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AMR DP-777 Special Edition.


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I bought the DP-777, a wonderful machine. I use it as (a second) pre-amplifier for my power amplifier Yamaha mx-a5000. Audio quest will make a special cable for that connection. I can always upgrade the AMR, but have to send it to England in that case. Not much information about that procedure (again).

Until now I used the T+A dac8, but could not believe the improvement with the AMR. I am happy!

 

Well if you like it now you will like it more and more as the hours accumulate. It will be improving at least up to 500 hours and even beyond. It will relax and become even more engaging.

 

No big deal if you decide to go for the upgrade...just email AMR and they will sort you out with instructions.

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Thanks for the link Brian, which I have followed. It will be interesting to see where DSD replay technology takes us.

 

Let's keep the thread on track though rather than become a discussion about DSD and comparisons between Lampizator and AMR. It's more about the DP-777 SE and sonic reports, especially of help to those with the original version.

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  • 2 weeks later...

No option but to bite the bullet. I went ahead and ordered the AMR DP-777 Special Edition, it was delivered midday yesterday. Up and running late afternoon. No going back. The standard DP-777 is a great dac and I enjoyed my time with it immensely, but the Special Edition delivers big time, even at this early stage.

 

I will report in more detail shortly.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well just reached 100 hours on the 777 Special Edition. The following remarks can be referenced against the AMR 777, which I still have here. The first things that struck me after initial switch on was frequency continuity. What I mean is balance throughout the spectrum.....nothing emphasised over any other part. As it happened there was a symbol strike almost immediately on switch on and that was clearly more audible and rich as against the 777. The other words I wrote were energy, dynamics, attack, speed, agility, timing and timbre. The representation of depth is improved, as is placement within it.

 

The soundstage is very stable. The clarity is remarkable. Instruments and vocals just appear from a black background. Clearly significant advancement has been made in reducing noise. For example piano right hand notes just materialise and play into space, and timbre is spot on. . There is better conveyance of space and presence in live recordings. Because of all these factors there is no feeling that the soundstage is being constrained by the system.

 

I do not find that the frequency extremes, which AMR have given particular attention to in their informational releases, draw adverse attention to themselves. On the contrary, the top end is very sweet, but open, and the bass plays tunes well, without being in any way bloated, and always at the same time remaining in place.

 

Overall there is improvement in detail retrieval, and nuance, which adds to involvement and enjoyment.

 

Musicality is typically AMR. Similar in that respect to the 777, but in my view execution is better.

 

AMR recommend 300-500 hours breakin, so there may be further refinements to come.

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Liam,

The dealer in Holland stops with AMR. In their opinion the service was not good enough. I am going to listen to their last models of the DP-777 they have still in stock, so no SE for me. The article about the DAC shootout on Audio Aficionado says there is not a very huge difference between the normal and SE model. That was useful information for me and I still think this is a special product. Will let you know about the outcome but there will be no answer coming about the break-in period for a AMR dp-777 SE. It is a pity that this product is so poorly represented.

 

Tomfox,

If your dealer in Holland has decided not to handle AMR anymore and you really want an SE, you can probably find a dealer in some other European country. I live in Italy and I just purchased the SE used from a private seller in another EU country. He has had if for a couple of months now. So that tells me that there are most likely many dealers in the EU. Just Google AMR Dealers in France, Germany, Spain, etc. or contact AMR directly and ask them who their distributors are in various countries. I am sure you can find it if you really want it.

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Liam, any further improvement with continued break-in?

 

Well I'm on 175 hours now. Perhaps the sound has 'relaxed' a little more, which is nice. I spent the whole morning listening to Bing Crosby while I was in different parts of the house and it sounded great. I never tired of listening to him. While having breakfast in the livingroom, next to where the system is in the lounge, I was caught up in it....nodding and tapping my feet. Musicians back then majored on timing, rhythm, and vocalists in diction. The AMR DP-777SE and AMR AM-777 captured all that. While upstairs I would stop what I was doing and come to the head of the stairs to listen. It was only reluctantly turned off at lunchtime because my wife wanted to watch tv in the livingroom. During all that time I was not distracted by any discordancy.

 

I was listening to Stephane Grappelli yesterday and the violin, together with the piano accompaniment sounded really beautiful. The violin was smooth and rich with no hint of digital harshness.

 

Overall the elements that strike me in comparison to the DP-777 Standard are the improvements in the internal spaces in the soundstage, it's more 3D nature, and the airiness of the top end. It is easier to appreciate the spacial positions of players. Rim shots, cowbells, triangles and the like just pop from a black background.

 

Violins have a nicer sheen and accuracy. Piano notes have a faster rise time and as a result have a more percussive character when required. The dynamics of the piano are better reproduced. Runs on the piano are well balanced from top to bottom. The top note ending with space around it. Very convincing.

 

I have since tried the pre amp in the DP-777 Special Edition. I don't know if it, as an entity in its own right, is recommended to have the same 300-500 hours breakin as the dac. I used it for only about 45 hours and I went back to using the pre amp in my AMR AM-777 amp, trading the somewhat more weighty, but more forward and slightly less open representation for the contrary one of the integrated. I liked the timbres and fast free flowing nature of the integrated. That said, in a comparison of several top dacs on another forum, in which the DP-777 Special Edition was preferred, the Special Edition's pre was also preferred to a top stand alone pre amp actually owned by several of the evaluators, which had a recommended retail price of $16,500. Both of these pre amps are in the top echelon clearly.

 

I think you will be well pleased with your purchase. Allow about an hour for it to warm up each session to come on song.

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Thanks, Liam

I have not yet received mine but I am very sure that I will indeed really like and enjoy it.

 

You say to let it warm up for about 1 hour to get the best from it. This is also true of the Auralic Vega which I am now running if one turns it off completely. But the Vega can be left in standby and not turned completely off. In that case there is no wait time. It is always ready to deliver its best performance. So I always leave it in standby when I am not actually using it.

Is this not also possible with the AMR DP 777?

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Thanks, Liam

I have not yet received mine but I am very sure that I will indeed really like and enjoy it.

 

You say to let it warm up for about 1 hour to get the best from it. This is also true of the Auralic Vega which I am now running if one turns it off completely. But the Vega can be left in standby and not turned completely off. In that case there is no wait time. It is always ready to deliver its best performance. So I always leave it in standby when I am not actually using it.

Is this not also possible with the AMR DP 777?

 

No the power to the valved output stage is turned off and I'm not aware that any other part of the dac remains powered. I sense that after about 40 mins it has become more relaxed, but most people say about an hour.

 

When I come down in the morning (I'm retired) the first thing that happens is the dac and amp are turned on to begin warm up while I join my wife for breakfast preliminaries. Then the rest of the system is fired up and music selections made. By then there is not long to go. It's not a big issue at all, as it sounds good from switch on anyway.

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No the power to the valved output stage is turned off and I'm not aware that any other part of the dac remains powered. I sense that after about 40 mins it has become more relaxed, but most people say about an hour.

 

When I come down in the morning (I'm retired) the first thing that happens is the dac and amp are turned on to begin warm up while I join my wife for breakfast preliminaries. Then the rest of the system is fired up and music selections made. By then there is not long to go. It's not a big issue at all, as it sounds good from switch on anyway.

 

Yes, after I wrote that last post I remembered that this is a DAC with a tube analogue stage and that, of course, in stand by there would be no power being sent to the tubes.

Thanks

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I'm at 210 hours breakin now of the Special Edition. I decided to focus specifically on the bass reproduction by playing Ossur Johannesen "Solo Bass Guitar" Alternative & Indie on the Tutl label. This is a magnificent recording of bass guitar. If you want to know your system as regards bass get this.

 

My B&W 805S speakers go deep for a relatively small speaker and sound generally much bigger than many floor standers. They produce audible output down to 37Hz.

 

Well I have to say that I have never heard my system produce bass of this quality before. It's stygian deep, right to the limits of the speakers at the very least. It's not just the depth though. It is the most musical bass I have experienced, never bloated. The musicianship is laid bare to be appreciated. Every bent note and nuance is followed beautifully. I use Dirac Live Room Correction which effectively takes the room nodes and suckouts out of the equation.

 

To be honest I never knew that my system was capable to produce the notes I am hearing. My AMR AM-777 amplifier has stepped up to the mark in a way I did not appreciate possible until now.

 

I would go so far as to say that if you try the AMR DP-777 Special Edition, and you don't like the bass, look to the rest of your system, because I can only conclude it is not the dac's fault. Do pay special attention to installation of the whole system, because everything matters when it comes to that, and let your ears be the judge.

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Well, I did get the AMR DP 777 SE. It arrived yesterday. It is used and was purchased new in May... so not used much at all. It is in mint perfect condition.

The previous owner told me he had put only about 175 hours on it. I understand that a minimum of 500 hours is required for the DAC to become settled in and stable and for the sound to become nearly 100% optimized.

But I must say that even with so few hours on it this DAC sounds amazing to my ears. It beats my Auralic Vega hands down and I thought that the Vega was a pretty good sounding DAC.

Everything that can be said about the performance of this 777 SE has already been said by Liam on this forum and by others on other fora. The only thing I wish to emphasize is just how incredibly musical and smooth this DAC is. I live in a small Italian hill town where there are a lot of concerts during spring, summer and fall. The vast majority of these are real live musical events. By ''live'' I mean no amplification whatsoever. Often, sitting and listening to an orchestra or a string quartet or a live band performing I have wished that my system could sound like that. Then I would come home and listen to my system which, yes, sounded good but, no, did not come near to the smoothness and the fullness of the sound of the instruments that I had been listening to just a short time prior. Although the Vega is a good DAC with very high resolution and fairly good tone density and color more often than not there was would be a sort of hardness to the sound which to me said ''digital recording.''

The AMR DP 777 SE has none of that!! And as a result it sounds VERY close to what I have heard at many of the live performances to which I alluded above.

 

It comes damn close indeed.

 

If it is that good now I cannot imagine how good it will be when it hits the 500 hour mark.

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Well, I did get the AMR DP 777 SE. It arrived yesterday. It is used and was purchased new in May... so not used much at all. It is in mint perfect condition.

The previous owner told me he had put only about 175 hours on it. I understand that a minimum of 500 hours is required for the DAC to become settled in and stable and for the sound to become nearly 100% optimized.

But I must say that even with so few hours on it this DAC sounds amazing to my ears. It beats my Auralic Vega hands down and I thought that the Vega was a pretty good sounding DAC.

Everything that can be said about the performance of this 777 SE has already been said by Liam on this forum and by others on other fora. The only thing I wish to emphasize is just how incredibly musical and smooth this DAC is. I live in a small Italian hill town where there are a lot of concerts during spring, summer and fall. The vast majority of these are real live musical events. By ''live'' I mean no amplification whatsoever. Often, sitting and listening to an orchestra or a string quartet or a live band performing I have wished that my system could sound like that. Then I would come home and listen to my system which, yes, sounded good but, no, did not come near to the smoothness and the fullness of the sound of the instruments that I had been listening to just a short time prior. Although the Vega is a good DAC with very high resolution and fairly good tone density and color more often than not there was would be a sort of hardness to the sound which to me said ''digital recording.''

The AMR DP 777 SE has none of that!! And as a result it sounds VERY close to what I have heard at many of the live performances to which I alluded above.

 

It comes damn close indeed.

 

If it is that good now I cannot imagine how good it will be when it hits the 500 hour mark.

 

Couldn't agree with you more.

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Just received my upgraded DP-777 SE two hours ago after eagerly waiting the last 10 days. Improvements are exceptional and can't wait to hear it open up in the next weeks after burn in period. Tried my totalDAC USB cable directly connected for an hour but then decided to interconnect the Regen again, even with the new XMOS and improved digital engine of the SE the Regen is an outstanding improvement for the SE. Feeding my Regen with a 12 V LPS from SBooster.

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Bought AMR DP-777 couple of weeks ago it was an ex audio show unit so not sure how many hours on it,when using DP-777 as pre amp and dac when i turn volume up i can here a very slight crackle in one speaker and wondering if anyone has any experience with this or no what could be causing this problem?

 

You can hear a subtle clicking tone when turning the volume of the DP777 up or down ... Ever since I own it even after the SE upgrade it is still there. Has been criticised in many reviews.

Why don't you ask the question to AMR in their sponsored forum here at CA?

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After well over 500 hundred hours of playing my AMR DP 777 SE... which sounded already very good when I received it (at which time it only had been played for approximately 175 hours)... has taken a definite turn for the better. The tonality of instruments and voices has become noticeably richer denser and fuller... more like the ''real'' thing, if you will. Even tracks/albums whose music I like but to which I listened rarely and only for short periods of time because the sound was so thin and sharp and fatiguing, have become denser and have lost that sharpness and thus are very ''listenable'' now. With well recorded music the sound is outstanding. Voices are very ''live'' sounding and the sibilance is much reduced. Voices sound more natural. Listening fatigue is literally non existent no matter how long I listen... high volume settings not withstanding.

Any sense of ''digital'' is gone. The sound just sounds very rich and very analogue.

This is one helluva DAC.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi guys,

first post for me in here, hope it's not a problem if I ask few questions:

 

1 - Which input is selected on the dac when I turn it on from stand-by? The last used or the first connected?

2 - The rear switch in the middle position ("volume") will completely disable the analog input or just the volume control on them?

3 - Does the dac remember the volume settings for each input when it goes on stand-by?

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Hi guys,

first post for me in here, hope it's not a problem if I ask few questions:

 

1 - Which input is selected on the dac when I turn it on from stand-by? The last used or the first connected?

2 - The rear switch in the middle position ("volume") will completely disable the analog input or just the volume control on them?

3 - Does the dac remember the volume settings for each input when it goes on stand-by?

 

Because of the way I use my dac I cannot answer your precise questions. I use only the USB input and I can only say that functions as expected.

 

Suggest you contact AMR at [email protected] and I am sure you will find them helpful. There is a lot of information here as well Abbingdon Music Research - Contact & Support

 

Good luck and welcome :-)

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Hi guys,

first post for me in here, hope it's not a problem if I ask few questions:

 

1 - Which input is selected on the dac when I turn it on from stand-by? The last used or the first connected?

2 - The rear switch in the middle position ("volume") will completely disable the analog input or just the volume control on them?

3 - Does the dac remember the volume settings for each input when it goes on stand-by?

 

1) last used

2) manual says: Analogue Volume Control enabled but Analogue Inputs are disabled

3) last volume setting is remembered but set for all inputs

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Thank you very much, guys.

 

 

 

Are you sure?

I've been told by amr support that each input's last volume setting is remembered, but they didn't tell me if it works when the unit goes in stand-by.

 

Same volume on my connected inputs 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7 after restart in standby and even when switching inputs while running

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