New Amarra 4

[DancingSea]

I uninstalled Amarra 4 completely. Reinstalled Version 4.0.223-007, which is the last beta I received (I think). When launching, it did not offer an update option and it accepted my license. So, FWIW, its running again....

[jos]

Is A+ 3 out?

 

I do prefer the Amarra 3 & 4 SQ to A+ 2.6. Curious about A+ 3. I prefer the softer edge.

 

I believe the upgrade path to Amarra 4 and then to Luxe is the same price as waiting for Luxe. That's what Sonic Studio said in their upgrade pitch.

 

 

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Not yet, but within a few days from now. I know about the Amarra pricing, but I don't want to go from one problem to an other.

 

 

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[DancingSea]

Not yet, but within a few days from now. I know about the Amarra pricing, but I don't want to go from one problem to an other.

 

 

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But as we know, that's where we'll go... at least it will sound good for the journey [emoji1374]

 

 

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[jos]

But as we know, that's where we'll go... at least it will sound good for the journey [emoji1374]

 

 

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Thank for cheering up, but I will enjoy Audirvana 3 instead [emoji3]

 

 

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[quark]

I was actually a little bit shocked at how good Audirvana was.

Many years ago when I first went through basic Amarra to their top one, whatever it was called back then before it was called symphony, nothing else could match it for sound quality from my point of view.

Listening to the latest version of Audirvana it's very close to Amarra4, just a little crisper. Amarra4 has a nice analog feel but even my ocd doesn't irritate when to listening to Audirvana, if you know what I mean :-)

Audirvana has iOS app which makes life much easier for my disability, only would be better if I could create a playlist in the iOS app.

So I'm going to keep both, upgrade to Audirvana 3 and Amarra Luxe with irc whenever that gets released.

I'm just relieved that there is an alternative that also has excellent sound quality that is much easier to control for now.

[DancingSea]

Apparently 4.0.223 is the latest version of Amarra 4, and it no longer locks folks out...

 

I imagine A+ 3 is delaying just to let the pain of Amarra users sink in, then come riding over the hill like a white knight... well played Damien, well played....

[GregWormald]

I've been using 4 as a 'single album' player with no problems--except the extra time to find the album in iTunes (where all my metadata is kept up-to-date) and then load it into 4.

 

This is satisfactory enough that I took advantage of their Pi-day sale and bought a copy.

 

I'll wait and see how it develops.

 

Greg

[repliante]

Could I have Amarra 4 Luxe for only 59.28$?

If I took advantage of their Pi-day sale, I could buy Amarra 4 paying 34.29$.

According the december newsletter (page 4 of this thread) we will be able to upgrade our Amarra 4 to Amarra 4 Luxe for 24.99$.

If these figures aren't wrong, the total amount for Amarra 4 Luxe will be 59.28$. Am I right or wrong?

[mneveux]

I gave A4 a try after struggling a year ago or so with Amarra for Tidal and the Amarra 4 was just as buggy and was deleted in 30 minutes. I do use Sq+ which has been working fine. I took a chance and took a look at Audirvana again after more than a year and to my surprise, it has come a long way and functions well.

[AudioDoctor]

I paid a lot of money for Amarra. I was left with buggy software that can not even put one single Hi Res album into memory at a time. Not once did they update it or fix the problems. I will not be making that mistake again.

[DancingSea]

I continue to use Amarra 4 without significant issue as a player, not a library management system.

 

I have Amarra 4 setup to scan a separate "Amarra Selections" folder on my external hard drive. I use iTunes for library management and drag, from iTunes, a few CD's into the folder. Alternatively, if I want a particular playlist, I drag the whole playlist into the "Amarra Selections" folder.

 

Amarra 4 quickly scans the folder and imports the music. It plays perfectly, no bugs at all. Doesn't quit, freeze, or otherwise misbehave except that Amarra's shuffle repeats songs before playing the whole playlist or CD. I can also add other songs to the "Amarra Selections" folder and the app rescans without importing duplicates, just the new ones.

 

Before the next listening session, I completely clear the Amarra 4 library and repeat the process above.

 

The sound is phenomenal and I've grown satisfied with what the Amarra 4 player can, and cannot do. Having just tested A+ 3', its library system is only marginally better. Both are far behind iTunes in terms of management. And to my ears and tastes, the Amarra 4 sound quality greatly exceeds A+ 3.

[jos]

I continue to use Amarra 4 without significant issue as a player, not a library management system.

 

I have Amarra 4 setup to scan a separate "Amarra Selections" folder on my external hard drive. I use iTunes for library management and drag, from iTunes, a few CD's into the folder. Alternatively, if I want a particular playlist, I drag the whole playlist into the "Amarra Selections" folder.

 

Amarra 4 quickly scans the folder and imports the music. It plays perfectly, no bugs at all. Doesn't quit, freeze, or otherwise misbehave except that Amarra's shuffle repeats songs before playing the whole playlist or CD. I can also add other songs to the "Amarra Selections" folder and the app rescans without importing duplicates, just the new ones.

 

Before the next listening session, I completely clear the Amarra 4 library and repeat the process above.

 

The sound is phenomenal and I've grown satisfied with what the Amarra 4 player can, and cannot do. Having just tested A+ 3', its library system is only marginally better. Both are far behind iTunes in terms of management. And to my ears and tastes, the Amarra 4 sound quality greatly exceeds A+ 3.

 

To my ears the sound quality of Audirvana is as good as Amarra 4. Perhaps a little cleaner, but that is just a matter of taste. You could also say: Amarra is sounding a little warmer. And of course, it also depends on the system. In the Audirvana section of this site everyone is quite happy with the improved sound quality and functionality. In my opinion: Audirvana is a far better choice if you want to spend some money for a player. I also think that Amarra 4 is no serious competitor anymore to Roon or Audirvana. Hopefully they can catch up in the future, but I think it's to little to late.

 

 

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[DancingSea]

To my ears the sound quality of Audirvana is as good as Amarra 4. Perhaps a little cleaner, but that is just a matter of taste. You could also say: Amarra is sounding a little warmer. And of course, it also depends on the system. In the Audirvana section of this site everyone is quite happy with the improved sound quality and functionality. In my opinion: Audirvana is a far better choice if you want to spend some money for a player. I also think that Amarra 4 is no serious competitor anymore to Roon or Audirvana. Hopefully they can catch up in the future, but I think it's to little to late.

 

 

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We shall, as the saying goes, agree to disagree. In my system, A+ 3 is virtually unlistenable for a variety of music genres. Only low key new age type stuff sounds good.

 

I own both Amarra and A+ 2.6.

 

Indeed, it's a matter of personal preference. There is no right or wrong.

 

 

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[jos]

We shall, as the saying goes, agree to disagree. In my system, A+ 3 is virtually unlistenable for a variety of music genres. Only low key new age type stuff sounds good.

 

I own both Amarra and A+ 2.6.

 

Indeed, it's a matter of personal preference. There is no right or wrong.

 

 

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I totally agree! [emoji120]

 

 

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[camott]

In my system, A+ 3 is virtually unlistenable for a variety of music genres. Only low key new age type stuff sounds good.

 

Those are pretty strong words and seem at odds with most people's perceptions. Is Roon, or any other player, also "virtually unlistenable" in your system? Something must be wrong with your setup - software players can only be so different and, all else being equal, there is no way one app can sound amazing and the other unlistenable. When you make said comparisons, are you using similar upsampling rates, base settings, etc?

 

(Edit: I am no A+ fanboy, in fact just playing with it again now that v3 is out ... but in my short listening time I think it sounds better than Roon)

[DancingSea]

Those are pretty strong words and seem at odds with most people's perceptions. Is Roon, or any other player, also "virtually unlistenable" in your system? Something must be wrong with your setup - software players can only be so different and, all else being equal, there is no way one app can sound amazing and the other unlistenable. When you make said comparisons, are you using similar upsampling rates, base settings, etc?

 

(Edit: I am no A+ fanboy, in fact just playing with it again now that v3 is out ... but in my short listening time I think it sounds better than Roon)

Well, I own A+ and have tested A+ 3 extensively. The gain in A+ 3 is too high for my system. The result is substantial clipping on the deep bass or extended highs. Its awful. Since I bought A+ last summer, I have never liked the, what is for me, jagged digital like highs of A+. I can only take about 5 minutes of listening on A+ with any other type of music than new age. The new age does sound good on A+.

 

So its a combination of my system and my personal tastes. And yes, it is my honest opinion that, in my world, A+ is unlistenable on anything but new age music, or maybe smooth jazz.

 

I am not a fan of digital sound. I'm from the analog/ tube/ vinyl camp. Amarra's sound satisfies enough of the that need for me to embrace digital music. Audirvana +, does not.

 

Yes, I wasn't impressed with Roon's sound either, but loved what they're doing otherwise.

[camott]

The gain in A+ 3 is too high for my system. The result is substantial clipping on the deep bass or extended highs.

 

If one takes your words literally and you are getting digital clipping from added gain, that implies that you are adding some DSP/audio processing to A+ - either strong upsampling or PEQ or something else. Even upsampling can sometimes cause small boosts and minor clipping - so it is almost always recommended to have a negative gain adjustment when doing any DSP. But out of the box, with default settings and no upsampling, I don't see how A+ could be adding any digital gain/clipping to the audio ...

[DancingSea]

If one takes your words literally and you are getting digital clipping from added gain, that implies that you are adding some DSP/audio processing to A+ - either strong upsampling or PEQ or something else. Even upsampling can sometimes cause small boosts and minor clipping - so it is almost always recommended to have a negative gain adjustment when doing any DSP. But out of the box, with default settings and no upsampling, I don't see how A+ could be adding any digital gain/clipping to the audio ...

 

I don't even know what DSP is. I am doing no up sampling. Just playing A+ 3 as is. Several incarnations of Amarra, iTunes, Tidal, and Roon have all played through the same system - with zero adjustment - with no clipping. Only A+ 3 clips, in my system that is.

[mneveux]

Well, I own A+ and have tested A+ 3 extensively. The gain in A+ 3 is too high for my system. The result is substantial clipping on the deep bass or extended highs. Its awful. Since I bought A+ last summer, I have never liked the, what is for me, jagged digital like highs of A+. I can only take about 5 minutes of listening on A+ with any other type of music than new age. The new age does sound good on A+.

 

So its a combination of my system and my personal tastes. And yes, it is my honest opinion that, in my world, A+ is unlistenable on anything but new age music, or maybe smooth jazz.

 

I am not a fan of digital sound. I'm from the analog/ tube/ vinyl camp. Amarra's sound satisfies enough of the that need for me to embrace digital music. Audirvana +, does not.

 

Yes, I wasn't impressed with Roon's sound either, but loved what they're doing otherwise.

I am also evaluation A+ 3 and find it is good on some files and very harsh on others. Almost sounds like sibilance that you would get on a record. I also have amarra sQ+ which sounds very good with iTunes or any other media through my Mac. I will continue to play with both A+3 and Amarra 4 to see if I can commit to either of them.

[DancingSea]

I am also evaluation A+ 3 and find it is good on some files and very harsh on others. Almost sounds like sibilance that you would get on a record. I also have amarra sQ+ which sounds very good with iTunes or any other media through my Mac. I will continue to play with both A+3 and Amarra 4 to see if I can commit to either of them.

Yes, not every track is harsh or has clipping. But enough do to irritate me on A+ 3. With Amarra, never. So I put up with the idiosyncrasies and bugs to get the SQ I desire.... and honestly, when used as a player and not a library manager, I've had little trouble with Amarra 4.

[GregWormald]

I continue to use Amarra 4 without significant issue as a player, not a library management system.

 

I have Amarra 4 setup to scan a separate "Amarra Selections" folder on my external hard drive. I use iTunes for library management and drag, from iTunes, a few CD's into the folder. Alternatively, if I want a particular playlist, I drag the whole playlist into the "Amarra Selections" folder.

 

Amarra 4 quickly scans the folder and imports the music. It plays perfectly, no bugs at all. Doesn't quit, freeze, or otherwise misbehave except that Amarra's shuffle repeats songs before playing the whole playlist or CD. I can also add other songs to the "Amarra Selections" folder and the app rescans without importing duplicates, just the new ones.

 

Before the next listening session, I completely clear the Amarra 4 library and repeat the process above.

 

The sound is phenomenal and I've grown satisfied with what the Amarra 4 player can, and cannot do. Having just tested A+ 3', its library system is only marginally better. Both are far behind iTunes in terms of management. And to my ears and tastes, the Amarra 4 sound quality greatly exceeds A+ 3.

 

I agree with all of this--except I hadn't thought of the "Amarra Selections" folder process. Thanks for the idea.

 

Greg

[minicoupeman]

agreed

[jos]

I am still thinking of buying Amarra 4, but I am not sure yet. I bought Audirvana 3 already and also own Pure Music. Amarra is sounding great but the software is so buggy. Every time it is crashing in my system after I change something, like deleting an empty playlist. And it would not start anymore. On the the other hand it's quit cheap now and perhaps it will improve, although that's not my experience with Sonic Studio; they always need al lot of time and in the end, it is still buggy. So, I am not sure yet.

 

 

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[DancingSea]

I am still thinking of buying Amarra 4, but I am not sure yet. I bought Audirvana 3 already and also own Pure Music. Amarra is sounding great but the software is so buggy. Every time it is crashing in my system after I change something, like deleting an empty playlist. And it would not start anymore. On the the other hand it's quit cheap now and perhaps it will improve, although that's not my experience with Sonic Studio; they always need al lot of time and in the end, it is still buggy. So, I am not sure yet.

 

 

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That makes sense. In my system described earlier in the thread, when I delete, I delete the whole library and reload - I don't delete individual things. Over several weeks now, very stable using that system of iTunes and cohabitation with the idiosyncrasies.

[jos]

That makes sense. In my system described earlier in the thread, when I delete, I delete the whole library and reload - I don't delete individual things. Over several weeks now, very stable using that system of iTunes and cohabitation with the idiosyncrasies.

 

Yes. I known, that's the right approach, but It's so frustrating and loading takes a lot of time. [emoji51] But then you can enjoy the sound [emoji2].

I already advised Sonic Studio to do the Pure Music approach and I will buy it immediately. They simply need a lot of more time, I guess (and hire Damien).