Amarra sQ+ with iRC Present and Future

[KnockKnock]

Dear Richard

 

Been enjoying your long thread ;=)

You work damn hard on this subject, thanks for helping a lot of frustrated Amarra customers.

 

Just got the SQ+ 2.2.2255, and as always I am impressed with the SQ from Amarra.

Your advice of unticking ALL Exclusive boxes in Roon works wonders, most of the time that is.

 

When i use Roon->SQ+iMac Headphone output it works most of the time, even the SRC. Oh I spoke to fast, now it did NOT change the SR.

And when I use Roon->SQ+->DiracLive it gets worse, its as if the output from SQ+ hangs, and not lets go of the previous sample rate. When I manually change it, it mostly (I had this word: mostly) comes back to playing sound again.

I also see that the downsampling goes better the up sampling.

BTW does any one know how far SQ+ can up i freq? 192? I cannot find that info. Dirac goes up to 192 kHz, so SQ+ should not have problems playing 172 stuff, should it?

 

So, as always, i LOVE the Amarra sound, but still it´s not 100% stable, som I am returning, as always to Roon -> Dirac Live. Damn I would LOOOVE to have the A SQ+, Roon and Dirac Live playing in good harmony together.

 

Oh "one more thing": I have found an issue, not with SQ+ or Roon, but with me and my fingers. Several times when I want to push "Next Track" on my Mac keyboard, the sound just vanishes, and I can use several minutes restarting everything. I now know that there is a MUTE button (F10) just to the right of the NEXT TRACK button (F9). So I dont think a software update can help here ;=)

 

 

All the best folks, I am out of here again

 

Take care

best KnockKnock

 

 

 

 

 

Hello deejeee,

 

Understand your frustration, disappointment, (fill in the blank). I am not sure what the problem is. And I am not even aware that I am experiencing what you describe. But given that Sonic Studio has acknowledged the need to address the matter and fix it, I must be missing something. Because I do not believe I can discern this issue.

 

As a beta tester, I am presently employing the official released build. Clearly AsQ+ is a work in progress. And I am sorry for your troubles. Interesting, I, too, use Dirac Live (Full) with roon as well as AsQ+wiRC and Amarra For TIDAL (HIFI) with iRC.

 

I imagine that given Sonic Studio's response to you, it has to be other than issues around creating filters for iRC. I am presently using AsQ+2255. I'll listen with your issue at my attention. There seems to be always something with new applications or newly updated applications. One can find this to be true of all the software players. This is not being offered as an excuse or justification. I can be just as frustrated as you are with issues I discover. And the fix/cure/adjustment can be challenging.

 

I recommend you wait it out and give Sonic Studio the time to sort it out. I'll do some more listening. Thank you for taking the time to report back to the membership with your experience, with Sonic Studio's response and please do let us know how this issue resolves itself.

 

With appreciation,

Richard

[KnockKnock]

Dear Richard

 

Thanks for your always informative words and thoughts ;=)

 

Played a little more with AsQ+wiRC today, it´s very good actually. I have to do a little more work with the iRC part of it, as I thought I could just import my calibration files from Dirac Live into Symphony, and from there on to AsQ. Something strange happens when I do this, so I will do some new measurements within ASymph, and I am very convinced that it will work to then export (or actually import) the Target files into SQ+

 

It´s SO nice that SQ+ sits on my Macs output, so no matter what I throw at it, SQ just plays the sound with the fab Amarra sound that I love so much. iTunes, Roon, YouTube (yes, I looked at some video footage today, and use the SQ+ Audio Conditioner setting

"Video". I thought that would be useless, but works VERY good with YouTube stuff, which is not always recorded very well).

And I have iRC bundled inside SQ+, Roon and THE Amarra sound. Now THAT is really something. Me like alot

 

So I am VERY happy with SQ+ !!!

 

Oh BTW, the reason why I use headphones (a silly thing when using iRC, I know) is because I have a sick wife who has taken over my listening room for some days. As soon as she is out again, I´ll do the measurements and calibration. I am sure it´ll work just perfect.

 

Ha ha, good one you posted calling MicroSoft support. We all make that kind of stupid mistakes, don´t we?

 

best KnockKnock

 

 

 

Dear KnockKnock,

 

You're welcome. Thank you for the kind words.

 

Let me just address all that I can with some assurance and in no particular order.

 

Unchecking Exclusive Mode is the direct recommendation from Sonic Studio so that Sonic Stream, the Zone for roon, when AsQ+ is employed is necessary for play through/sound etc. I struggle with the next topic as I am trying to recall whether or not Dirac Live works with AsQ+. I realize I have NO experience with AsQ+ and Dirac Live employed together with roon as I always employ iRC which is intended to be used with Amarra Symphony/AsQ+/A4T. And,

 

I may be mistaken, but Dirac Live is not intended to work with Amarra products. When I employ roon without AsQ+wiRC, of course, I employ Dirac Live (Full). It has been convenient for me as I committed to iRC back in September 2013 when Amarra Symphony 2.6 announced the integration with Dirac SE's iRC (impulse response correction) at a healthy cost, but over the years amortized to very little for what it delivers.

 

When roon arrived, I decided to commit to a lifetime license and Dirac Live believing iRC was not compatible with roon. The combination works very well. And notwithstanding how well the combination works, adding AsQ+wiRC and EQ, 13 filters, 4-band parametric EQ, further enhances what iRC adds to roon which as far as I know does not provide any filter control unless one "adds" to the synergy providing roon allows the combination to work.

 

I have no experience with roon and headphones or AsQ+wiRC and headphones. I have comparmentalized my systems into Pono and Headphones, main system w/o headphones or vinyl.

 

As a contrast frame, not meant to poke you in the eye with this or the ribs and a sub voce aside, AsQ+wiRC or without iRC and roon work without issue. To be frank, sometimes, and I have no clue what the trigger is, pops and clicks materialize with no rhyme or reason and no real consistency and then disappear. I estimate 95 percent of the time spent with roon and AsQ+wiRC or even 98 percent, I have no issues. I also turn off volume leveling in favor of iRC/EQ or Dirac Live (Full).

 

As you indicated, Dirac Live is presently limited to 192/24. Amarra Symphony and related products are not limited. And whether or not you may be aware of (nothing meant by that, please) Amarra Symphony employs SRC so that Dacs limited to 96/24, AS will downsample 352.8/176.4 to 88.2 and 192 to 96, so that those album/tracks at higher resolutions can be played on Dacs with limited range.

 

I am able to play tracks at 352.8 with AsQ+wiRC even though the UI display for the SR only goes up to 192. Of course 352.8 does not display as such on my W4S Dac2 DSDse when AsQ+ is being employed but the SQ does not lie. SRC for ASQ+ works reliably up to and past 192 even if the display's correct UI shows other above 192.

 

And there's more on the way from Sonic Studio re AsQ+. But don't let that out. We must wait for the Oracles at Sonic Studio to thunder and light up the skies and rain the next upgrades on us. I just keep looking at the weather reports to discover when that will arrive. In this respect, the storms are welcome. Some innovations pop out others take an inordinate by comparison amount of time. I am patient.

 

As for whether or not AsQ+ is 100% stable. Frankly, I am not sure what is these days. Innovations are flying all around us. Whether hardware or software. I have first hand experience with the latest and greatest; and for some, the electronics keep going. For some, they break prematurely but get repaired. I believe every application is susceptible. The important criteria for me is how facile and talented and dedicated the innovators are with regard to their UI/UX/EM implementations. roon for one is one of the best examples of a team who innovates and creates marvelous UI/UX/EM yet can be improved with third party additions. But so what. If the synergy works and improves, all the better.

 

I truly appreciate your last paragraph and the example you provide where/when/what/why sometimes we look to other causes and effects only to discover that the fault lies in our stars (a variation I am taking license to use). I appreciate your sharing our humanity. How about this one: I called Microsoft (finally) because my Office For Mac, specifically Outlook, suddenly developed a peccadillo(s) re attachment and inserting photo files. It wouldn't. I had to locate the file and drag it into Outlook open email. Finally broke down and called support. A remote session ensured. In about three seconds, this lovely woman who I allowed access to my screen and control grabbed the corner and pulled down the compressed window which someone (not me? -- had to be my wife --- smile) had reduced to a size where the files in a folder could not expand for me to select and use the attachment icon or the insert a photo from file icon. Was I embarrassed. 3 seconds! She was so nice about it.

 

As you observed, there was no update to fix what we humans-in-training create for ourselves. I can chuckle now but at the time was I feeling foolish. Just when I think I am savy and figure it out most of the time, something comes along and taps me on the shoulder "Wake up, Richard" it's right in front of you.

 

Thank goodness for the music. Speaking of which, I just XLD'd The Perlman Sound, 3CD box set with Itzak Perlman and many glorious musicians playing gorgeous music. Such musicality, techniques, delivered by the applications we love to suffer with that brings us so much enjoyment of the music, when we're not doing something silly (smile)

 

With appreciation for your post,

Richard

[KnockKnock]

Hi Richard

 

thanks, she is getting better, and bigger everyday if you understand

 

I am really going to love the SQ+, I can feel that is has just the functions that I have asked SS to implement long ago, mainly that SQ should just be at the end of the chain, so you can listen to everything and in every bit rate with the cool Amarra sound.

 

Ha, in Europe we call the human mistakes for a Error 43! I made another good one the other day, I took some pictures of my new digital cable, wanted to hear some music while doing that, could not understand why the system was silent. Tried "everything", until I saw the reason for the missing sound/the missing link lying where I just had put it, right in front of my camera to take some fotos - of the cable

I learned a good thing from the US guru Toni Robbins: focus on what you want to see. If you go out in the kitchen to look for the salt, and before already tell yourself I don't know where the damn.. salt is, then you'll never find it. If you on the other hand say to your self I find it in just one second or two, then your mind is open - and the salt right in front of you.

 

enjoy your evening

best KnockKnock

 

 

Dear KnockKnock,

 

Once again, thank you for your report. First, I hope your wife gets well. I know in my heart from my own experience that I would give my wife anything she might need if it would contribute to her well-being. Music can contribute to healing. Prescribe away if she welcomes the medicine.

 

I am certain that the filters made by the iMeasure program supplied with iRC and the Dirac Live program filter creation program are not interchangeable. Yes, it's best to make different filters and use those filters specifically for the program intended.

 

I believe we both are finding AsQ+wiRC more and more commendable when used with other applications and scenarios such as with YouTube though I have not tried that. With roon both Dirac Live and AsQ+wiRC add so much more enjoyable enhancements and adjustments especially with the AsQ+ filters and EQ. There's more on the horizon to add to our enjoyment of AsQ+. What the time frame for those enhancements are a mystery to be solved by the Oracles at Sonic Studio.

 

As a Human-in-Training, examples of what occurred with my compressed window obscuring the files is humbling. Sometimes, I get distracted and miss the trees from the forrest. Yikes! It fits my classic example: Is it plugged in? Is it turned on. Typically, a focus like the lessons in those two examples reaps benefits. What was I thinking? Well, I wasn't. I was reacting. And that's a deficit.

 

Meanwhile, back to the music. I have been playing music through the roon Client in my computer room and last night, my wife called me into the room and started dancing with me while roon played a series of tracks from our 6000+ album collection. My wife was so thrilled with the instant playlist one after another. It's a great time for us hobbyist in computer audio.

 

Enjoy the music,

Richard

[KnockKnock]

Hi Richard

 

yes, you are right, should have been in a PM ha ha

 

OMG FW with TR??? Better then music and HiFi I suppose ?

 

Best KnockKnock

 

That made me chuckle. About the cable. Getting bigger? This is best left to a PM. BTW, OT Alert! My wife and I did the fire walk with TR in NYC many years ago. Talk about focus - cool moss, cool moss...

Best,

Richard

[KnockKnock]

Hi Ralph

 

Tried to follow your trick. It does not work ( I have tried the same some days ago, with same result, but wanted to give it another shot ;=)

 

So still waiting, now for 6 days, for a reply from Sonic

 

Glad you´d succeeded though ;=)

[KnockKnock]

Yes, I know they are ;=)

 

best KnockKnock

 

 

They may be at RMAF (they are) and consequently not readily available for the attention you require for the Present. Just a thought. Still...

 

Best,

Richard

[KnockKnock]

+1

 

 

I was a bit disappointed. The app only works with 'Amarra for TIDAL', not sQ+. Well with sQ+ one can control volume and switch EQ and IRC on/off, but can't navigate music.

 

I find Amarra with TIDAL unusable due to its clunkiness, so I guess I have to continue to get off the couch.