does one OS perform better with DACs n AMPs than the other?
I’ve got two old 2008 Mac Pro’s I’m refurbishing (max out at El Captain aka 10.11.x), a 2014 Mac Mini that’s been in storage for a couple years, but I can update to whatever Mac OS is best, if one is better than the others.
Windows 10 PC’s are pretty simple and open…but if there are particulars that make one better than another, lemme know.
So I think mac can be much more hassle free with less driver issues, but for more advanced use cases, I think windows might be the way to go. I would just stick with what you are comfortable with. I think a mac would be more reliable for audio playback with less messing around
I will say a mac mini can be a great dedicated music machine with the right software
what you’re saying is similar to what an old workmate of mine said. he had a slightly older 2012 Mac Mini and said he found the audio out of it was much nicer than out of his slightly newer Windows 10 PC.
It more comes down to what you have running in the background and certain optimizations you have to do. I think both windows and mac can reach the same level of sound quality, but it’s just easier to do with a mac
Mac for me for as i’m an apple fan boy lol
If you have an external DAC connected via USB it really shouldn’t matter.
It’s a digital packet based interface, assuming the OS supports the device and you have CPU cycles available, there should be no difference.
It’s like asking if a Mac or a PC is better at writing data to a USB harddrive.
If your using the internal sound hardware, it depends on which motherboard you have in the PC. The newer gigabyte boards fore example have ALC1220-VB & ESS SABRE 9118 DAC’s on the board, still probably won’t match the quality of an external DAC with the same chipset, because it’s stuck in a box with a bunch of electrical noise, but it’s probably pretty good,
I’d worry more about what software you want to run and how much you want to spend.
For the most part yes, but there can be issues with drivers that cause really stupid things to happen. Macs just tend to avoid this. Working with music mastering, so many people use Macs because of their better handling of devices and low latency music. I still use Windows tho, but a very modified copy
I use OSX, Windows and Linux Daily.
It used to be the case that because of the consistent hardware Mac’s were easier to deal with, but OSX has gotten so bad in the recent releases, and apples refusal to patch bad drivers between OS releases, I find Windows to have better compatibility and be be less hassle these days.
Wouldn’t recommend Linux to anyone for audio.
Pick what software you want to use and go from there.
Ah, I’m not too up to date on current mac. I just use a build with components specifically selected for lower latency and less errors, and a Windows build that’s slimmed down as much as possible (not iot tho)
Yeah Linux isn’t the best for audio lol, but it’s getting better
Poly, any recommendation for a Mac OS that is known for it’s stability?
a DAC and Amp will be used, not the onboard audio…well, will be, I still have to buy my Atom and KTB.
If you go Mac, you really want to be on the latest one, or the previous one.
well, like I said…I have two 2008 Mac Pro towers and a 2014 Mac Mini. problem with the Pro’s is they cap out at El Captain, while the Mini will go to Catalina. I’ve just been reading that Catalina is a real albatross…it’s being called Apple’s ‘Vista’.
The mini is pretty good for the job
yes…well, my goal is to sell the two Pro’s and the Mini and then buy a new Mini. 
Yes I’d think the mini would be fine
I have a Macbook pro Connected to my Fiio M11 via usb c using Audirvana Works good For me.
MacOS may be fine for you. Has the best ouf the box experience. Personally I feel locked in when using it.
Windows (and a DIY computer) gives you flexibility in hardware and software.
Don’t use Linux for audio! Office tasks, Video editing (KdenLive, DaVinci Resolve, Blender, etc.) and massive computing are fine.
Edit: Can’t use a keyboard, apparently
Mac is just fine now…it does 90% of what most users need / want…surfs, emails, watch movies and look at picture. they’re even capable of going into minor photo and video work for the entry level stuff. you can even run Windows 10 on them. their only downside is the price…you can get a much better Windows machine for the same price.
Apple did an amazing job on Final Cut Pro. That software outperforms a lot of other video editing programms.
MacOS remains the goto standard for home studio.
Price/Performance hardware wise, everything outperforms Apple.
When you factor in build quality, I think it’s a much closer contest. I have been a hard core Windows user and system builder since Windows 3.1. After 3 Mac Minis and a MacBook Pro, all the Windows-based systems feel cheap and unstable in comparison.
There’s an “it just works” aspect to Macs where more things seem to work better out of the box with a whole lot less screwing around than Windows. On the other hand, when things don’t work, it’s way more difficult to find solutions.