Audirvana 1.5 Beta

[Yucca06]

Hello Damien, Laconvolver is not recognized as an Audiounit (not listed in the available AU). I put it in the right component folder, but nothing...Could you do something to make it work ?

 

All the other AU I have are working...

 

The Laconvolver version (free) is the 0.3

 

Thanks.

 

edit : fixed with the 0.3.2 version

[damien78]

I've just posted 1.5.1 that fixes the Add DSD to iTunes bug,

and implements a workaround for a bug from latest iTunes that prevented to drop some tracks to the playlist from iTunes.

Also adds hints on the UI for the VoiceOver accessibility feature.

 

Damien

[emuzaman]

I've just posted 1.5.1 that fixes the Add DSD to iTunes bug,

and implements a workaround for a bug from latest iTunes that prevented to drop some tracks to the playlist from iTunes.

Also adds hints on the UI for the VoiceOver accessibility feature.

 

Damien

 

Guys, anybody tried newly released Mac OS X 10.8.4 with new A + (1.5.1), any issue ?

[REShaman]

I've just posted 1.5.1 that fixes the Add DSD to iTunes bug,

and implements a workaround for a bug from latest iTunes that prevented to drop some tracks to the playlist from iTunes.

Also adds hints on the UI for the VoiceOver accessibility feature.

 

Damien

 

1.5.1 plays superbly with W4S Dac2SE and DSD 128 DLs from 2L in playlist mode, mode 1, Integer Mode

Best,

Richard

[wwaldmanfan]

Guys, anybody tried newly released Mac OS X 10.8.4 with new A + (1.5.1), any issue ?

 

After the iTunes 11.0.3 debacle, I would think twice about automatically installing the Apple OS 10.8.4 updater.

Here's a link to the list of "improvements".

About the OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.4 Update

 

If it ain't broke, why fix it? I have a dedicated MBP for music playback, and none of these issues are applicable to me, so I'll skip it.

They don't call me "retrogrouch" for nothing. Still happily running Snow Leopard (10.6) on my desktop iMacs, and Tiger (10.4) on my old PowerBook G4 w/"Classic" apps. Anybody remember "Dynodex"?

[Bill Brown]

My recurrent "stopping playback" after a few seconds problem is gone with 1.5.1. Not sure of anything re. cause, but happy. Thank you.

[Kilauea50]

Guys I am new to all this and absolutely love A+. I would rather listen in playlist mode than integrated but when I click on "Load Playlist" the music is greyed out. I can, however, click on the "+" at the bottom and add music but it doesn't save the playlist. "Save" is also greyed out. What am I doing wrong? My replaced my optical drive and added a data doubler to my MBP. I used the original hd for all my music and boot from the SSD if any of this matters. Thanks so much

 

 

Robin

[wobba]

I would appreciate some help with getting the volume control function working correctly. I'm running 1.5 on a mac mini over USB to a Teac UD501. The volume controls works perfectly fine with PCM but is fixed at 100% (not variable) with DSD playback.

[tipunch]

Mac Os X 10.8.4 and Audirvana 1.5.1 works perfectly fine, but the bug when a very low resolution/quality track is played (32kb/s) Audirvana always crash !

[emuzaman]

Mac Os X 10.8.4 and Audirvana 1.5.1 works perfectly fine, but the bug when a very low resolution/quality track is played (32kb/s) Audirvana always crash !

 

Thanks for the info.

[Solitary1]

So far, so good with 10.8.4 and 1.5.1, did the quality increase for 10.8.4 or is 1.5.1 that sounds better?

[iamoneagain]

So I'm still having a slight click in between my tracks with the latest build. Also using latest OSX and iTunes that just came out.

[rettijon]

My recurrent "stopping playback" after a few seconds problem is gone with 1.5.1. Not sure of anything re. cause, but happy. Thank you.

 

Same with my case. I've just gone throught two albums after downloading 1.5.1 and have not experienced any more issues. And I too agree with others that the SQ is much improved. I am impressed with the smoothness and detail increase that is easily discernable on my LCD-2s.

 

Nice job Damien!

[Kilauea50]

Updated to 10.8.4 and listened to music all afternoon in playlist mode. It is the best my setup has ever sounded. Very pleased Damien. Thank you

 

 

Robin

[Stiv]

So far, so good with 10.8.4 and 1.5.1, did the quality increase for 10.8.4 or is 1.5.1 that sounds better?

 

Would love to know too. Holding off on 10.8.4

[chopper87]

Please hang with me as this is my very first posting here and this entry setup is a bit awkward for me.

 

Anyway, I was thoroughly impressed with your excellent and insightful post below. I realized most of the sonic changes that you reconized when installing and evaluating Audirvana 1.5. I noticed the quiter backgrounds and the seeming greater emphasis on the meat of vocals and piano, leading to a greater sense of individual note and vocal sepaeration. Unfortunately, the more that I listened and the greater number of direct music comparisons performed proved that there is what appears to be a bit of a TOP END truncation.

 

The "Life" that used to surround instruments and vocals has been noticable reduced. That "they are in my room" presence is gone. The air around voices and instruments that is/was so important to presenting the dimmensional illusion of space and realism has been fairly dramatically reduced in 1.5. This sonic benefit exists in every version of Audirvana that I have downloaded accept this one. I will find, download and use a preferred earlier version of Audirvana until the LIFE returns. I am confident that this will be resolved.

 

Lance A.

 

 

I have to be brief here (so I can get back to work and then back to listening!):

 

First, I assume that 1.4.9.5 is the beta of what will become 1.5. Confusing number scheme.

 

Wow, it is quite different sounding than 1.4.6 in my setup (see other posts of mine for a rundown of how and what I use A+ with).

 

This may sound odd, but I am 85% in love with it versus 1.4.6. There certainly has been a trend with these last two releases towards a fuller, more balanced sound. Of course not in an EQ way, but indeed significant portions of the midrange (of piano, vocals, etc.) are more fleshed out. On Bill Evans' "Peace Piece" from the XRCD of Everybody Digs... it almost sounds like he is playing an entirely different piano.

 

Its funny, the ambient space and air/depth of many recordings has been rather prominent lately. My system has always been good at imaging and presenting a "room within my room." It is very enjoyable and I assumed was correct since all instruments seemed to have proper timbre and and tactileness. But 1.4.9.5 trades away a bunch of that air for a fuller balance and makes me think the abundance of "space" I had before was created by a depression in the midrange (of sorts because I doubt that Damien is EQing the product). While the stage has less depth, I won't say it is forward, just a bit dimensionally flatter. But the plus is that I am hearing notes (in the case of piano, literally a range of keys) that were somewhat buried before. Very obvious with some vocal harmonies too.

 

After I get used to this (maybe 5-6 hours), I may go back to my iZotope settings and try a couple of things. By the way, for the testing, and lately in general, I used just 2X upsampling instead of "power of 2" as I used to do with Redbook. I played some native 24/96, 24/176.4, and 24/192 tracks as well.

 

It is very easy to compare two or more versions of A+ and quickly switch. Just rename each app by appending the version number to the name; put each in your dock; launch iTunes if you use it integrated, then keep just one version of A+ running at a time. Be sure to release and quit each A+ before you switch. The versions will automatically share your license and plist file so your settings will be exactly the same in each.

 

A couple of notes to Damien:

My DAC has a single multicolor LED that changes color based on the sample rate it is getting (VERY handy, and to think I almost talked my engineer out of going to the trouble to do that!). 1.4.9.5 (and to a MUCH lesser extent 1.4.6) has a little hiccup in changing sample rates. If I just played a track with upsampling to say 176.4, then change the setting to 2x-only, even if I stopped the player (I always pause or stop the track) and load another track--which does go fine to the new sample rate--when I go back the first track it goes back to the 176.4 sample rate (per my DAC's light, not per A+ filter preferences).

A+ works fine automatically switching between the native high-res rate of a file (one that is not going to be upsampled) and whatever one setting I have it on for Redbook (2X or Power of 2), so this issue is probably not much of a problem as long as I am settled on a given setting and not switching around. But I thought I would mention it.

 

My other question/observation regards a clear change that seems to have been made in the way Filter Prefs works. I used to be able to just pause a track to make changes to filter settings (iZotope mainly). I always restarted the track to then hear my change. Now the preferences window tells me that "These parameters can't be changed during playback operation." I have to go the A+ player and fully stop/release iTunes and then restart playback. Not a huge deal and perhaps it was done for safety and to accommodate the new plug-in functions.

 

Well so much for my being brief. I look forward to exploring some of the new capabilities and features of A+ 1.5.

And just like 1.4.6 took a (very short!) adjustment period to get used to and then love (yes, even/especially Integer Mode 1), I am sure that after a few hours of listening (and maybe some tweaking) 1.4.6 will be in my rear view mirror and sound almost broken in comparison. Bravo again to Damien. Now if he would just explain to us a little more about what and how he is making these sonic adjustments! Is is all just tighter/faster/more direct audio software code? The bits can't be getting more "bit-perfect." But we are getting closer to the TRUTH OF THE RECORDINGS.

 

Enjoy!

 

--Alex

[Cycleman]

For everyone who is using Mac OS X 10.8.4 and Audirvana Plus 1.5.1, which version of iTunes are you using (assuming integrated mode is part of your A+ usage)?

[Stiv]

Good question.

[NWDave]

I thought I heard a rounding off of the top end on 1.5 compared to 1.4.9.x as well. 1.5 sounds like 1.4.6, whereas the amazing (for me) breakthrough in transparency of the 1.4.9.x betas is missing.

[mwheelerk]

For everyone who is using Mac OS X 10.8.4 and Audirvana Plus 1.5.1, which version of iTunes are you using (assuming integrated mode is part of your A+ usage)?

 

Itunes 11.0.4 here. Listening for about 3 hours without issue.

[Superdad]

I thought I heard a rounding off of the top end on 1.5 compared to 1.4.9.x as well. 1.5 sounds like 1.4.6, whereas the amazing (for me) breakthrough in transparency of the 1.4.9.x betas is missing.

 

Hmmm...

I'm still on 1.4.9.5. I always carefully A/B each revision. Will be able to do that later in the week (tomorrow I teenage boys to see new Star Trek!).

[NWDave]

Hmmm...

I'm still on 1.4.9.5. I always carefully A/B each revision. Will be able to do that later in the week (tomorrow I teenage boys to see new Star Trek!).

 

I'll be interested in seeing what you decide. Just did an informal A/B with the "O Brother" soundtrack.

 

I switched back to 1.4.9.8. It's definitely crisper and airier than 1.5.1 (which is neither good or bad, only not the sound I was blown away by with the beta series).

 

[on edit: in case Damien is reading this, my reversion to the older beta is NOT meant to be construed negatively. At all. We're talking about differences between "unearthly good" and "ethereally good" here. Like choosing between a BMW and a Lexus when the third choice (iTunes) is a Ford Pinto. :-) ]

[avta]

I can no longer use A+ with iTunes and Airplay. An error message appears saying Airplay will interfere with iTunes. I had not seen this message before upgrading to A+ 1.5.1. Anyone else running into this?

[bsckwan]

I'm greatly interested in getting the crash log, Debug Info, and any other details you may have to help me understand what is happening on your system. Please send them using the contact form on audirvana dot com.

 

Damien

 

Running A+ 1.5.1, Mac OSX 10.8.3 and iTunes 11.0.3. This time when playing 24bit/192kHz files, iTunes cashed first, then A+.

 

Crash Report https://www.dropbox.com/sh/t8ci0pdvv2qg250/gbEGu6m-cL

[Blake]

... when the third choice (iTunes) is a Ford Pinto. :-) ]