would have to pay the guy that maintains the code. I get that, but if they just explained that it had to be done manually instead of searching forums, etc to find the solution.
Matt just shared with me the fixed version has been received and is currently under test. So far so good. We’ll let you know when/if it passes the testing phase and is ready for release.
Are Matt and his people getting any closer on getting the Bridge II code fix finalized? It’s been almost a month since they received the “fixed” version from Converse.
After waiting for months for Converse to effectively fix their issues, I’m disappointed. It seems that they handed off a write that didn’t pass muster with PS Audio. It’s almost like there’s not much urgency to correct the code. I for one won’t miss this card once the octave card is out. Bridge II is current, I can only imagine what happens if it becomes a legacy card.
I have already given up on the Bridge II card. I bought an ultraRendu and immediately experienced better sound quality. I don’t care about giving up MQA…
I’ll second the disappointment over MQA hype. I sold my Mytek Brooklyn after I felt that MQA presented artifacts that I didn’t like. It just didn’t sound right. I must admit when I bought the Bridge II it was for convenience and MQA. Now MQA is off my listening pallette. I actually avoid the format at all cost. I would just like the card to work as designed.
+1
Based on speed-racer’s advice, I did the same and have never looked back. Better sound, more reliable streaming and MUCH BETTER user experience via the Audirvana+ Remote app. For once, I can stream Qobuz and Tidal with complete reliability as well as having native app-like experience through via the free Remote app included in the price of Audirvana+ ($79.95 one time fee).
The Mconnect Control app is pretty terrible. Even BubbleUp is far from ideal. I tried many apps with the Bridge II and was never satisfied.
. I had no idea the codecs had to be updated periodically. I would of hoped roon would of updated them if required via their software updates…I guess it is left to us to do it manually 