Should I switch to Windows version?

Hi Damien (and other community members),

I have been a subscriber of the Mac version of Audirvana for 5.5 years now. Superb piece of software engineering! I am currently using a Macbook 12" with El Capitan O/S in order to continue using the Direct Mode. I have several terabytes of DSD and SACD ISO files that I only play bit-perfect and never upscaled.

I recently upgraded my system to the MSB Premier DAC (fully max’d put, $34000), Vinnie Rossi’s L2 Monoblock and Signature Pre-amp ($35000), QLN Prestige P3 speakers in Burl wood ($12000), and all Swiss Cables Diamond series cabling. Needless to say, I have a lot of money invested in my system.

With this setup, what I am after is the best digital sound I can get. With that in mind, my question is, is it time for me to switch to the Windows version of Audirvana? My Macbook 12 is getting old now. If I replace it with a newer Mac, I won’t be able to use Direct Mode in Catalina. My understanding is, this is not a problem at all in Windows (no Core Audio bypass needed). Is the sound quality the same or better in Windows?

Also, if I switch to Windows, I understand your minimum spec is 8gb RAM. Would I benefit from and future proof myself by investing in a 16GB laptop? Should I get a core i7 CPU, or would core i5 be fine? Again, I’m mostly only going to play DSD and SACD ISO files in bit-perfect mode with never doing any upsampling whatsoever.

Please advise asap.

Thanks,
-Harsh

Oh boy… after spending 100 000$ on a Sound system, you ask between 8gb or 16gb on a mac or pc!!

I have a late 2012 mac mini i5 and 16gb of memory… i l will never need something better for using Audirvana as like you, i just play bit perfect with Audirvana.

Direct mode is still on with latest macOS Catalina 10.15.5 system or any after el capitan, so no trouble there.

If you are used to mac and like DirectMode, stay on the right side :grinning:

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Hello,
An advice. Stay with your MAC. Having so many DSD and ISO SACDs it would be a shame to go on an adventure. It is not impossible that you have a reading problem with your very dear DAC if “the manufacturer has failed to make its windows 10 driver compatible with Audirvana”. There are a few of us who have POP problems when reading ISO SACDs or DSF. Problems That Could Be Dangerous To Your Speakers.
BR

hey there! LOL… you’re right :joy: I should have phrased my question slightly differently though… It’s not a matter of a few extra hundred dollars to buy a higher spec Windows machine… I guess my question was more about, do I ‘need’ a higher spec machine at all. Just because I might be able to afford one doesn’t mean I should just go and buy it.

So… you’re quite the celebrity on this forum it seems like :slight_smile: I’ve seen a lot of articles posted by you on the kext solution for Mac OS’ after El Capitan to enable Direct Mode. I am hesitating to try it, to be honest. I am in Tech, but am still a little nervous to try it.

The reason I’m even looking at another machine: DSD and ISO file playback has become a huge issue via my Macbook12. It has 8gb RAM and an old core i5 processor. Even with buffering max’d out in the settings, most of these files sputter (clicks and silent gaps in playback) at least once a track. Sometimes it gets so bad, I have to quit Audirvana completely and restart it. Most of the times, the buffer shows the track fully loaded, but it is still sputtering. And then there are times when the buffering just comes to a crawl - even a stand still - so it obviously causes sputtering. I am using an external Samsung T5 SSD (to house my music) attached to my DAC via a powered dock.

Any guidance would be helpful here. I am a Mac guy, and would hate to buy a Windows machine to solve this problem. That is, if this is indeed a problem with my older Macbook 12. What if a buy a 13" Macbook Pro with Catalina and I’m unable to get the kext solution working? It’ll be a waste… Windows doesn’t need Direct Mode, so there’s the potential of being able to send a clean signal to my DAC with no kext hacks needed.

ahhh… help me man!!

Celebrity :slight_smile: just here to help when i can… Graphic Designer, not a tech guy, but been playing with Mac since i learn Design in 1995. I did not bring Direct Mode, that was another user here… Katsu if i remember, i just rewrote the Help Text to make it easy for newbie playing in that field for the first time…

Most of people i help here or on
https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/forum/10-software/
don’t look at first at preferences in Audirvana or at the speaker icon for their DAC preferences in Audirvana, even today someone didn’t know Audirvana had a clear mode and a blue mode to view his library for better seeing…

Audirvana was only Mac for years, that is why maybe Direct Mode could be implemented then by Damien. if you know how to read, Direct Mode ‘hack’ is very simple to put back, it is not like you are pirating all your Mac for it… it is just one extension that Apple close access since 10.11.6, but for it you have to remove security for 10 mins and put it back after…nothing change on your mac after… That is only needed if you can’t live without Direct Mode, some can’t… PCs don’t have it, Sounds better? i don’t know… You just have to make some copy and paste, all is wriiten clearly… it is not knew, it works since 10.12… we are now at 10.15.5

My dac can play dsd up to DSD128, i have i5, 2.5 and 16gb of ram… it take 10 seconds to load a 20 mins song in DSD in memory, then the computer is sleeping playing on memory… there is no cpu needed to play pcm hi-res (24/192), it loads in a flash then, rest for the rest of the CD… wake at beginning of a new song for 3 seconds then CPU is at nearly 0%. You can open in utilites folder in Applications, the Activity Monitor to see how it respond, cpu side and memory used.

So any Mac like my old late 2012 will be fine… better to buy a i7 with 16 or 32gb of ram if you can but not neede if you just play bitperfect music… Maybe like yours 8gb is low now, but are you sure your upsampling is OFF ?

I use to have iso of sacd in the past, but that is one thing i hate now… i want my tags like i want my tags… not frozen in an ISO file… i don’t keep .cue sheet also in the folder when the tracks are already separeted… and firstly, i never put my music in the iTunes folder of the mac or use iTunes (Music now) to mess with my things… Apple and Adobe are pretty good at this, so i keep my Audirvana as alone as i could :slight_smile:

My mac mini was bought used like all my music system… no skip, no hangs, library is saved elsewhere for backup everyday that i made changes in it…

My system if you want to know… old and working, paid 5000$ CAN
used all parts, worth maybe double at least :slight_smile:
still 10% of yours :slight_smile:

MacMini, i5, 2.5GHz, SSD, 16Gb, 10.15.5
Audirvana Plus 3.5.37
DAC: Wyred DAC2 DSD Special Edition
AMP: Proceed AMP2
SPEAKERS: Focal Cobalt 826 Signature Series
Audirvana Remote
iPhone 8

Just get a Mac Mini and call it a day.

1 Like

Hi there… you’re a graphic designer, and I head up ux design and research at a large company in the SF bay area!

So… I downloaded the Direct Mode installer for Catalina and started following the instructions you have there.

  • I downloaded Hackintool.zip
  • I rebooted my Macbook pro in Recovery mode by pressing command + R
  • In Recovery mode: I opened the Terminal and successfully entered the command csrutil disable
  • I then quit terminal, quit installer, and restarted.

This is where I got confused - was I supposed to again reboot to Recovery mode, or to the regular login? I chose the regular login. Please let me know. The instructions were not very clear.

Anyway… once I logged in (regular login), I tried clicking open the Hackintool in my Applications folder. It wouldn’t let me! I got this popup:

What am I supposed to do now??

That is catalina security… go to apple preferences system in security and allow that app and continu…

If not allowing there, try right click hackintool and open there and see if you can allow after

I will update my text again in case it happend to other :grinning:

I followed your steps very carefully, twice, but no luck… I am not seeing Direct mode. So very disappointed :frowning:

This is what I see:

To have it, you have to see that the .ktext extension as been replace with the old one, like in the picture provided if i remember (in my bed now :grinning:)

Here is the pictures cropped to see you that the .ktext was changed, see the date…
before and after… those are in the download folder you have…
if you don’t see the 2017 date, you missed something…

the third picture is my System Extensions today with Catalina 10.15.5,
see again the same date as 2017 is on alone in the folder
with all the newly 2020 other ext. installed by Apple last update 10.15.5

hi… I did confirm that the correct version of the kext file was installed. Sharing screenshots with you:

No clue what’s the problem

Did you put back security now?

Last update (10.15.5) had to have security back before i could see Direct Mode on

Per your instructions doc, I already checked and confirmed that both SIP and Gatekeeper were enabled.

Did you try close audirvana, disconnect dac, open audirvava, connect dac ?

Cant see why not working, dac is connect direct, music is playing right, like before?

i have also the 2017 .ktext in the other Library of mac… same folder: Extensions, can’t remember why? you can try copy it there too and restart mac to see if it change something… you don’t need to do something special to copy it there, just mac password i think.
Screen Shot 2020-06-17 at 5.10.36 PM

i did remove the one in this Library and restart… my Direct Mode is still there…

You did succeed finally to open Hackintool, yes?

can’t post more comment in a row (even for a celebrity :slight_smile: )… so, this comment is edited…

i just look again at your image of dac… you should lower your memory there at 26000 around not at top… some should remain for the macOS system :slight_smile:

Are you upsampling ?
also, your dac is 24bits not 32bits ?
nothing to do with Direct mode, just trying to figure why not working :slight_smile: