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Wow, I paid just shy of 400. ouch!
Amarra - anyone using it?
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adriena
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I'm puzzled about the responses I'm reading in this thread, too. Actually, of the things I missed at Can Jam 2009, Voltron's full Amarra setup is at or near the top of my list.
Quote:
What's puzzling?
Spending more time with it, the first thing I notice is clearer mids. The vocals sound more natural. Also, I always liked the twangy sound Grados gives to the electric guitar and my L3000 were right up there with them. This just gives them that extra bit of twang I thought they were missing. And lastly, it increasing the depth of the soundstage just a bit. It's all very subtle in my setup, but I think it brings out the last bit of improvement for not too much extra.
This latest update is supposed to improve the sound over the last one. I can't really tell the difference but I guess you have to do a back and forth to hear it. In some of the other forums people were complaining that previous versions sounded better than 1.1, so I guess that's what was addressed.
They fixed it so it doesn't ask every time you restart if you want to set volume at max. The gapless feature works pretty good except you can't see the playing time moving on itunes using it. I guess if you're relaxing to a whole album, it doesn't matter. Haven't tried direct cd playing but this isn't something I'd ever use. I backup my music and trade the cds towards new purchases.
Anyway, I really wasn't expecting anything new until sometime after the new year, so it was a pleasant surprise.
| Originally Posted by adriena /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm puzzled about the responses I'm reading in this thread, too. Actually, of the things I missed at Can Jam 2009, Voltron's full Amarra setup is at or near the top of my list. |
What's puzzling?
Spending more time with it, the first thing I notice is clearer mids. The vocals sound more natural. Also, I always liked the twangy sound Grados gives to the electric guitar and my L3000 were right up there with them. This just gives them that extra bit of twang I thought they were missing. And lastly, it increasing the depth of the soundstage just a bit. It's all very subtle in my setup, but I think it brings out the last bit of improvement for not too much extra.
This latest update is supposed to improve the sound over the last one. I can't really tell the difference but I guess you have to do a back and forth to hear it. In some of the other forums people were complaining that previous versions sounded better than 1.1, so I guess that's what was addressed.
They fixed it so it doesn't ask every time you restart if you want to set volume at max. The gapless feature works pretty good except you can't see the playing time moving on itunes using it. I guess if you're relaxing to a whole album, it doesn't matter. Haven't tried direct cd playing but this isn't something I'd ever use. I backup my music and trade the cds towards new purchases.
Anyway, I really wasn't expecting anything new until sometime after the new year, so it was a pleasant surprise.
santacore
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iamoneagain, thanks for the tip on the update. For some reason I don't get alerted to those.
I find that Amarra mini increases the resolution of my system. Everything sounds more focused and defined. I also get more detail and tighter bass. Contrary to PJ, I don't feel that it adds anything except more resolution.
Expensive, yes, but in my opinion it was worth the price. For me it's equivalent to getting an equipment upgrade. I honestly don't think I could listen to regular iTunes after experiencing this.
I find that Amarra mini increases the resolution of my system. Everything sounds more focused and defined. I also get more detail and tighter bass. Contrary to PJ, I don't feel that it adds anything except more resolution.
Expensive, yes, but in my opinion it was worth the price. For me it's equivalent to getting an equipment upgrade. I honestly don't think I could listen to regular iTunes after experiencing this.
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Me neither and with that sale it is a steal!
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Quote:
a ringing endorsement. but is the mini version truly worth it, or does it feel to the early adopters around here like a compromise?
| Originally Posted by santacore /img/forum/go_quote.gif iamoneagain, thanks for the tip on the update. For some reason I don't get alerted to those. I find that Amarra mini increases the resolution of my system. Everything sounds more focused and defined. I also get more detail and tighter bass. Contrary to PJ, I don't feel that it adds anything except more resolution. Expensive, yes, but in my opinion it was worth the price. For me it's equivalent to getting an equipment upgrade. I honestly don't think I could listen to regular iTunes after experiencing this. |
a ringing endorsement. but is the mini version truly worth it, or does it feel to the early adopters around here like a compromise?
Quote:
I have no need to the full version. I don't have any files over 96khz and don't need any of the eq settings. As long as the sound is the same as the full version is all that matters.
| Originally Posted by melomaniac /img/forum/go_quote.gif a ringing endorsement. but is the mini version truly worth it, or does it feel to the early adopters around here like a compromise? |
I have no need to the full version. I don't have any files over 96khz and don't need any of the eq settings. As long as the sound is the same as the full version is all that matters.
santacore
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Quote:
I don't feel like I compromised at all. The mini version does exactly what I want it to do. Plus, my interface (Sonicweld Diverter) can only do 24/96 so I'm good.
The EQ on the full version is very limited and in my opinion not worth it. I understand there will be some nice features in future releases, but even those don't interest me much at this point.
| a ringing endorsement. but is the mini version truly worth it, or does it feel to the early adopters around here like a compromise |
I don't feel like I compromised at all. The mini version does exactly what I want it to do. Plus, my interface (Sonicweld Diverter) can only do 24/96 so I'm good.
The EQ on the full version is very limited and in my opinion not worth it. I understand there will be some nice features in future releases, but even those don't interest me much at this point.
IPodPJ
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Quote:
How can they improve the sound quality from update to update, yet have been claiming it outputs a bit perfect signal? This doesn't make any sense to me. The only other thing I can think is maybe they are doing something to the word clock, but either way this reinforces what I said that the program alters the audio in some way.
| Originally Posted by iamoneagain /img/forum/go_quote.gif This latest update is supposed to improve the sound over the last one. I can't really tell the difference but I guess you have to do a back and forth to hear it. In some of the other forums people were complaining that previous versions sounded better than 1.1, so I guess that's what was addressed. |
How can they improve the sound quality from update to update, yet have been claiming it outputs a bit perfect signal? This doesn't make any sense to me. The only other thing I can think is maybe they are doing something to the word clock, but either way this reinforces what I said that the program alters the audio in some way.
The only thing I see them claim is better sound processing for volume/EQ (at least in the product description). Nothing on the website suggests that the bit-perfect signal would be better than the standard CoreAudio output. I'm highly skeptical of any differences in the bit-perfect output.
Quote:
It's good to skeptical but they do offer a free demo. You can see if you hear the differences yourself. I believe it's been proven to still be bit-perfect. So how are the differences explained, I haven't seen a good answer yet.
| Originally Posted by paaj /img/forum/go_quote.gif The only thing I see them claim is better sound processing for volume/EQ (at least in the product description). Nothing on the website suggests that the bit-perfect signal would be better than the standard CoreAudio output. I'm highly skeptical of any differences in the bit-perfect output. |
It's good to skeptical but they do offer a free demo. You can see if you hear the differences yourself. I believe it's been proven to still be bit-perfect. So how are the differences explained, I haven't seen a good answer yet.
santacore
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I think the differences are due to the different algorithms used to handle the audio. They seem to be constantly tweaking to get the best possible sound.
leveller1642
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Just a few questions;
What are the terms of the licence in relation to major updates? Is it perpetual?
What are the chances of Apple buying Sonic Stage? EDIT- or at least the subsidiary responsible for Amarra, Sonic Studio?
Quote:
Gapless playback with Amarra requires the use of playlists?
What are the terms of the licence in relation to major updates? Is it perpetual?
What are the chances of Apple buying Sonic Stage? EDIT- or at least the subsidiary responsible for Amarra, Sonic Studio?
Quote:
| Originally Posted by Amarra FAQ • Gapless playback - There is a small gap between songs on playback. Version 1.2 introduces Playlist support for gapless playback. |
Gapless playback with Amarra requires the use of playlists?
Silenced
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They should integrate Dolby Headphone or Smyth in it somehow...
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Quote:
They told me 3 years for software updates/upgrades but they are very lax and have not enforced that in the past. Kind of told me don't worry about it we will let you upgrade software as it comes in as you wish but according to the rules in writing it is the three years if they ever wish to enforce it i guess.
| Originally Posted by leveller1642 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just a few questions; What are the terms of the licence in relation to major updates? Is it perpetual? What are the chances of Apple buying Sonic Stage? EDIT- or at least the subsidiary responsible for Amarra, Sonic Studio? Gapless playback with Amarra requires the use of playlists? |
They told me 3 years for software updates/upgrades but they are very lax and have not enforced that in the past. Kind of told me don't worry about it we will let you upgrade software as it comes in as you wish but according to the rules in writing it is the three years if they ever wish to enforce it i guess.
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