Audirvana Plus 3 (official thread)

[routlaw]

This might sound like an unusual or strange question, but recently I upgraded to A+ and have had no issues in fact the sound is awesome. I use a Mac Book Pro, 8GB of Ram, running OS 10.13.4 however I don't have a DoP DAC so can't utilize this feature. 

 

What I don't understand and which I hope someone can explain why does my MBP running A+ sound so much better than any other method of delivering audio files to the DAC I do have. I have used coax, HDMI and analog outputs from my Oppo 203 to deliver the audio files to the DAC, but USB via A+ just blows the others out of the water, its not even close. I should note that the Oppo sending DSD files to the DAC (which is DSD capable) sounds great and also sounds just fine using its own analog outputs. 

 

But otherwise what is about A+, or is just USB is so much better for audio delivery?

 

Thanks

[routlaw]

5 hours ago, Aboulfad said:

Have you applied the direct mode patch on High Sierra? Doing that will most likely also improve SQ further. As to your question, I believe A+ does a great job optimizing the Mac to make it a very good software based Media Server and it could also depend on the USB implementation on your DAC.

 

I gave up on the combination of A+ and Oppo UDP-203 as MS/DMR, it works rarely and realized that it’s best to have a USB DAC as in your setup.

 

PS: I too love A+, just can’t wait for the new 3.5 UI.

Well no but it seems to work just fine in direct mode with High Sierra. Have not seen a problem with it, maybe I should check again though just to be sure. Thanks for the heads up. 

 

I have never tried A+ with my Oppo 203, in fact I don't even know how that would be possible. MS/DMR? Probably being dense on this but what does that acronym stand for.

[routlaw]

Ok I see what you are talking about now and no unfortunately there is no "direct mode" check box, only the integer and exclusive access. Bummer, guess I better look into this patch. Thanks

[routlaw]

11 hours ago, Aboulfad said:

Have you applied the direct mode patch on High Sierra? Doing that will most likely also improve SQ further. As to your question, I believe A+ does a great job optimizing the Mac to make it a very good software based Media Server and it could also depend on the USB implementation on your DAC.

 

I gave up on the combination of A+ and Oppo UDP-203 as MS/DMR, it works rarely and realized that it’s best to have a USB DAC as in your setup.

 

PS: I too love A+, just can’t wait for the new 3.5 UI.

Hmm, the link above is not much to go on, the patch says its for OS 10.12 Sierra, not High Sierra and apparently one has to have some codes that are provided by El Capitan. I'm game for trying it but this just isn't enough to go on to implement the patch. Not being a programmer I would need quite a bit more instruction than this. Thanks though.

[routlaw]

I just found a link on Apple Discussions forum with instructions to implement the direct mode fix for those who would like to try this. Scroll down to casual audiophiles post. Good Luck.

 

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7780585

 

Hope this helps. 

[routlaw]

@runhomeslow, thanks for the additional info, just downloaded the file. It is worth pointing out also, there is a thread on the audio asylum forums that had some excellent information on this issue. 

 

1. Abe Collins states rather emphatically that Direct Mode is part of a Core Audio scenario and A+ step out of its bounds by even trying to implement this mode bypassing Core Audio. He is a software designer and seems to know what he is talking about. This is not meant, at least by me to chastise Damien, but apparently there is some truth to this one issue.

 

2. At least one respondent claimed there was little to no difference comparing direct mode on and off before he upgraded from El Capitan to High Sierra. So with those results he did the upgrade and never looked back reminiscing over direct mode. I would encourage all those interested to do a google search for the thread and make what you want out of it.

 

I guess we all get to choose our poison. For me its been so long since using it on pervious versions I have no recollection of the difference. 

 

Finally, not that it really matters, but just for the record I have been doing computer audio since the turn of the century and the first release of iTunes which was about the only jukebox available in those early days of OS X.1. Moved away from it in recent years due to my interest in vinyl and simply because I spend all day in front a computer and it becomes the last thing I wanted to do for recreation. Eventually I came to the realization there is still a lot of good music only available in digital format, and as much as I hate to admit it as stated previously A+ just blows the other options out of the water for sound quality. Why I don't know but with repeated comparisons with a litany of different gear and methods its what I'm hearing.

 

Thanks again.

 

PS, just went all in today and ordered a Holo Spring DAC, Singxer SU-1, and Intona USB enhancement device. 

[routlaw]

Didn't mean to get anyone upset, but for those who would like to read through this thread (not very long) the link is below, make what you will of it. Again I don't have a dog in this race, but there does seem to be some merit to what Abe Collins has stated. He certainly has way more knowledge in software design than I do. In any case I don't have any interest myself in migrating to a PC just for the sake of Direct Mode, even if there is some improvement in the sound, and for all we know even with Direct Mode on a PC using A+ the sound might be worse than whats attainable with our given systems on the Mac. And who in their right mind would want to go through all that trouble and expense just to find out? Not me.

 

All that out of the way, this is one thing I really don't like about a computer based music server. Whether its this issue or others we are not aware of yet coming down the pike make no mistake at some point there will, and always has been incompatible hardware/software issues. I have dealt with this in my photography business and its no different with audio as a hobby. At some point your existing computer will be outdated and time to purchase a new one. It doesn't matter if its Windows, Linux or Mac its inevitable. Case in point I just had to put my previous server, a Mac Mini Mid 2009, to bed because it could not update to an OS that could utilize A+ 3.xx. So for now I am using my Mac Book Pro in the interim, and running on battery supply and it still beats the pants of all other digital formats I have on hand to try.

 

We all get to choose our poison, then live it I suppose.

 

https://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=pcaudio&m=169198

[routlaw]

Is it an absolute certainty that Direct Mode via A+ as in the past is actually superior sounding to Core Audio? Perhaps an easier question would be what is wrong with Core Audio at least in this context?

[routlaw]

Thanks for the links and additional info!

 

I'm being a bit of a devils advocate here, but with all this fussing around with the various software settings and given the fiasco created by the incompatibility of A+ and Core Audio and Apple,  one has to wonder is all this worth it with a computer based music server instead of utilizing an excellent disc transport such as Jays Audio CD-2 or CD-3 using the I2S output to a DAC with equivalent input. 

 

I haven't yet stepped up to the plate to implement the patch provided previously. 

 

 

[routlaw]

7 hours ago, diecaster said:

I am using a sonicTransporter i5 and a Bridge II card in my DirectStream DAC along with Roon. I stopped using Audirvana quite a while ago as it is inferior to what I am using now.

 

Interesting, so the Sonic Transporter is a media server? Presumably the connection is via ethernet rather than I2S? Good grief has this stuff ever become too complex. Is it any wonder why so few people adopt going this route (not just your particular method) and load up a bunch of compressed music on an iPhone with a pair of ear buds and call it good.

 

I can't imagine this segment of the market (computer audio) is in a growth period. Please don't mistake this as a disparaging remark to anyone, but having left computer audio alone for the last few years and just now coming back into again I'm really astonished not only at how so much has changed but the level of complexity has grown exponentially. 

 

Thanks

[routlaw]

Is it true that Mac's cannot play DSD natively? Using Audirvana + it would appear they can based upon the menu in A+. Am I missing something? Thanks