[audioengr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scootermafia /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, I did mean what I said. Amarra is most noticeable when you have the gear to back them up. HD800 are more revealing and transparent, with the most noticeable response to upgrades, than any headphone that I have tried. And Amarra is probably wasted on badly implemented USB transports/DACs. Amarra's going to get the most mileage with really nice speaker systems and the best headphone systems. I base this on the fact that switching Amarra on/off you can hardly tell the difference with HD650, K702, Beyers, etc. Sorry to crap on anyone's parade. Me and PJ do currently attend the School of Only HD800 Liking.

I have to agree also. Amarra makes the biggest difference when you have a very low-noise, low distortion D/A converter and high quality headphones. There are only a couple of D/A's that make the difference really obvious within a few seconds of listening.

Top of line Ultrasones or Sennheisers are helpful.

Steve N.

 

[guitarplayer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Clark /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is here... staff second from the other David's.

A very fine sounding system it is, too, one of the best I've heard.

Peace,

Lee

 

[rosgr63]

I have noticed the effect of Amarra Mini (trial Mode) on a very low end system:
Mac=>Beresford TC-7520=>Graham Slee Novo=>Maestro GMP400.
Has anybody tried Hear?

 

[David Clark]

I think that with Amarra, there might be things going on that we do not quite have a grasp of... people who have top systems hear a dramatic difference and some do not, those who have middle-like systems hear a dramatic difference and others do not, and so on down the line. I am not so sure that anyone can make an absolute statement about what the system requirments are for it to be noticeable or not as there are too many conflictiing reports. Here it is not night and day, elsewhere it is... is it an issue of the (my) DAC, OS, memory, CPU, rfi/emi, jitter, ripping decisions, file decisions, etc.... got me. To say that it requires 'x' to be heard is rather questionable. Why some hear/experience differences and others do not is not going to be an easy question to answer.

 

[nick_charles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Clark /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think that with Amarra, there might be things going on that we do not quite have a grasp of... people who have top systems hear a dramatic difference and some do not, those who have middle-like systems hear a dramatic difference and others do not, and so on down the line. I am not so sure that anyone can make an absolute statement about what the system requirments are for it to be noticeable or not as there are too many conflictiing reports. Here it is not night and day, elsewhere it is... is it an issue of the (my) DAC, OS, memory, CPU, rfi/emi, jitter, ripping decisions, file decisions, etc.... got me. To say that it requires 'x' to be heard is rather questionable. Why some hear/experience differences and others do not is not going to be an easy question to answer.

Has anyone (independent) done measurements comparing the difference in outputs between Amarra and iTunes ?

 

[Currawong]

I've not read any comments saying it makes a huge difference, so this is a first. We indeed someone with deep pockets to make some serious measurements such as those done in Sterophile back in 1993.

 

[omigawsh_lollercoaster]

It's cool looking, I almost wish I needed one.

Are those holes threaded or just ridged for aesthetic purposes?

 

[JayDee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by omigawsh_lollercoaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif Are those holes threaded or just ridged for aesthetic purposes?

No, it isn't threading (which would be helical). It's there primarily for grip - the way I pick these up is to grab opposite holes with the thumb and middle finger - and secondarily because it looks cool.

 

[scootermafia]

You could use it to hold four extremely small beer bottles, that's at least what I do with it on an everyday basis.

John, you need to get one of these...try some wavs ripped from a CD, or even better set up a mac with the trial of Amarra (just $50 to try!) with the Diverter...all I know is, I haven't used a CD player in a while. Definitely there is some rationale to having a file that has been proofread by the computer as being accurate, vs. the inconsistencies of reading it directly off the media with a laser every time - and the Diverter has such natural, vibrant sound, especially with Amarra preventing the unpleasant digital sound that some albums possess.

 

[dallan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by scootermafia /img/forum/go_quote.gif John, you need to get one of these...try some wavs ripped from a CD, or even better set up a mac with the trial of Amarra (just $50 to try!)

Not $50. to try, a $50. deposit that is refunded to you or deducted from you purchase. The only thing you pay for is shipping the key. I think it is actually a key deposit.

 

[joespride]

Is anyone still using the Sonicweld ? I am testing one for a friend using with a 2014 Mac Mini, it does play music BUT at the beginning and when I stop music I get a loud static burst. I am using the latest version of J-River also...........Anyone have any ideas ?

 

[JayDee]

Wow, this thread brings back memories!

Which model of Diverter are you testing? There were basically three; the original 24/96 model which has no display, and the HR and HR2 which have a small LED dot matrix display. I've never experienced anything like what you've described, nor has that kind of behavior been reported to me before by customers. Have you tried it with another set of companion hardware (e.g. different USB cable and/or computer)? JRiver is great and I use it myself, but I'd also suggest playing a file from a simple player like VLC to try to replicate this behavior and rule out any strange settings in JRiver.

 

[joespride]

Wow, this thread brings back memories!

Which model of Diverter are you testing? There were basically three; the original 24/96 model which has no display, and the HR and HR2 which have a small LED dot matrix display. I've never experienced anything like what you've described, nor has that kind of behavior been reported to me before by customers. Have you tried it with another set of companion hardware (e.g. different USB cable and/or computer)? JRiver is great and I use it myself, but I'd also suggest playing a file from a simple player like VLC to try to replicate this behavior and rule out any strange settings in JRiver.

Not sure if the diverter is MKI or II but it has the display, If I set all files to the same Resolution using Linux. The diverter plays without a Hiccup. If I allow files to play at native resolution and it switches between say 44.1 and 96 then I get the loud static blast. Using MAC anytime I start or stop playback I get the Loud Blast. Volume does not affect the static blast it comes through very loudly with volume on mute. I tried to use most of the playback options in j-river and I tried different cables. The issue remains. For the minority of people like me, being able to set all files to 44.1 and not caring about Higher Res. It could play fine. I cant understand how a cable could be the issue if it plays fine with all files set to a single Resolution. J-River is a possible issue but I have not been able to find a problem and my AGD DDC works fine with no issues it is perplexing for sure............Thanks for the response

 

[JayDee]

At this point, I wouldn't suggest the cable is the culprit; I only asked about that to remove any suspicions about the rest of the system. With the Diverter, the timebase is changed when you switch from 44.1, 88.2, or 176.4kHz to 48, 96, or 192kHz rates. It sounds to me like the oscillator isn't making that switch properly, or possibly that the new sample rate isn't being detected. When you switch tracks with differing sample rates, does the display update with the new rate? That would help to figure out which of these two possibilities is the likely cause.

 

[joespride]

At this point, I wouldn't suggest the cable is the culprit; I only asked about that to remove any suspicions about the rest of the system. With the Diverter, the timebase is changed when you switch from 44.1, 88.2, or 176.4kHz to 48, 96, or 192kHz rates. It sounds to me like the oscillator isn't making that switch properly, or possibly that the new sample rate isn't being detected. When you switch tracks with differing sample rates, does the display update with the new rate? That would help to figure out which of these two possibilities is the likely cause.

Hello, Sorry for the delayed response. Yes the sample rate change DOES show up on the led readout. The apparent sequence of events is, Select the new file. Get the static burst, the res info changes on the diverter and then the file starts to play at the newly selected resolution

Thanks
Joe