New Amarra 4

[MikePid]

I have recently joined the DSD camp, thanks to @DancingSea.  I used Amarra SQ+ for 2 years, then tried A4L as my Tidal streamer, but got frustrated with it. Now I’m using Roon & HQPlayer converting Tidal to DSD256. Fantastic sound!  This industry moves fast due to advances in technology, and although SQ+ served me well for 2 years, A4L caused me to explore other options when @DancingSea suggested alternatives. Next year, who knows? - things change quickly. 

[MikePid]

Thanks to @DancingSea, I have switched to Roon and HQPlayer and I'm really really happy with it.  My computer is a mid-2012 MacBook Pro, so I can push out DSD256 and it is so sweet!  My settings are similar, except I can use AMSDM7 512+fs and max rate of 48kx256.  I just switched from minring to closed-form-fast.  CPU usage is about 220% (8 core I7, so about 30%).

 

Still a noobie at this (only 3 months since I upgraded from Spotify to Tidal, upgraded my DAC to ifi micro iDSD BL, and jumped on the Roon/HQPlayer bandwagon) so there is probably still more tweaking I can do.  

 

But I think this thread is getting off topic.  Basically, Amarra is great stuff, and I used SQ+ for 2 years and loved it.  But there are other options too.  I hope Sonic Studio can focus on what they do best (i.e. their sound) and stay competitive.  These are exciting times for computer audiophiles, where we can tweak our DACs!  To me, it is like what happened in the photography world  a few years ago when RAW open the doors to new retouching options.

 

Everyone has different needs, and we are lucky that we can try all these options outing decide for ourselves.  The cost of software is peanuts compared with the gear we buy, so if we can use Amarra or the other choices to improve our gear further, I think it is worth it!

[MikePid]

8 hours ago, DancingSea said:

As a veteran of the Amarra swamp lands, I eventually gave up entirely on it.  With Roon plus HQPlayer 4 (backend) I'm able to get equally good sound, and an infinitely better library management system and iPad remote.  Amarra was so tedious to use.  Roon is smooth like butter, never a glitch, ever.  I ended up buying a Roon lifetime license.

Same for me, and I have never looked back. Amarra SQ+ served me well for several years during my early streaming days, but after much frustration with the new version, I moved on. Yes, Roon and HQPlayer are more expensive, but they are one of the best audio upgrades I’ve done, and for less than the price of some of the cables I’ve bought. So very cost effective when viewed that way.