AyreWave- A New OSX Audio Player Released AT RMAF

[CG]

"Well to my ears it is pretty ordinary."

 

As someone already said, AyreWave is not for everyone. Nor are any of the other solutions.

 

It's great that you've found a playback application that you are pleased with.

 

[SteveS1]

Having got Pure Music sounding really good (better than my Amarra or Play) I will give this a go when Pure Music's Integer Mode version is released.

 

That should make for an interesting comparison. It must be said that losing the superb iTouch control of PM/iTunes would be a pain. But no pain, no gain I guess.

 

Steve

 

[barrows]

Nice to hear that you are somewhat involved in this, at first it was a little weird to see the name "AyreWave"!

RE: remotes, this is one of my hurdles with CA, I do not want to be running a wifi network (I feel the wifi is bad for sound) to use a remote control, but have to admit that controlling Macs via iPad/iPod is pretty slick. What other options are people using... I guess I should just go with MBP and use the laptop controls... I do not mind approaching the rack to choose albums (I almost always listen to complete albums, rather than tracks).

Need to download AW and give it a go...

 

[CG]

One wonders how anyone ever managed to play LP's. No iPhone remote, no eye candy interface, no nuthin'.

 

[cfmsp]

 

 

Barrows,

 

Perhaps use an Ethernet cable to connect to the dedicated server (i.e. Mini) from your portable (i.e. MBPro or the new MB Air)?

 

Presumably one can run Screen Sharing (or VNC) over 'wired' Ethernet just as easily as wireless.

 

Before I switched to wireless remote access, I ran a rather longish Firewire cable from my MBPro to the ULN-2.

 

clay

 

 

 

 

[cfmsp]

"Amarra kills it IMHO."

 

Don't sugarcoat it, Andrew, tell us how you really feel!?

 

just kidding,

 

how goes the DAC search?

 

clay

 

 

 

[sq225917]

Seems to work ok, allows me to play hires and flac so that's all good. Maybe sounds better than Pure Music/itunes. Maybe not. Who knows...

 

[ted_b]

on your router. My Mac server has wifi (and everything else) turned off, connected via ethernet wired..but remotes talk to it via LAN (wifi to router).

 

[ronfint]

AyreWave works nicely for me except that enabling Memory Play causes it to crash. Every time.

 

Update (19 Oct 2010): I finally found the cause of the problem I was having with playback via AyreWave on my ULN-8. I changed the clock source in Audio MIDI Setup from 176/192 to 88.2/96, and everything is fine.

 

 

[cfmsp]

 

 

Ted, that's a useful distinction for those who might not have thought of that - I know I hadn't.

 

Although I believe that Barrows is concerned about the airborne effects of wireless, not just the extra traffic/processing on processing wireless by/on the Music server.

 

clay

 

[Andrew S.]

G'day Clay et al.

 

On the plus side I did like the playlist feature that enabled browsing my folder structure. Sound wise I found with classical (99% what I listen to) that, in my system (Jadis, 57's) it was less involving than Amarra.

 

I am no great fan of Amarra: iLok and its pricing (whatever it is now $700? $900? for the full version) continue to be real turn offs. I bought the Junior (simply because it was $79 and no iLok) and it sounds very nice to me. I had the mini but hated the iLok and it did a fabulous job of crashing my computer around the snow leopard upgrade time). Pure Music is too fiddly for me - clunky interface (I can hear the howls of protest starting) - and

the sound again in my system isn't as good as Amarra. But its better than iTunes and I like the automatic sample rate shifting in audio midi. "Hog" mode is the only one worth bothering about.

 

I missed Remote with the AyreWave: first thing I looked for after downloading the beta in the App store was a remote. Seriously companies should release the 2 together. Major reason I like Amarra. You can use Remote (except for volume- which is a nuisance: Sonic Studios if you are listening please develop you own app!!). PM - please do the same: a remote is enough to buy my undying loyalty.

 

I found the AyreWave player lacking life and top end flair/air - I put it on and thought - ho hum - nice enough. I imagine with an "accurate" converter eg a Lio8/BADA/Bryston/Benchmark the AyreWave would tame the uber resolution and make them a little more (to me) palatable. As always synergy and personal preference is everything. One bloke ("McCormack"?) who posts here runs a Lio8 into SSamp (Parasound?) into Thiel 3.8's. I'd last about 20 seconds before I ran screaming from his room - Thiels and me do not get on: fingernails on a chalkboard. But that is just me: I'm sure he would listen to my NOS/Jadis/Quad 57 set up and tell me it was boring with no bass, no dynamics, no leading edge but plenty of distortion. And he would be right - I just like it that way - well except for the bass:).

 

Ahh..the dac hunt continues....had a Weiss in here for a week or so: only the Dac 2. It was ok. Didn't get me too excited. Lots of detail and warmth but still sounded ahem...digital... to me. I have thought about the Dac 202. But 7k is a lot of cash for a converter (to me). And I would be surprised if it deviated from the Weiss house sound evident in the Dac2. I have heard great things about Naim's dac so that is next. Good pricing as well. At least in the UK. Scandalous mark up over here.

 

I think I'm a NOS 1545/1541/1702 guy: I heard an AN 2.1 Sign a little while ago and that, along with a Zanden and 47 Labs Gemini, are among the nicest digital I have heard. Transport is everything - they have very poor jitter control so you better have a good clock signal (all are spdif). There is a fellow up the road who builds NOS dacs based on double crown 1541 chips and valves. All very DIY. Absolutely zero jitter control - again a good transport/reclocker is vital. They are reputedly very good - I have yet to hear one. Oh and a mate just bought a Audio Gd Ref 7 (the one with the 1702 chips). I reckon that will interesting.

 

A local manufacturer (Mike Lenehan - Lenehan Audio of ML1 fame for the monitor buffs out there) is bringing out a dac called a PDX - which again has been generating a buzz among the local fraternity. $1500 and will compete with eg the Tranquility Signature. The Tranquility has been doing the rounds here and is well enough regarded although very transport dependant ie how you set up your Mac. I've yet to hear it although it will be coming down to Sydney soon.

 

Believe it or not I am mucking around with a 2 box modded Valabs atm and again believe it or not, I prefer it and the Teradak Chameleon (a really splendid stock unit for $500) to the Lio 8/Wiess Dac2 I had in. Far more musical if nowhere near technically as good (which doesn't bother me as my system can't reproduce technical anyway). The Lio 8 was (is) an amazing converter and without question an incredible tool for a recording studio: you literally hear everything. And if you have a really revealing system it would be amazing. A live mic feed indeed. The Weiss was (is) a warmer version of the same.

 

So there you go: no accounting for taste. Clearly evident from my rig (MBP- Amarra- NOS de jour- Jadis OR- Quad 57's) and musical choices (classical, opera and some jazz with a sprinkling of eg Elton John from the 70s's) that I tend to the romantic rather than the revealing. The Gestalt rather than the detail.

 

Cheeri pip (& happy hi fi)

Andrew

 

 

 

[CG]

Andrew,

 

I get all of what you said. Although your tastes are not my tastes, that's what makes the world go around, eh? At least you know what you want and have a direction to get it.

 

Question: Given all that, why just come in here and tell everybody that something is awful? Wouldn't that be a bit like people telling you that you are stupid for liking your preferred rendition of classical music?

 

Just curious what motivates people...

 

 

 

[Andrew S.]

I wasn't cuddled enough as a child. I'm on the payroll of Sonic Studio's. It is part of a cunning plan for world domination. I know its one of them. I always get it mixed up.

 

What about honestly held belief based on my own personal experience?

 

Plus I happened to have a spare few minutes to dash to the computer and write crushing copy ("Amarra kills it") designed to foil Charlie Hansen's early retirement plans and keep him chained to the design desk for many years to come.

 

Truth be told I like playing with new toys and tend to speak my mind. If I like the product I say so and if not then I say so. It's just an opinion and doesn't hold any more water than that.

 

I posted what my preferences are (unusually for me) to give context: so folk like you can say - "ah ha - Andrew's got a different set of parameters to me, he likes what I like (or vice versa) so most likely it won't be (will be) the duck's whatsits for me".

 

I rabbited on OT because Clay and I are friends and we have been corresponding about dacs - really I should have just sent him an email. I want to hear Charlie's QB9 - probably suit me down to a tee. Just have to find one in Sydney.

 

As for telling me the way I like music is rubbish - go right ahead! I may not agree with you but I will for sure defend and encourage your right to say it.

 

I should say I applaud AyreWave bringing out a player which gives music lovers interested in computer audio another option. Good for them. Now about that remote....

 

[CG]

Fair response - understood. Thanks.

 

BTW, that same Mr. Hansen has gone on record here and elsewhere saying that he has no financial interest in AyreWave. You'd best buy a QB-9 if you're concerned about his retirement.

 

[Andrew S.]

Why on earth would Charlie have put his name on it - the "Ayre" part of AyreWave (I assume Gordon is the other part) unless he endorsed the product and/or derived some benefit from so doing? Seems alot of risk for no return otherwise.

 

Gosh you Americans are all so serious. My tongue is firmly in my cheek. I'm just pulling your leg. And giving Charlie a compliment: he is an extraordinary designer and by account a top bloke as well (he even answered a couple emails from me so he can't be all bad). I hope he stays designing for many years to come.

 

Re the QB9 - if I could find one in a shop that would let me home demo for a couple days I'd try one. The distributor in Australia (Sydney) has closed it's retail shop and hasn't transferred it's stock (if it has it) to it's home theatre retail outlet (no money in hi fi apparently). And as far as I can tell they are the only people to buy one from. And I'm not keen on shelling out the readies without hearing it in my system. Cheap here they are not. Like USD 3500.

 

(@Gordon ..if you are listening your distributor in Oz is awful: a) your dacs are bloody expensive compared to the US price and b) you can't hear them unless you are in Melbourne. Twice I asked if I could demo your dacs - payment up front and return right within 14 days if I didn't like them - and twice I got the response you either buy them unheard or not at all. Terrific.

 

[cfmsp]

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing (yeah, I know, that's your signature).

 

I appreciate your opinions, even when we disagree. I find their apparent bluntness offset by your graciousness in pointing out why others might prefer something that you do not.

 

re the DACs, I thought of you the other night when I noticed a 47 Labs Shigaraki NOS DAC on Audiogon. It apparently sold quickly for around 800 dollars. No, I wasn't looking for another DAC, but was looking to see if there were any 47 Labs Gaincard amps for sale, as I'm about to sell mine.

 

As you need a no/low jitter device feeding your NOS of choice, perhaps you should consider an LIO-8? ;0

 

just kidding,

 

enjoy the quest,

clay

 

[roscoeiii]

Andrew,

 

I'd be curious to hear the ways in which you felt Amarra killed AyreWave. Even though there are options to demo both, knowing what others found lacking can help with critical listening. And if a trial period of one has already been completed, some users may not have the option of directly A/Bing the two.

 

[Alan B]

much different here. I even live in Ayre's backyard (Denver,CO) and I can't even get an in home demo of the QB9 either. The only dealer here told me I had to pay the full price before they would even order one. Yes, a non-refundable purchase at that. Not any other options for me as they are the only dealer in Colorado. Manufacturers wonder why they are losing business...

 

[barrows]

That is not a good report to hear from one of Ayre's dealers. Knowing that Ayre takes pride in good customer service, and generally holds their US dealers to very high standards, I would suggest that you contact the company directly and let them know of this experience. I cannot guarantee that they will be able to help, but I do think they would be appreciative to get the feedback on their dealer, and it is likely that they will be able to arrange for you to get a demo. I would give them a call, and ask for customer service/sales.

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Alan - Barrows is right. Contact Ayre I'm sure things will get worked out for you.

 

If not, there are many dealers around the US who would be happy to send you a demo unit and work with you through the whole demo process to be sure you get the best out of the product. Trust me there are dealers like this out there. I know a few of them.

 

[Alan B]

Thanks, I will call. If I am unable to get a home demo unit locally, then I will contact you concerning these other dealers that you mentioned.

 

[thotdoc]

OK. I downloaded AyreWave and figured out how to make it work. Then I downloaded the 'Play with AyreWave' app. And a song in AyreWave just started.

 

OK. Do I simply use 'Play with AyreWave' instead of AyreWave?

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Andrew S.]

well Clay me old mate I could..or I could buy an Auraliti - which is what I have done: I love MPD and you get folder view by default. Yippee. Oh and Mpod is a peach of an app. Did I mention the 20 ps bnc from the Juli@? And the os is on flash so you can *very* easily update change. Doubt I'll have to SSH even.

 

I just like Amarra more than AW - it sounds better to me in my system. Everyone else will be different. And that is great!!

 

Happy hi fi.

 

Cheerio

A

 

ps I have a Audio Gd NB2 (Dual Wolfson 8741 chips, R core transformer, 5 discrete linear psu and a Class A output) coming from China for US$513 delivered. A mate has one (I trust his ears) and he reckons it's the duck's nuts. Worth the punt. I'll let you know.

 

[CG]

"OK. Do I simply use 'Play with AyreWave' instead of AyreWave?"

 

Good question.

 

AyreWave is a stand-alone playback application. Play with AyreWave is an AppleScript that provides a kind of bridge between iTunes and AyreWave. It needs AyreWave to work. The intent is to provide an easy means for people who prefer to use iTunes as their library manager and user interface.

 

What happens when you launch Play with AyreWave does is a series of actions:

 

Capture tracks and albums selected in iTunes.

 

Stop iTunes from playing any track it might already be playing.

 

Check to see if AyreWave is open. If it isn't launch AyreWave. If it is, move AyreWave to the front.

 

In order, add each track selected to the AyreWave playlist.

 

If AyreWave is not already playing tracks, start playing tracks from the beginning of the AyreWave playlist. This allows you to add tracks from iTunes while AyreWave is already playing without missing a beat.

 

You can see why I suggest not checking the Preference box that tells AyreWave to remember the playlist after closing. If you use Play with AyreWave as your way to load AyreWave, things will be confused if you have items remaining in your playlist from the last use. The track banner *may* also be redundant, but that's also up to you.

 

This AppleScript just automates some actions that are easily performed in AyreWave but instead of several mouse clicks, it only takes one.

 

 

 

 

[barrows]

I did not know that Audio GD was now making a unit with the 8741. Crazy how many different models he must make now, I know he has ones with the (R2R) 1704, the ESS 9018, and now the Wolfson 8741 as well...

Anyway, be sure to give us some feedback on how you like this DAC when you get it settled. This Wolfson chip has a lot of different digital filter options, including apodising, does audio GD give control over these options in this DAC (I believe there are 5 filter choices)?