Like with BitPerfect the convenience of automatic sample rate switching is great and I like the ability to operate with or without iTunes or simply drag a file from iTunes into the Decibel window to create a playlist. Although quite easy to use, Decibel adds memory playback and FLAC support but not DSD and provides an option for completely avoiding iTunes whilst picking files and folders in Finder to play directly. 99 pricing that fools all of us into thinking this app is far cheaper than it is).
Moving on to Decibel, we get to the descendent of Ayre Wave which used to be a free program but will now set you back $32.99, not a huge investment by any audio standard (note again the brilliant. The other options are not that much more expensive but deliver a far better musical experience and more features. All in all BP does something commensurate with its price but I can't really recommend it for serious audiophile playback. BP does not allow DSD or FLAC playback either but I suspect the target audience for this cheap plug-in has little value for those features to start with. It stands out by having a fairly recessed and lacklustre midrange. While BP does provide automatic sample rate switching depending on the format of the music file being played and slightly improves resolution with sharper transients likely due to improved jitter performance, it does nothing to reduce digital glare which is iTunes’ primary issue as far as I am concerned. Unfortunately BP's effects will be more noticed by what it does not do rather than by what it does. (Although BP was initially available for $5 and saw a significant price increase recently, it is still the cheapest option for MAC). Obviously the low price of BP is attractive for somebody not quite convinced yet of the value of advanced playback software. The app does its work quietly in the background. Once on, use iTunes as if BP was not even active. BitPerfect does not require any complicated setup (although some options exist, the defaults will give the best results). Its presence is betrayed only by a small icon on top of your screen. It requires nothing more than double-clicking on the app to activate it. BitPerfect can be downloaded from the Apple app store for $9.99 (of note is the innovative marketing trick of $9.99 pricing to avoid the clearly over-the-top $10 price tag). preload tracks to memory to avoid disk activity during playback).
Of the four programs it is the only one to not offer memory playback (i.e.
As its name implies, it ensures bit-perfect iTunes playback, bypassing a number of internal OSX processes especially the unwanted up/down-sampling that can plague iTunes. Since I also happened to have purchased BitPerfect and Decibel over the past few years, I decided to invite those programs to the party as well. I put that reviewer hat back on and forget about this entire silliness of listening to music for pure selfish pleasure.
Now equipped with a full license to the latest version of Audirvana I was in business to get seriously comparative. This review page is supported in part by the sponsors whose ad banners are displayed below