Audirvana + 2.0: ANY real change in sound quality or is it just about the new iTunes-like skin?

[brlawyer]

Dear All,

 

My apologies if this has already been addressed in the 70+ page thread on A+ 2.0 - but my question is really simple, as a current user of A+ 1.5.12:

 

Is there ANY noticeable sound quality improvement in version 2.0 or is it just about the music management window? I do NOT want to stop using iTunes integrated mode, especially considering that I have more than 10000 songs properly tagged and artworked.

 

However, I have seen a few bugs under Yosemite, particularly when it comes to re-activation of audio in other apps under Exclusive Mode and the odd crash here and there...any improvements under 2.0?

 

In summary: Any stability or sound quality reasons for upgrading?

 

Thanks a lot!

[odelay]

Yes.

[orgel]

Any stability or sound quality reasons for upgrading?

 

The way you've posed the question makes it fairly difficult to answer. If you've already made up your mind you don't want to give up integrated mode, there's probably not a compelling reason to upgrade. (I should point out that my experience is that tracks that are "properly tagged and artworked" in iTunes are likewise in A+2, although the ways these can be displayed and navigated vary somewhat between the two.)

 

However, you probably owe it to yourself to do your own listening tests for sound quality. Personally, I think I notice a subtle improvement in SQ with v2.0.x (in standalone mode). Pretty obviously, though, this is going to depend on one's system (in which I include one's ears and perceptions). It's easy to make a v2 library that contains a limited number of test albums/tracks, so you can base your decision on experimentation with selected tracks.

 

Alternatively, if it applies to you, you could wait until the iOS app is available. I have no special knowledge, but it could be that the convenience or features offered by the mobile app make it worth your while to move away from integrated mode.

 

--David

[miguelito]

The way you've posed the question makes it fairly difficult to answer.

The way I read the question is: using iTunes integrated mode, how does the sound quality and/or stability compare between 1.5.12 and 2.0.x (make it 2.0.9 for all intents and purposes).

 

I am actually using 1.5.10 when I use iTunes integration (convenience of the iTunes iPad remote). I like the small-sized proxies for DSD files.

[brlawyer]

The way you've posed the question makes it fairly difficult to answer. If you've already made up your mind you don't want to give up integrated mode, there's probably not a compelling reason to upgrade. (I should point out that my experience is that tracks that are "properly tagged and artworked" in iTunes are likewise in A+2, although the ways these can be displayed and navigated vary somewhat between the two.)

 

However, you probably owe it to yourself to do your own listening tests for sound quality. Personally, I think I notice a subtle improvement in SQ with v2.0.x (in standalone mode). Pretty obviously, though, this is going to depend on one's system (in which I include one's ears and perceptions). It's easy to make a v2 library that contains a limited number of test albums/tracks, so you can base your decision on experimentation with selected tracks.

 

Alternatively, if it applies to you, you could wait until the iOS app is available. I have no special knowledge, but it could be that the convenience or features offered by the mobile app make it worth your while to move away from integrated mode.

 

--David

 

Tks a lot for this, but that is exactly my point: I do not feel like dispensing with the integrated mode just yet, UNLESS there is a compelling stability/quality reason to do so - but so far, everything I've read points to the main advantage being A+'s new iTunes-like window.

 

That being the case, I will probably stick with 1.5.12 a little longer...

[brlawyer]

The way I read the question is: using iTunes integrated mode, how does the sound quality and/or stability compare between 1.5.12 and 2.0.x (make it 2.0.9 for all intents and purposes).

 

I am actually using 1.5.10 when I use iTunes integration (convenience of the iTunes iPad remote). I like the small-sized proxies for DSD files.

 

I used to do the same, but simply decided for the ALAC format which, in the end, is lossless like the others.

[sdolezalek]

I have always heard a sound quality difference between iTunes integrated mode and playlist mode. So I went through the time expenditure to use Yate (a tagging software) to properly tag all of my files and to make certain tagging adjustments to group them into the categories I wanted. As a result, I have found 2.0 not only sounds better, but I don't miss iTunes library functions anymore. In fact, I opened iTunes for the first time in months yesterday and suddenly it and not A+ seemed difficult to use.

 

It wasn't an easy transition (a few hours here and there over a month), but I do think a worthwhile one.

[miguelito]

I have always heard a sound quality difference between iTunes integrated mode and playlist mode. So I went through the time expenditure to use Yate (a tagging software) to properly tag all of my files and to make certain tagging adjustments to group them into the categories I wanted.

FWIW, I use Yate as well and it is FANTASTIC. You can tag everything under the sun, including wav, dsf, etc. And you can script it to do mass retagging and other things as well (like creating a folder.jpg image file with the artwork in each and every directory - in one go). Amazing tool.

[miguelito]

I used to do the same, but simply decided for the ALAC format which, in the end, is lossless like the others.

I have no FLACs, I have transcoded every FLAC to AIFF. But for DSD files you have no choice other than making a proxy if you are going to manage them in iTunes. I would not transcode DSD to PCM.

[Mike Pinkerton]

Playlist mode is full of bugs. Every time I start to trust it, something else goes wrong and I get things like duplicate albums/tracks or I lose data in playlists that I've created. iTunes "just works" where A+ in playlist mode does not.

 

-mike

[brlawyer]

Playlist mode is full of bugs. Every time I start to trust it, something else goes wrong and I get things like duplicate albums/tracks or I lose data in playlists that I've created. iTunes "just works" where A+ in playlist mode does not.

 

-mike

 

I absolutely share the same feeling, particularly since iTunes is ALREADY the main platform for movies, TV shows and iDevice sync actions - besides, it never crashes and deals well with my relatively large library (in fact, the only bugs seem to be related to A+'s integrated mode). Quite frankly, I will only move away from it if the alternatives are REALLY compelling.