New Amarra 4

[Otherworld74]

I have been using Amarra 3 for a couple years and have been very happy with the sound. I will probably get the v4 upgrade this weekend, but I really wish they had a method to import iTunes Playlists (I have a lot). Editing metadata and artwork should be close to the top of the list for v4.1

[Otherworld74]

>>I really wish they would re-establish the "Playlist" mode from A3 which integrated well with iTunes.

 

I concur. It would be nice to toggle between iTunes database and the new Amarra database. This would allow for a transition period as the new Amarra database goes through growing pains.

[Otherworld74]

I just got Amarra 4, upgrading fron v 3. Does Amarra 4 have a cache mode?

[Otherworld74]

13 hours ago, flatmap said:

You can set the buffer size under "Device Settings."  This is also where you opt for Exclusive Mode.

I did notice the "buffer size", which I set to 1024 samples. How does this compare to the v.3 cache memory, which I had set at 3GB?

 

Also, what is :Exclusive mode? Thanks.

[Otherworld74]

13 hours ago, Amarra_Support said:

We are continuing to work on Library Management,

 

Yes - I'm afraid it needs a bit of work. I have not tried converting my iTunes library yet, as it is pretty big (65K songs / 4.35TB). I have been playing around with it and since my experience is with iTunes, the things I notice are iTunes features lacking on A4. (I use a Mac)

 

The ability to drag & drop - individual songs, song order,  playlists, whole libraries. A really basic function.

 

The ability to change views, i.e. list, icon, etc. The ability to scan an alphabetical list of my entire library in seconds to get to the artist or playlist I want. I would rather do this than have to use a search engine, as I usually navigate with just a trackpad. Having cover art displayed is nice, but sometimes I just want to see a simple list view.

 

Playlist folders. I bundle playlists and albums fro artists or family of artists in playlist folders. Then I can quickly scroll through many choices and open the folder when I choose.

 

Better editing. In iTunes I select, get info, and then change data on one song, an entire album, or the entire library

 

ITunes has grown in a direction I do not care for, so I still use ver. 10.7 - a simpler library, with view as list, cover, and cover-flow. Also 10.7 has a slide bar at the top that allows you to scale cover art size - and the list column on the left for quick scrolling.

 

On Amarra 3, you could use the player with iTunes, or toggle to the playlist window. If there is any way to have A4 interface with iTunes (as with A3) and toggle to A4 library, it would be awesome. This would allow for a transition period as you continue to develop the A4 library - then maybe cut the iTunes cord wit A5?

 

Thanks!

[Otherworld74]

What are the advantages of A4 Luxe over regular A4?

[Otherworld74]

>>I wanted to give an update regarding iTunes integration with Amarra 4.  We are now looking into this and doing some initial testing.

 

Looking forward to this. Lately, I find myself using Amarra 3 because of the convenience, so integrating Amarra 4 would be most welcome. Thanks!

[Otherworld74]

On 12/6/2017 at 6:18 PM, Amarra_Support said:

Hi All,

Sorry for the delay, got a bit backed up over the holiday with the Black Friday sale.

 

I wanted to give an update regarding iTunes integration with Amarra 4.  We are now looking into this and doing some initial testing.  If all works well, we'd provide a platform to use iTunes to select and manage your library and Amarra will be the playback engine.  It's still early, I don't have any other details other than we are looking at it now.

 

For those that were wondering why we were even looking into this, the answer is really two-fold.

- First is a sound quality issue.  iTunes is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none player.  It uses Core Audio for playback which is used by just about every other function on the Mac to make noise.  The result is that using iTunes for playback does not provide the best sound available, what we feel is the holy grail.   For those of you that use Amarra 3, compare iTunes mode with Amarra Playlist mode and I think you'll hear improvements when only using Amarra Playlists.  The same is true for Amarra 4, it was purpose built to playback music, doesn't use core audio and the result is the great sound. 

 

- The second part is that we needed to do this so we can support some future projects including the Remote, MQA support, DSD support and some other goodies that are coming in the future.

 

We're still making more improvements and appreciate your continued feedback.

 

Fyi, if you're using the remote and haven't updated recently, there's a new version on the App Store, v1.3.

 

best

Ralph

 

Any updates on iTunes integration?

[Otherworld74]

Is the iTunes integration available on the latest Amarra 4, or do you have to upgrade to 4 Luxe?

[Otherworld74]

I am setting up Amarra 4 Luxe, trying the new iTunes mode. When playing a song via iTunes (with the Amarra window minimized below) there is no indication in the Amarra window that anything is playing - is this right? Also, will using iTunes mode automatically set the resolution? (24-96, etc.)

[Otherworld74]

12 hours ago, tipunch said:

Hello,

Have you OS X Mavericks (10.9)?

Integration of iTunes with Mavericks does not work. On the other hand under Yosemite it is OK.

Regards

 

I am running OS 10.11 El Capitan - but I am still running an old version of iTunes (10.7), so that may be the problem. I was able to load my iTunes library (4.35 TB) to use A4 library mode, but since it only has album thumbnail view it takes forever to scroll through when I am looking for something to play. It also takes a long time to load each time you start A4. I know there is a search function - but sometimes I don't know what I want to listen to until I peruse my library. The option to view as a list and have folders would be nice.