[PSP]

I am currently using a G4 iMac (the first flat-screen iMac, 700 MHz, 0.75Gb RAM) to stream music (iTunes --> USB --> HagDAC --> SPDIF Audiosector DAC, iTunes controlled from the iMac... the computer is reasonably quiet, 20 feet from the listening position and inaudible in the quietest passages). 

Although the computer is old, slow, and has limited memory, I have been reasonably happy with the sound.  Still, when I read posts from Pure Music users (iTunes was thin-sounding, PM sounds fuller, more like music) I can recognize "thin sounding" in my current computer audio setup.

The problem: 
 - PM requires OSX v 10.5-10.6.  I am currently running v 10.4.11.
 - I have a long list of audio upgrades I want to do.  I'll buy a new computer next year, not now.
 - Can I upgrade to v. 10.5 on my current machine?  I've found no useful info on the Apple site. 
 - If I can't do PM now, is there a "clearly better than iTunes" music player that will work for a while on my current machine?

Other ideas?

Many thanks,
Peter 

[planet10]

You can install Leopard with a hack that lets you bypass the 867 MHz limitation. You probably don't want to... there is a reason for that limitation.

dave

[PSP]

Hi Dave,
I'd hoped that I could install 10.5.x, but I've not found information on whether that can be loaded on my machine.  If that would work, next is finding a copy of 10.5.x.

I'm still listening to the NAD 7020 you helped me tweak all those years ago.  It still sounds sweet and clear and I think kindly of you every time I fire it up.

Take care,
Peter

[planet10]

I'd hoped that I could install 10.5.x, but I've not found information on whether that can be loaded on my machine.  If that would work, next is finding a copy of 10.5.x

I've not done it, but i have read articles on the hack necessar. Here is one.

http://lowendmac.com/osx/leopard/unsupported.html

I'm still listening to the NAD 7020 you helped me tweak all those years ago.  It still sounds sweet and clear and I think kindly of you every time I fire it up.

Post some pictures?

dave

[PSP]

Hi Dave,
Yes, I could do that... not much to look at except the Cardas "new" binding posts, the discrete rectifier bridges (FRED diodes), and Nichicon Gold Tune PS caps... I also replaced all of the steel wire PCB links with 24ga cat5 copper.  The bigest changes came from the FRED diodes and Nichicon caps.

Thanks again!
Peter

[bunnyma357]

If you have or can borrow a newer Mac that can run Leopard in addition to the older one and they both have firewire, you can boot the older Mac in target disk mode by holding down "T" when you boot up the old computer. Then the old mac becomes just a firewire drive that you use the newer Mac to load Leopard onto.

I did this and have been successfully running Leopard on an old 800 MHz Powerbook G4. It is a little sluggish and crashes more than some of my other Macs, but it allowed me to run some software that required Leopard.

Obviously, no guarantees that it will work and I'd make a backup just in case.

Jim C