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What have you done with a PowerPC today?
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Anything USB should work out-of-the-box, since USB DACs do not require drivers for macOS, unless it is something super-archaic.
FireWire DACs will need drivers, but there aren’t many FireWire DACs around anyway.
Obviously, no drivers are needed for S/PDIF.
We just need to access the cloud service. I can log in and upload files through Aquafox, but we need an external player to play all the content. The images show the Windows version.
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Odd question but would you (or anyone) happen to know of a good cheap DAC or audio card for a pcie G5?
This is a very imprecise query. What is “good” and what is “cheap”? What requirements are there besides these two? (Inputs/outputs etc.)
I have/had a lot of DACs and DDCs. Perhaps of cheap ones I was very happy with “Breeze Audio” (essentially, a Chinese no-name from eBay seller) based on dual AK4399 chips (it was years ago, back then this was about their top of the line; schematics was likely copied from some Western brand). Eventually I came to a conclusion that going for a cheap DAC is not saving money over time, since there is always a desire to try something new and a bit better LOL
If you can spot a used Chord 2Qute at a decent price, that is a fantastic DAC. Hardly “cheap”, but you won’t regret. Depending on your geography, TEAC and CEC should be nice.
I would advise against anything installed inside the computer for high quality audio. DAC should be external, preferably on an isolated power source. BTW, the easiest way to isolate the DAC from the computer is to use optical connection – conveniently, PowerMac has an optical out. Just get a decent toslink cable.
I would have not gone the Soundblaster way with the MDD just to listen music. I did it because I wanted to see if it actually works. Somebody wrote a driver for it and I found a compatible card for 10€. So purely an exercise of let see what happens! 
I too have had and still have several DACs which support optical, coax and/or USB inputs. The oldest ones are SMSL brand from ebay, they were super cheap chinese stuff but IMO have produced decent audio quality. Then I have Aune, Lead Audio, Musical Fidelity, DSpeaker Anti-Mode and the Topping from our local hifi stores.
IMO they all produce good enough quality sound. One could nit-pick about tech specs or performance graphs by reading reviews but I would say its really hard to hear the quality difference by ear unless you are very proficient hifi listener. The amp and speakers are important here too.
The newer the DAC more features and capabilities it might have.
BTW. the second SMSL burned its op amps after a year of usage. I replaced them with better quality parts and drilled some holes to the casing to let heat out and cool air in. Its been solid for 10+ years since. Also, the Musical Fidelity V-DAC II broke after about 7 years of use. I haven't opened it and checked why it went silent yet. I just bought the Topping to replace it (100€). EDIT: made a quick test. It is the optical that is broken, USB still works.
Ps. in MacOS Audio Midi Setup (in Utilities folder) you can choose what quality sound you are sending to your DAC. There is a list of all connected audio and midi devices and you can chance settings for each.
Ps2. I would like to add that better Sony Minidisc players have good DACs too. You just need to put it into record-pause to use it as a DAC.
I too have had and still have several DACs which support optical, coax and/or USB inputs. The oldest ones are SMSL brand from ebay, they were super cheap chinese stuff but IMO have produced decent audio quality. Then I have Aune, Lead Audio, Musical Fidelity, DSpeaker Anti-Mode and the Topping from our local hifi stores.
IMO they all produce good enough quality sound. One could nit-pick about tech specs or performance graphs by reading reviews but I would say its really hard to hear the quality difference by ear unless you are very proficient hifi listener. The amp and speakers are important here too.
The newer the DAC more features and capabilities it might have.
BTW. the second SMSL burned its op amps after a year of usage. I replaced them with better quality parts and drilled some holes to the casing to let heat out and cool air in. Its been solid for 10+ years since. Also, the Musical Fidelity V-DAC II broke after about 7 years of use. I haven't opened it and checked why it went silent yet. I just bought the Topping to replace it (100€). EDIT: made a quick test. It is the optical that is broken, USB still works.
Ps. in MacOS Audio Midi Setup (in Utilities folder) you can choose what quality sound you are sending to your DAC. There is a list of all connected audio and midi devices and you can chance settings for each.
Ps2. I would like to add that better Sony Minidisc players have good DACs too. You just need to put it into record-pause to use it as a DAC.
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Yes, but the PM optical might be limited to 96KHz while USB usually supports higher sampling rates (192 or even 384KHz). Can you hear it? Maybe, it depends...but on principle if one has the optical and USB to choose from I choose USB for better potential quality. To take full advantage of this one would need high res source material though.
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The 16bit/44,1kHz FLAC/ALAC much enough for me. My problem isn't with hi-res. Most streaming services can't satisfy my taste, as it's very underground, so I made my own cloud with VOX. However, a good AAC is also perfect for me. Especially on the bus or at work, where you can't completely filter out external noise. So a 24/96 just takes up space unnecessarily.
To begin with, files are still typically 48 or 96KHz at best, and everything not too recent is redbook. So I don’t think this is too practical. (It is also not necessarily true that “the more the better” given hardware.)
Normally DACs have multiple input choices. Quality will depend on numerous factors, including the specific implementation of a given interface, power isolation etc.
Abstractly I would go for FireWire for quality. And then it depends.
I do use USB, but never directly to the DAC. It is always computer over USB with separated power to DDC, from there ST optical to the DAC.
Well, many services where you can buy high res music offer 24bit 192KHz files. And if one buys such material then DAC or connection limited to 96KHz might not be ideal.
And then there are those who make their own music or digitize analog stuff. They might want to maximize their quality and maybe do not care about disk space, which is cheap anyways.
I spot DSD/DXD in your pile so... did you buy that for them redbooks?
Yes, usually they do. Some are USB only though, like my Topping D10s and the Audioquest mentioned above. And some do not have USB at all.
But, I only use USB when connecting a computer to one of my hifi sets. That is good enough for me as I use it mostly to output video sound or background music. When actually listening music for real I mostly use other gear.
Ps. I plan to make some sort of a music player out of my G4 Cube though. I will upgrade the VRM and CPU in coming weeks. And then I'll see if it will run my old iTunes library and maybe some other music apps satisfactorily (I'll expect it does) and I will use one of my DACs with it and the output will be trough my stereo set.
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If it even counts, I ordered a couple of small upgrades for my Power Mac G5 setup, but I have to wait for them to get here. The first is a used Cinema Display (23") and the other is a pair of Creative speakers in white.
If that doesn't count, I attempted to install Tigerbrew on Sorbet, but failed to because the version of Xcode I downloaded doesn't seem to work. I'll be troubleshooting later.
If that doesn't count, I attempted to install Tigerbrew on Sorbet, but failed to because the version of Xcode I downloaded doesn't seem to work. I'll be troubleshooting later.
Idk why the hell I said cheap when I dropped money on a new GPU. So I will try again.
Is there a list of PCIe sound cards with drivers for the PMG5? I just want an internal solution because the internal sound cards on my G5 are broken seemingly. If not, what are some alternative FireWire interfaces (such as the Apogee Duet)?
I guess I could save one of those slots for storage though. 2Quite, I will check it out.
I got sylpheed built with ssl through Macports and connected to an email account, so I can now email easily with a 2005 powerbook
Well, my point was not to prove that toslink is the best connection, no matter what
It has its pluses. It has its minuses.
Thankfully we have choices.
I spot DSD/DXD in your pile so... did you buy that for them redbooks?
I think I have like 3–4 albums in that format LOL
It should, I believe.
We got a lot of options for music apps now on powerpc.
I have read that Metric Halo ones are good. If you can get Weiss though, that’s arguably the best.
My iTunes library is still in the old format ie. separate files so I don't have to use iTunes if better options exist. Haven't investigated the options yet. Any suggestions where to start?
Qt4-based:
– qmmp
– blackomega
GTK-based:
– DeaDBeeF
– guayadeque
– exaile
– audacious
– lollypop
CLI:
– musikcube
– moc
– cmus
– a few others
To what machine? The DLSD?Replacing the 20y old PRAM battery. I need to change the connector. Damn.
Is the old one how they came from factory or an aftermarket replacement too? Looks very much like something Apple would not install originally. I would be expecting something resembling coin cell batteries.
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Today, I added Apple's Runway Card (Combined Bluetooth and WiFi) to my air-cooled G5 Quad ("Air Quad"):
Installed Runway Card
This was a finicky and difficult installation... I had to fight against all too typical Apple engineering of the period. Two nearly microscopic antenna cable ends have to be attached to two equally microscopic connectors on the Runway card, and then the result has to be screwed into place against the PCI Divider plate of the Quad with tiny, tiny screws. Jewelers screwdrivers are required all around! Why, oh why, did Apple have to make the late 2005 G5s so difficult to maintain?
It took me over 15 minutes to connect the two cables to the Runway card. In addition to their connectors being impossibly small, the cables themselves are also quite short and are "anchored" behind the motherboard, requiring you to work directly over the motherboard, with screws so small that you can barely see them. God forbid that you should ever drop one of these tiny screws!
In the end, success. I am blessed to still have an old Apple Airport Extreme WiFi base station, and while at least initially I could not get the Runway card to connect to my WiFi6 home router, it could and did connect to my Airport Extreme router, which is of a similar age and technology.
Apple Airport Extreme WiFi Router
With this setup in place, I tinkered with both the router (via Apple's Airport Utility) and the Runway Card (via System Preferences) until I got the Runway card (and my Quad!) to connect to my main home network.
I am now WiFi connected on my LCS Quad. The speed is consistent with the age of the card and the WiFi technology of the day (WiFi G, 54 Mbps), but it is fun to see it all work.
Installed Runway Card
This was a finicky and difficult installation... I had to fight against all too typical Apple engineering of the period. Two nearly microscopic antenna cable ends have to be attached to two equally microscopic connectors on the Runway card, and then the result has to be screwed into place against the PCI Divider plate of the Quad with tiny, tiny screws. Jewelers screwdrivers are required all around! Why, oh why, did Apple have to make the late 2005 G5s so difficult to maintain?
It took me over 15 minutes to connect the two cables to the Runway card. In addition to their connectors being impossibly small, the cables themselves are also quite short and are "anchored" behind the motherboard, requiring you to work directly over the motherboard, with screws so small that you can barely see them. God forbid that you should ever drop one of these tiny screws!
In the end, success. I am blessed to still have an old Apple Airport Extreme WiFi base station, and while at least initially I could not get the Runway card to connect to my WiFi6 home router, it could and did connect to my Airport Extreme router, which is of a similar age and technology.
Apple Airport Extreme WiFi Router
With this setup in place, I tinkered with both the router (via Apple's Airport Utility) and the Runway Card (via System Preferences) until I got the Runway card (and my Quad!) to connect to my main home network.
I am now WiFi connected on my LCS Quad. The speed is consistent with the age of the card and the WiFi technology of the day (WiFi G, 54 Mbps), but it is fun to see it all work.
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