Audirvana Plus 3 (official thread)

[jimdukey]

I don't use AV+ anymore, because Direct Mode is no longer functional on Mac/Sierra.

There's a workaround, but it's not for non-tech-types like me.

And it has to re-done after every OS Update. ( there was another one just today).

Too much trouble, and I don't know why anyone would use AV+ anymore because of that.

I certainly wouldn't pay to upgrade to AV+ 3 with this situation.

I feel bad for Damien, as Apple won't fix it for him. 

[Speed Racer]

The latest update came out 9 days ago...not today. The "Direct Mode" workaround is simple to do even if you don't know what you are doing. It just takes following directions and some time. Regardless, you don't need direct mode to get great sounding music. It just sounds a little better with direct mode. Also, no other Mac player has direct mode type access either so it can't do anymore than A+ can. They are ALL in the same boat.

 

What player are you going to use that you think will have magical access that A+ does not?

[bnbayer]

8 hours ago, RunHomeSlow said:

 

seems that something in the chain is taking the place before A+ can... have you try unchecking Exclusive Access Mode in A+ prefs panel?

 

That's what I thought. I have tried unchecking Exclusive Access, and even throwing away the Library>Prefs for System Optimiser, but no effect.

[Jud]

9 hours ago, bnbayer said:

 

None of the mute boxes in Audio Midi is checked, but I can't check them either. Most of the sliders also can't be moved (just like in System Prefs>Sound and the menu bar...). For my iDSD, all the sliders are down; for the OPPO all the sliders are up. (Neither DAC plays, in any case. ) The sliders for the OPPO can be moved; the sliders for iDSD can't.

 

I CAN play with the built-in speakers.

When I change outputs in A+ I often get "Error: unable to grab exclusive access OSError=hog!"

 

Assume you've checked all the hardware slider/switch settings on the iDSD.

[Jud]

5 hours ago, jimdukey said:

I don't know why anyone would use AV+ anymore because of that

 

Umm, 'cause it sounds really great? 

[jimdukey]

"Same Boat".

I get no Direct Mode Error Messages from HQ or Decible, they work as before.

Jussi said every Software Designer has their way of getting Direct Access.

HQ's isn't affected by the Audio family kext thing.

And if AV+ only sounds a little better with Direct Mode,

then it sounds a little worse without it.

I intend to go to my computer tech to see how to re-insert the Kext File, but it's a real pain to take the Computer there.

I hope it really is as easy as suggested...

[jimdukey]

"Umm, 'cause it sounds really great?"

I like AV+ too, but it doesn't work the way it did before.

For me, that's a Problem.

[Jud]

The other players did not have direct mode, so of course nothing would have changed.

[jimdukey]

Decibal does.

HQ went a different route.

A very good sounding one, with no OS-induced problems.

[jhwalker]

2 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

Decibal does.

HQ went a different route.

A very good sounding one, with no OS-induced problems.

 

You're confused.  ONLY Audirvana ever implemented what they call "direct mode" - it is exclusive to Audirvana.  It was only implemented when Apple broke integer mode for a year or two and is / should be now deprecated.

 

All the other players have only ever used integer mode, which Audirvana also supports.

 

So claiming that Audirvana is somehow "broken" when it does the exact same thing as any of the other players in integer mode is a bit much.

[jimdukey]

Decibal has "Hog-Mode,"

same thing.

 

And the Error Message I get on AV+ does mean it's broken, or why would the work-around be offered?

 

[jhwalker]

2 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

Decibal has "Hog-Mode,"

same thing.

 

And the Error Message I get on AV+ does mean it's broken, or why would the work-around be offered?

 

 

It is *not* the same thing.  

 

"Hog-Mode" (sic) is Decibel's incorrect term for "exclusive access", which is built in to OS X / macOS, and *every* player offers.  Completely different from integer mode (again, built into the OS and offered by every player of substance) or Audirvana's exclusive direct mode which only works on earlier versions of OS X and is deprecated on macOS.

 

The "workaround" you mentioned is for people who wish to continue using direct mode on later versions of OS X / macOS, despite the fact that Apple has clearly deprecated the use of third-party kernel extensions ("kext") in the latest versions of OS X / macOS.  It is not a fix for something that is broken.

 

[jimdukey]

Then why doesn't direct mode work, if nothing is broken?

 

Anyway, I just made a direct comparison of HQ and AV+,

using a DSD 64 recording I made and am playing on.

 

HQ upsampling to DSD128 ( with NO conversion to PCM)

is obviously richer and more detailed than AV+ in DSD 64, no upsampling to DSD 128 available.

AV+ sounded thinner/blander/leaner.

Both MC21 and AV+ say conversion to DSD 128 is only possible with 

PCM conversion first.

Not so with HQ.

 

I won't argue with you about Tech Specs.

I know what sounds good,

and I'm getting it!

[jhwalker]

19 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

Then why doesn't direct mode work, if nothing is broken?

 

Anyway, I just made a direct comparison of HQ and AV+,

using a DSD 64 recording I made and am playing on.

 

HQ upsampling to DSD128 ( with NO conversion to PCM)

is obviously richer and more detailed than AV+ in DSD 64, no upsampling to DSD 128 available.

AV+ sounded thinner/blander/leaner.

Both MC21 and AV+ say conversion to DSD 128 is only possible with 

PCM conversion first.

Not so with HQ.

 

I won't argue with you about Tech Specs.

I know what sounds good,

and I'm getting it!

 

Great.

[Jud]

2 hours ago, jimdukey said:

Then why doesn't direct mode work, if nothing is broken?

 

Because direct mode accesses the operating system at a deeper level than other players.  Apple introduced security provisions that disallowed any application at all, not just A+, from accessing the OS at such a deep level, because it would be possible for malware to do bad things if it got in that deep.  That is why direct mode doesn't work on MacOS versions since the introduction of those security provisions.

 

Quote

Anyway, I just made a direct comparison of HQ and AV+,

using a DSD 64 recording I made and am playing on.

 

HQ upsampling to DSD128 ( with NO conversion to PCM)

is obviously richer and more detailed than AV+ in DSD 64, no upsampling to DSD 128 available.

AV+ sounded thinner/blander/leaner.

Both MC21 and AV+ say conversion to DSD 128 is only possible with 

PCM conversion first.

Not so with HQ.

 

I won't argue with you about Tech Specs.

I know what sounds good,

and I'm getting it!

 

It's a good thing you're not arguing any further about tech, since a lot of what you "knew" was wrong.

 

Regarding the rest of what you've written, yes, we understood that the first several times you appeared in this A+ thread to say you preferred other players.   

 

Edit: By the way, speaking of things you "know" that are incorrect: HQPlayer also upsamples to higher PCM rates first when converting to DSD.  Just change the PCM filter and listen. 

 

Further edit: Whoops, what I said above applies only to conversion from PCM to DSD in HQPlayer, not between DSD rates (according to Miska).

[bnbayer]

6 hours ago, bnbayer said:

 

That's what I thought. I have tried unchecking Exclusive Access, and even throwing away the Library>Prefs for System Optimiser, but no effect.

 

This is just getting weirder and weirder: trying to run A+ in Exclusive Access mode through one of my DACs; everything on screen looks fine, A+ says it's playing, but no sound. Now here's the new and weird bit: I open Safari, go to YouTube and it plays through the internal speakers. What happened to my Exclusive Access?

 

I've tried trashing everything one more time and reinstalling A+, but still have the same issue.

[RunHomeSlow]

2 minutes ago, bnbayer said:

 

This is just getting weirder and weirder: trying to run A+ in Exclusive Access mode through one of my DACs; everything on screen looks fine, A+ says it's playing, but no sound. Now here's the new and weird bit: I open Safari, go to YouTube and it plays through the internal speakers. What happened to my Exclusive Access?

 

I've tried trashing everything one more time and reinstalling A+, but still have the same issue.

 

What OS you use? there was and usb or audio update in 10.12.5 update...

[RunHomeSlow]

Is the OPPO still in the chain?  have you just your MAC to USB to DAC to Amp or Preamp? do you use a bridge between the DAC and USb ?

[mevdinc]

Despite the usb/audio update in 10.12.5 I'm still having problems with MacMini recognising my Lindemann DAC sometimes. It works OK for days and then doesn't, I couldn't track it down to any thing specific.
I have to restart both the DAC and MacMini to make it work.

[bnbayer]

3 hours ago, bnbayer said:

 

This is just getting weirder and weirder: trying to run A+ in Exclusive Access mode through one of my DACs; everything on screen looks fine, A+ says it's playing, but no sound. Now here's the new and weird bit: I open Safari, go to YouTube and it plays through the internal speakers. What happened to my Exclusive Access?

 

I've tried trashing everything one more time and reinstalling A+, but still have the same issue.

 

Well, I'm back in business although there are still some question marks I can live with. On the second trashing of all com.audirvana Library files and reinstall of A+, and the second shutdown and unplug all hardware and cables and rebuild of one thing at a time, things are working again using my main DAC (which is the iFi iDSD Nano). It still doesn't play using the OPPO 105 as a DAC, but that's only backup now anyway (as it won't play DSD files from A+, or DXD files at all). I still get the "Error: unable to grab exclusive access OSError=hog!" when I switch DACs in A+ Preferences>Audio System. I have my music back, and it sounds as good as it did before weirdness passed through.

[Kilauea50]

Is there any update on the A+ NAA beta release?  

[RunHomeSlow]

9 minutes ago, Kilauea50 said:

Is there any update on the A+ NAA beta release?  

 

3.1... in weeks

see the page before Damien commented

[Kilauea50]

Excellent!  Thank you!

[Giacomino]

21 hours ago, mevdinc said:

Nonostante l'aggiornamento usb / audio in 10.12.5 ancora sto avendo problemi con MacMini riconoscendo la mia DAC Lindemann volte. Funziona bene per giorni e poi non, non ho potuto rintracciarlo a qualsiasi cosa specifica.
Devo riavviare sia il DAC e MacMini per farlo funzionare.

Good morning, it happens the same with my V2 + then I turn off the mac and then reboot and I see xCORE USB 2.0 again.

Attach link to better understand what happens to V2 + on OSX Sierra  : http://www.xcore.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4439

[mevdinc]

2 hours ago, Giacomino said:

Good morning, it happens the same with my V2 + then I turn off the mac and then reboot and I see xCORE USB 2.0 again.

Attach link to better understand what happens to V2 + on OSX Sierra  : http://www.xcore.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=4439

Thanks for the additional info.

I decided to double check to see what caused the problem.
I've been using the DAC in Streamer mode ie no Audirvana + and Mac Mini.
And my DAC failed to come out of the standby mode a couple of times via the Lindemann remote app! So, my problem maybe DAC/network related rather than Audirvana + /Mac Mini.