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Amarra - anyone using it?

Sep 16, 2009 at 4:11 AM Post #196 of 920
just curious, before you spent money on 'computer audio' software, have you TRIED a linux system?

I realize that windows can be a struggle since it works against you (it wants to convert to 48k, etc etc). linux does no such things and its trivial to get linux to work just fine in audio.

linux buffers every file access to/from ram and it plays back from ram. if you don't have your system doing 'lots of things' intentionally, you wont' lose data (buffer underruns due to the o/s being too busy on other things). ie, linux won't pause or delay or hang during playback.

I just don't get how digital audio is hard, anymore. anything better than a pentium-2 should handle audio with no sweat at all.

I gave up trying to get windows to do VIDEO (hd video) playback well. that is still problematic and I 'gave up' and got myself a set-top media streamer box. that's clock perfect and never drops a video frame or loses a/v sync.

it seems pretty extreme to pay 4 figures just to playback audio perfectly on a computer.
 
Sep 16, 2009 at 4:12 AM Post #197 of 920
In my other business, employees have lost several Abobe licenses and Adobe has never been responsive, and I have never gotten a replacement license key from them. But I will take your word for it.
 
Sep 16, 2009 at 4:23 AM Post #198 of 920
Quote:

Originally Posted by linuxworks /img/forum/go_quote.gif
it seems pretty extreme to pay 4 figures just to playback audio perfectly on a computer.


Four figures, if you are referring to me I bought the Amarra Mini not the full program, don't need the full program I don't thing, and even that is under a grand by a tad. Still to rich for my blood.
 
Sep 16, 2009 at 7:25 AM Post #199 of 920
With the greatest of respect to all posters I would suggest it is not productive to get into a pro Amarra vs anti Amarra war here.

I certainly was not trying to ignite that - simply report my personal experiences. Others will disagree and have their own. As is proper.

Having experienced Amarra's SQ I can attest on a transparent system it is excellent. Probably better than MPD. Most likely the best I have heard. Will it make a $200 dac sound like a $10,000 dac - no. Would the $400 be better spent on a dac? probably not. Would $1000 for the full licence be better spent on a better dac - almost certainly. If you already have a great dac - money well spent? most likely.


But there are hoops to jump through and there are limitations in it's architecture. And it is beta. If you want to pay to be a beta tester go right ahead. I got over that a long time ago.

Linux + MPD has problems too - principally from a hw point of view (for instance firewire support is almost non existent in Linux).

Again I reiterate that it is horses for courses, as we say here in Oz. What will suit one will not suit another. And that is fine.

It is early days and I congratulate SS for bringing to market such a valuable addition to the audiophile arsenal. I simply hope they evolve it into a suitable product. I feel they are bloody cheeky asking $400 for beta sw while telling you you are getting a bargain as an "early adopter" but that is just my opinion. My own view is that $400 will look expensive in a year's time. Roll on Audio-file Engineering.

As an aside one thing I do not understand is why SS would employ a dealer network. What use is that?

Anyone into computer audio generally knows enough to load the program - or can work it out. They know enough to follow instructions.

Certainly in Australia what the distributor/dealer knows about computer audio you could write on the back of a postage stamp. Why should I pay a retail margin for him being a post office. Ditto VRS. What do you bring to the table that SS doesn't? Expertise? In what. Mailing iLok's?

Why not simply wholesale Amarra, offer 30 day free trial dl's with the option to buy a license during that time. Works for 99% of the world. Why the iLok? Stupidity personified. But then again you are dealing with audiophile's....

All IMHO etc etc
Cheers
A
 
Sep 17, 2009 at 3:54 AM Post #201 of 920
I just got it to work somehow. Don't ask me how. I kept re-installing, and one got through I guess.

I don't know what to say. I am little tired right now to give a real thorough AB comparison, but I gotta say that I do believe that I hear a difference. Call me crazy, cuz that's what I thought too. I don't know what it does, but the sound seems fuller, more soundstage, more separation, more bass, and etc.

If you follow my comments, you will see me as non-believer, and I still do not believe that as software to software, there should be no difference. But, I seem to hear the difference. What... #*@#@#

I am listening to the song "Oh Danny Boy" and "Tennessee waltz" which I listen quite alot, and the sound seems more holographic (3d like) in these two songs...

The differences aren't major, but there is subtle differences that I can hear.

Take it however you want.
 
Sep 17, 2009 at 3:59 AM Post #202 of 920
For me it may have done that but I noticed it more in the "edge" being taken off of itunes. It was a softening with out loss of definition or dynamics, maybe even a touch more dynamics. Usually I feel when i get the softening you lose those things but not with the Amarra.
 
Sep 17, 2009 at 4:03 AM Post #203 of 920
I was thinking of getting squeezebox touch, but I will have to debate hard which one to get now. I am kinda sold now even though I still need to do more objective testing when I am less tired. ;-)
 
Sep 17, 2009 at 4:41 AM Post #205 of 920
FWIW I found the switch to a SSD for the OS on all my various playback computers as valuable as Amarra SQ wise. Perhaps that is why I liked it, thought it was great, but did not have a religious experience like some others. I understand that if you are using a plain HDD spinner the jump is quite dramatic, as it should be with a RAM player.
 
Sep 17, 2009 at 5:32 AM Post #206 of 920
Quote:

Originally Posted by santacore /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I bought the mini version about a month ago. Support has not been great, and neither has reliability. That said the sound quality is a jump up and worth the headaches. I can't imagine going back to regular iTunes now.


I have called them and emailed them and responses have been immediate and always fixed any issue or question. I am actually blown away with their customer service.
 
Sep 17, 2009 at 6:39 AM Post #207 of 920
tosehee, your description of the difference is pretty consistent with the response of the majority of our customers. It has a more dramatic difference on some systems than others, but the basic sound qualities are the same.
 
Sep 17, 2009 at 1:49 PM Post #208 of 920
Quote:

Originally Posted by tuckers /img/forum/go_quote.gif
tosehee, your description of the difference is pretty consistent with the response of the majority of our customers. It has a more dramatic difference on some systems than others, but the basic sound qualities are the same.


I wish I know "how" it works instead of guessing game here. Is it helping out with jitter? or DSP? or ?
 
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