[pardales]

I just replaced my 5 year old Pentium based, Powerbook G4 laptop with a first generation Intel based Macbook Pro as my music server.

I know I should not have been surprised by this but, the sound of my system changed: clearer window on the music, hearing deeper into recordings, slightly better soundstage -- a genuine improvement.

Any thoughts on why such an improvement?

[Crimson]

Interesting. What version of OS and iTunes were you running on each?

[pardales]

iTunes: 9.0.2  (both computers)

OSX: 10.5.8 (both computers)

PRO: 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo
G4:   1.67 GHz PowerPC G4

I could not tell from the "About this MAC" panel but it is possible the G4 is USB 1.0 and not 2.0

[Larkston Zinaspic]

It's funny, but a friend of mine had sort of the opposite experience. He told me he heard the Macbook Pro at another friend's house, and he said his Toshiba laptop (Windows-based) 'walked all over it' when they compared the two. He visits this forum so maybe he'll comment on this.

I then brought my Powerbook over to his house and compared it to his Windows laptop and he said the differences were much closer compared to what he heard from the Macbook Pro. While I can hear quite a difference between the Windows audio stack and Core Audio, I have never compared Apples to Apples, so to speak.

I could swear I read somewhere--on another forum perhaps--that the Mac Mini sounded better than the Macbook Pro, but it would be interesting to know why.

[pardales]

Interesting indeed. When you stop and think about it most of us who engage in this hobby with any degree of seriousness probably have our systems tweaked enough that they are very revealing of changes we make to them. Maybe different computers are no different than any other component?

Revealing systems will sound different when you change components, be they cables, power devices, isolation, etc., etc.. Much of the substance of this hobby comes when we begin asking why does changing X make sound Y versus Z. 

I might guess that a MINI would sound better than a laptop because there is just less going on with the MINI: no screen, backlit keyboard, mouse pad, yatta yatta.

[Mike Nomad]

There are an annoying numbers of variables in the mix (sorry). I too run a 1st-gen, Intel-based MacBook Pro. I've noticed appreciable swings in sound quality when all I've done is an OS update. It seems more pronounced and frequent across 10.5 and 10.6. Same goes for iTunes updates.

When you moved to your Intel Mac, you definitely got a different a different audio chipset. Another thing to not like is that Apple is notorious for rolling line changes on hardware, and not telling anybody. I've found this out only because I was comparing Apples to Apples, and having isolated/tested for every other reason, I opened the machines up to see if anything was different.

Lark: Hadn't heard that about the Mac Mini. Off the top of my head, the Mini would probably sound better because it does not have the battery charging circuit. On occasion, and depending where the battery is on its charging cycle, my MacBook Pro generates audible, high freq. noise when plugged in.