New Amarra 4

[DancingSea]

For me, BitPerfect only offers small improvement over iTunes by itself.  Functions great, but sound wise, no comparison to the idiot savant ?

[DancingSea]

27 minutes ago, Data said:

I am realy looking forward to trying everything out, i mean most people here say amara4 is absolute the best sounding so i will have to give it a spin at some point :).

 

But again why not give this SQ in the same way bitperfect does it, what is the reason for that, patent maybe ?

 

In my year regularly reading these forums, no one has given BitPerfect the top prize. It's simply incapable of matching the SQ of A4 Luxe, A+, HQP and Roon. 

 

It it is not a patent issue, it's a technology issue ?

[DancingSea]

11 minutes ago, copy_of_a said:

I also like A4's sound... but because of its "character". It sounds "rich".

 

 

Yes, that's a good way of putting it, rich. That's how the idiot savant sucks me in!

[DancingSea]

15 minutes ago, ddalmas said:

yes my dancing friend Bitperfect is not so praised i know but i am listening to it more accurately than i ever did before and...it surprises me!! try it again if you have it ,just to have  your point of view, but please do not start prevented as i was before thinking that it is ,maybe due to its cheap price, a class B player.i will inquire m ore deeply on it but i repeat it surprises me!or maybe are my ears that became older and damaged?

please tell me 

 

Aloha!  Yes, I own BitPerfect. Last week, in a moment of idiot savant despair, I compared it to BitPerfect. For me, SQ was not close. But I really really love ❤️ being back on the familiar and functional iTunes universe. 

[DancingSea]

19 minutes ago, ddalmas said:

please help me my dancing friend and describe more detailed as you can what are youre impressions for saying that there is such a gap between A4 and BP ! I would not want that my ears are so damaged not to hear such glamorous differences you say there are!! 

yes A4 is still superior but in my advice not so much

 

For me, BitPerfect sounds about like iTunes. Sound is thin, at times shrill.  I'm allergic to harsh highs.  Soundstage is also a bit narrow.  Granted, before I found CA a year ago, iTunes is all I listened to in the post cd era, and was quite satisfied. 

 

A4 is very rich and full. Vinyl like. A nice balance between detail and musicality.  It feels "right", and organic.  Just wish it weren't such a mess. 

[DancingSea]

8 minutes ago, mneveux said:

 

 

According to Sonic Studios, the A3 and Amarra SQ sound engine is not the same as the A4 engine, which is the next step forward. 

[DancingSea]

FYI, Wave Arts is having a 40% off sale for their tube plugins, lasts all month, I just an email.   Here is the coupon code....  CPN02425857065

[DancingSea]

6 hours ago, Data said:

TY Dancingsea , if that was for me ,lol :).

 

It was a post for the greater population, which includes, but is not exclusive to you

 

If you review our nearly year long Amarra 4 discussion - covering 800+ posts - there was a recent period in which we explored using Audirvana Plus as an alternative to A4, yet attempting to achieve a similar A4 sound in A+.  That discussion included various tube simulation plugins for A+.  One of the most liked were the ones created by Wave Arts, but they are expensive.  The one we experimented with cost $99.  Hence the posting of the 40% coupon....

[DancingSea]

3 hours ago, Data said:

To make it easy on myself, wich plugin is it that sounded good to most here ?

 

 

http://www.pspaudioware.com/plugins/equalizers/psp_preqursor2/

 

http://wavearts.com/products/  (both the free tube saturator, and the one that costs $99, but on sale for 40% off, I just use the free one...)

[DancingSea]

58 minutes ago, Data said:

The plugins only work with A+ and amara right , not with bit perfect .

 

Only audirvana or Fidelia. Not Amarra, but not sure about bitperfect 

[DancingSea]

This is such a peculiar hobby.  Part science, part voodoo.

 

So I recently purchased some new AudioQuest MacKenzie XLR's which have now had a few weeks to break in.

 

Tiring of my Amarra 4 Luxe coping dance, I revisited Audirvana Plus 2.6.8 with the free Wave Arts Tube Saturator/ EQ.

 

Set the cutoff slope to 20 and pre-ringing at 0.7.  Did not use direct mode.

 

Anyway, this whole arrangement sounds pretty darn good.  Can use the Wave Arts plugin to adjust tone with 3 easy knobs (bass, mids, high) - as well as adjust the amount of tube-ness.

 

All of this in iTunes integrated mode worked, and sounded great.  All my ratings and playlists are there, easy breezy.  I'm finding A+ to be a tad more detailed than A4, with a wider soundstage.  Not massively wider, but a tad.  The tube saturator is doing a good job of taming the previously jagged edges of A+.

 

Was it the new cables?  Who knows!  But I've tried A+ many many times, I never quite fell in with it.  Going to give it a ride for the foreseeable future.... 

 

[DancingSea]

2 hours ago, mneveux said:

A4L has been running flawlessly for me going on a week now. I am using only FLAC files along with Tidal integration. I am really enjoying it.

 

Yes, it does sound great.  I've noticed the soundstage with A+ is more better defined, while A+L is more compacted.  Prefer the tone of A+L, but the detail and soundstage, to me, seem better with A+.

[DancingSea]

20 hours ago, DancingSea said:

Set the cutoff slope to 20 and pre-ringing at 0.7

 

On A+, I like the cutoff slope at 4 even better....

[DancingSea]

1 hour ago, DJ_Polaco said:

Hello DancingSea! I'm trying out the A+ Tube Saturator Vintage combination. Sorry, I'm new to this technology. Could you elaborate what the above means so I can try it myself and why you prefer an old version of Audirvana? I don't see these functions on the Tube Saturator. Cheers

 

Sorry about that, the settings are for A+, not the tube saturator.  I adjust the Wave Arts tube saturator to taste per each recording.  The cutoff slope of "under 5" (steepness, I believe) and pre-ringing at 0.7 was suggested to me by Damein, the creator of A+.  They are found in the "audio filter", and then "advanced parameters" in the A+ preferences.  It seems to reduce the "edge" in A+.

 

I tried A+ 3.0 but didn't find the sound to be different from 2.6.8.  I have no current need for MQA, thus have stayed with my older version.

 

I'm also revisiting copy_of_a's suggestion of the PSP PreQursor2, just wish it wasn't $69!

http://www.pspaudioware.com/plugins/equalizers/psp_preqursor2/

 

I still love much about Amarra 4 Luxe.  I switch off between them...

 

Below is copy_of_a's recipe for his plugins and A+ posted long ago in this thread.  I made the steepness 4, and the cutoff 0.7...  

 

"

FWIW here are my settings & plugins.

 

A+ prefs (from my Desktop computer with a little NAD D1050 DAC… but the actual settings are the same as in my main system):

 

Audio System -> Low Level Playback options:
- Exclusive access mode: engaged
- Direct Mode: disabled
- Large I/O buffer: engaged
- Integer Mode: engaged

 

Upsampling:
- steepness: 22
- Filter length: 500,000
- cutoff: 0,95
- AA: 100
- pre-ringing: 0,86
- Forced Upsampling: power of 2

 

AU:
1. PSP preQursor2*
2. PSP Mix Saturator
3. PSP X-Dither

 

Plugins:

 

preQursor:
- analog pre-amp: +8
- filterbands engaged but all set to zero
- output gain: -3db
- SAT: engaged

 

Mix Saturator 2:
- seperate Low and High filtering disabled
- saturation: 20%
- Shape: Valve 1 (the smoothest option)
- Mix (Dry/Wet): 65%

 

Dither:
- Mildly shaped Dither (Smooth NS „A“)
- (additional) Dither Shape: Flat
- Dither Level: High
- bit depth: 24bit

 

Now, as said above, it’s not my goal to exactly match Amarra’s sound.
This is less processing - A4 sounds bolder.
To get the same „richness“ as Amarra set the pre-amp of preQursor from +8 to around +12 and Saturation to 30%-40% (mix to 65%-75%)... in case you really use this plugin.

[DancingSea]

5 hours ago, DJ_Polaco said:

 

I also found that when I apply Forced Upsampling the free version Tube Saturator Vintage starts distorting and slowing down esp. when using the EQ, so I think might have to purchase the new version.

 

 

According to Damien, the upsampling issue has to do with the settings in A+.  If the max sample rate for you DAC is above 192, which is the cap for the tube saturator, it causes everything to go haywire.  He said this can be overcome in the manual upsample settings of A+.  I'm trying to pin him down specifically how to do it.... will report back when I know....

[DancingSea]

22 hours ago, DJ_Polaco said:

 

I also found that when I apply Forced Upsampling the free version Tube Saturator Vintage starts distorting and slowing down esp. when using the EQ, so I think might have to purchase the new version.

 

 

I went ahead and bought the paid version of the Wave Arts Tube Saturator 2 using their August sale coupon, 40% off.  I can share the coupon code if you want it.  Anyway, the paid version has 2 X upsampling built in, and it works without issue in my system.....

[DancingSea]

Even though I made it through the cumbersome registration process, I could never get the Saturation Knob to work.  It caused A+ 2.6.6 to crash every time.

 

Like copy_of_a, I am enjoying the paid version of Wave Arts Tube Saturator 2.  Their 40% off sale ends in a few days, but $60 seems fair for what it does.  The paid version is much more efficient than the free one, which provides less strain on the rest of the system.

 

And I agree, having both a "Drive" and "dry/wet" adjustments is helpful, and the 12AU7 tube is very nice, though I like both tube options.  Depends on the sort of music.

[DancingSea]

5 hours ago, DJ_Polaco said:

 

 

I tried it and I agree that it's very good for my purposes so will also buy it. Thanks for pointing out the issue with Tube Saturator Vintage. I did find it better than preQursor but still problematic in some way, so that solves the problem 

 

CPN02425857065

 

Try that coupon for 40% off Wave Arts Tube Saturator 2.  Expires at end of August (couple of days).....

[DancingSea]

I have most enjoyed using the Wave Arts Tube Saturator 2 with Fidelia.  For me, the combo more closely replicates, perhaps even exceeds, the Amarra sound with much fewer headaches.  Hopefully the developer will return to supporting Fidelia's evolution..

[DancingSea]

In Amarra 4 Luxe, has anyone enabled DoP for DSD playback?  Impressions?

[DancingSea]

14 minutes ago, mneveux said:

Does Amarra 4 Luxe have a shuffle mode. Can't find it. I made a large playlist of favorite songs but don't want to listen to them in the same order every time.

 

Yes. It's in the transport. Very annoying as it doesn't play all songs before repeating.  

[DancingSea]

14 hours ago, DJ_Polaco said:

 

Is it still possible to get a licence for Fidelia? I think my demo's expired.

 

Sadly,  I don't think so.  If you have a license, there are still active links to download Fidelia.  It has been removed from the App Store, and they are no longer selling it on the Fidelia website.

[DancingSea]

11 minutes ago, ddalmas said:

hi dancing sea ...how are you? its a long tine we don't meet....i apologize for contradicting you but i have a very good news ...i have just bought Fidelia fro apple store!! it is in download just now...i will follow you next days about it

i hope to have another good sounding player as you and other folks have stated in these posts

ciaociao

 

Aloha ddalmas - I'm doing well, good to hear from you.  My life would not be complete without a few stray contradictions by you!

 

As always, its most welcome.  And this is especially good news as recently Fidelia was no longer on the App store which caused me concern it was gone forever.  So I'm very happy it has reappeared. This gives hope they will continue to support Fidelia.

 

It sounds great.  Its library management isn't the best, but it does read one's entire iTunes library and playlists easily, no load times, its just there.

 

And the plugins we all like work as well.  Interested to hear your thoughts.  I prefer Fidelia to A+, no contest.

[DancingSea]

8 minutes ago, ddalmas said:

not yet experimented the sound...i will do it tomorrow but about library...no comment at all ...even though it does not have the scandalous behavior of A4 it is quite a great mess too ! i will see how to behave with it in next steps....But A+ is the real must in library management!! i realize that fidelia suffers of its ancient project...hope will be seriously upgraded in next future to go in line with more modern players

ciaociao

 

I just connect it to my iTunes library and use the search function in Fidelia to make selections.  Can then drag them to a playlist, or play directly from the search results.  It doesn't look as good as A+, but the library functionality is similar to my tastes and needs.  A+ is no library saint either.  And with my system of using A4L as only a player for a given night, Fidelia is a bit easier.

 

But yes, am hoping for an update.

 

4 minutes ago, ddalmas said:

ah do you know if there is any app that easily builds playlists directly from the songs in the album folders ?

 

Not sure.

[DancingSea]

1 hour ago, mneveux said:

Thanks, got it. It has a non-standard icon for shuffle.