Hi guys,
strange things happen in regard to the SE.
There isn´t hardly any hint on the AMR page about the SE and on the web too.
I was expecting tons of exhilarating reviews by now, but nothing really happens any more.
Cheers
Kai
I think it is that the key personnel have been so busy with the development and of course there is also the pace of the iFI developments.
Anyhow here you go from my own experience with both the AMR-DP-777 and DP-777 Special Edition posted elsewhere.
"Well just reached 100 hours on the 777 Special Edition. The following remarks can be referenced against the AMR 777, which I still have here. The first things that struck me after initial switch on was frequency continuity. What I mean is balance throughout the spectrum.....nothing emphasised over any other part. As it happened there was a symbol strike almost immediately on switch on and that was clearly more audible and rich as against the 777. The other words I wrote were energy, dynamics, attack, speed, agility, timing and timbre. The representation of depth is improved, as is placement within it.
The soundstage is very stable. The clarity is remarkable. Instruments and vocals just appear from a black background. Clearly significant advancement has been made in reducing noise. For example piano right hand notes just materialise and play into space, and timbre is spot on. . There is better conveyance of space and presence in live recordings. Because of all these factors there is no feeling that the soundstage is being constrained by the system.
I do not find that the frequency extremes, which AMR have given particular attention to in their informational releases, draw adverse attention to themselves. On the contrary, the top end is very sweet, but open, and the bass plays tunes well, without being in any way bloated, and always at the same time remaining in place.
Overall there is improvement in detail retrieval, and nuance, which adds to involvement and enjoyment.
Musicality is typically AMR. Similar in that respect to the 777, but in my view execution is better.
AMR recommend 300-500 hours breakin, so there may be further refinements to come."
AND.....
"Well I'm on 175 hours now. Perhaps the sound has 'relaxed' a little more, which is nice. I spent the whole morning listening to Bing Crosby while I was in different parts of the house and it sounded great. I never tired of listening to him. While having breakfast in the livingroom, next to where the system is in the lounge, I was caught up in it....nodding and tapping my feet. Musicians back then majored on timing, rhythm, and vocalists in diction. The AMR DP-777SE and AMR AM-777 captured all that. While upstairs I would stop what I was doing and come to the head of the stairs to listen. It was only reluctantly turned off at lunchtime because my wife wanted to watch tv in the livingroom. During all that time I was not distracted by any discordancy.
I was listening to Stephane Grappelli yesterday and the violin, together with the piano accompaniment sounded really beautiful. The violin was smooth and rich with no hint of digital harshness.
Overall the elements that strike me in comparison to the DP-777 Standard are the improvements in the internal spaces in the soundstage, it's more 3D nature, and the airiness of the top end. It is easier to appreciate the spacial positions of players. Rim shots, cowbells, triangles and the like just pop from a black background.
Violins have a nicer sheen and accuracy. Piano notes have a faster rise time and as a result have a more percussive character when required. The dynamics of the piano are better reproduced. Runs on the piano are well balanced from top to bottom. The top note ending with space around it. Very convincing.
I have since tried the pre amp in the DP-777 Special Edition. I don't know if it, as an entity in its own right, is recommended to have the same 300-500 hours breakin as the dac. I used it for only about 45 hours and I went back to using the pre amp in my AMR AM-777 amp, trading the somewhat more weighty, but more forward and slightly less open representation for the contrary one of the integrated. I liked the timbres and fast free flowing nature of the integrated. That said, in a comparison of several top dacs on another forum, in which the DP-777 Special Edition was preferred, the Special Edition's pre was also preferred to a top stand alone pre amp actually owned by several of the evaluators, which had a recommended retail price of $16,500. Both of these pre amps are in the top echelon clearly."
Hope these comments are of some value and are an upto date assessment of my own experience.
) which is pretty banging techno - but my taste in music is all over the place. Was into trip hop in my late teens and still dig a lot of the LA stuff like brainfeeder etc.. but also a fair bit of orchestral and piano stuff like Glass / Reich etc.. more on the minimal tip I guess - I have a fair bit of ambient in my collection for when I need to chill out as well 
I think it was the 30.1 and 30.2 I had. I'm gone hazy now about what came after the decimal. I bought the first one used from a dealer and went back later and traded for the 30.2, which was new. Obviously I quite liked the Primares. Probably be still using it except I wanted to try computer audio.
