AyreWave- A New OSX Audio Player Released AT RMAF

[sbooth]

So what happens in hog mode with the hiFace driver? Can it get "32 Bit Big Endian Signed Integer" from AyreWave?

Yes.

 

If hog mode is enabled, AyreWave will send data as non-mixable Linear PCM if the device supports it. I'm not familiar with exactly which virtual formats the hiFace supports, but assuming "32 Bit Big Endian Signed Integer" is a supported virtual format AyreWave can send it.

 

[damien78]

Thanks Stephen for this explanation on the hog mode that enables to directly send a stream in the device physical format, and satisfying my curiosity to understand...

 

And keep up the good work for the best of our ears!

 

Damien

 

[Blu]

I cannot find any mention of integer mode in the AyreWave preferences. By integer mode do you mean I can have my 44.1 upsampled by 2 or 4 times, that is to 88.2 or 176.4.

 

[Blu]

I have done some careful comparisons between AIFF, FLAC and WAV, and I have found WAV to sound the best, with more depth of field, higher resolution with the musicians sounding more like they are on a stage behind and to each side of your speakers.

 

[agentsmith]

Excuse my ignorance, but is hog mode? If it helps with playback, how does not activate it?

 

Thanks

 

[cfmsp]

 

agentsmith,

 

HOG mode is a euphemism for "exclusive access" to the output drivers, as in "hogging" the device for oneself (in this case, one application)

 

Simply check the box (in preferences) that contains these words "exclusive access".

 

enjoy

clay

 

[agentsmith]

Thanks. Just checked and look like I was already hogging it. I also activated memory play feature. And it is sounding good.

 

Not sure if it is really better sounding than plain jane iTunes. But I could definitely live without the constant switching of sampling rate.

 

[I. G.]

No, as I wrote earlier, the only virtual format is 32 bit floating point for the hiFace. The "physical format" is the 32 bit integer.

 

[Mr.Sneis]

HUGE props to Stephen Booth! I've been using it for all of about 10 minutes so far and this is exactly the kind of player I've been looking for to use in OSX. Free, small, no need for album art, no delay of playback, gapless-lossless playback, etc.

 

Reminds me of Foobar in its minimalism; I hope this continues to stay free for the community and grow!

 

I've heard remote function does not work, fingers crossed it may come in future release or via add-on.

 

Thanks!

 

[SidHo]

I've been using rowmote for AW with no problem. You can't elect it as a program to run which wouldn't help anyway cuz you pretty much have to add the playlist with a keyboard any way. But once AW is running I just run row mote on my iPad and it controls all the functions including skipping through the random modes by pressing the menu button.

 

[CG]

A couple comments.

 

1. The final price for AyreWave has not been announced yet. The free beta version that everybody is trying now will expire and stop working on January 1, 2011. Depending on how the beta testing goes, there may be second beta version released for further testing. Or even a third. That's all to be determined. The final distribution means has not been set, either.

 

2. AyreWave supports all the normal remote functions provided in Snow Leopard. Your Apple remote control and similar devices should work just fine. Right now there is no dedicated remote application like the Apple Remote app for the iPod Touch/iPhone/iPad. A two way interactive app like that requires a serious programming effort - it's not an afternoon's job.

 

[Bob Stern]

If iTunes and AyreWave are both running, does the Apple infrared remote control whichever one is frontmost? What if neither is frontmost?

 

I assume the same issue applies if using Rowmote on an iPod/iPhone/iPad.

 

One solution for the infrared remote is Sofa Control ($15), which can be programmed to map different buttons on the infrared remote to specific applications. I use it to map the volume up/down buttons to the Metric Halo MIO Console app and to map the play/pause & forward/reverse buttons to iTunes. However, you need rudimentary AppleScript to adapt Sofa Control to an application such as AyreWave or MIO Console for which it is not already pre-programmed.

 

[sbooth]

No, as I wrote earlier, the only virtual format is 32 bit floating point for the hiFace. The "physical format" is the 32 bit integer.

 

The available virtual formats may change depending on whether hog mode is enabled. In HALLab, take hog mode and then check the virtual format list. If there is an integer mode there, it will be used.

 

[airdronian]

Downloaded this a short time ago, and finally got the chance to listen to a few tracks.

 

I have mainly been using iTunes. Tried a PureMusic demo and wasn't totally satisfied. Downloaded AyreWave and got it installed and working but that was it until tonight.

 

Was trying a 24/96 recording of Cobbs Corner. It sounded ok, polite is a good word, not harsh but lacking something - . I checked settings while reading this thread, and found that it was in Exclusive Mode (must be default). It was not set to play from memory, and so I selected that. Selected a different track and it buffered for a bit then played.

 

Wow - more dynamic and involving presentation right off the bat. Nice. Now testing some 16/44 titles - Metheny's Question and Answer and now David Chesky's New York Chorinhos. Similar result with these different recordings.

 

I will be a/b testing against iTunes over the weekend but at present don't think there's going to be much of a contest.

 

Of course we all have different systems and rooms, so our results will differ. I'm using a 2009 Mac Mini in 64bit with 4 GB ram as a source.

 

I'm looking forward to further updates to the beta and will be interested in the release product.

 

 

 

[driven -- by sound]

Submitted by wgscott on Wed, 10/20/2010 - 22:37. Joined: 04/19/2010 .:. Offline .:. Comments: 624

Driver

Remove the 32-bit version, reboot, plug in the DAC and see if it works.

 

 

Thanks for your suggestions. Tried and failed - removed driver for EMU then restarted and booted into 64-bit mode. DAC not recognized. I'm wondering if others with DACS can all do 64-bit or if not, maybe I need to reconfigure something...

 

I too, have a Mac mini goin' to a Sammy via HDMI. Does your Peachtree play at 64-bit mode in the mini?

 

[agentsmith]

Thanks for the tip on Rowmote, works really well. This comes in handy since I dropped my Apple Remote into an abyssal gap in my sofa. Tried as I might I could not retrieve it. It is a German sofa, and is built like a proverbial tank. The only way to retrieve it is to cut a hole in the bottom lining of the sofa which would cost more than the remote....

 

[I. G.]

I clicked on Take Hog Mode, but the Virtual Format option remains only 32 bit Floating Point, so I guess integer mode doesn't work with the hiFace driver.

 

[bottlerocket]

When you choose the preference to load tracks into memory, does Ayre Wave load track by track or does it attempt to load the entire playlist you've added to AW? I am wondering if loading too many tracks will cause it to become unstable?

 

[CG]

Gosh guys, are these things that hard to try for yourself? I don't mean to sound like a (fill in the derogatory term you like here), but the point of releasing beta versions of software is to give a wide audience with widely different systems a chance to try the software in their system and report the results to the software author. That way, hopefully she or he or they can fix the problems. Even though some software may be thoroughly tested by some "alpha" testers, there's so many different combinations of hardware, installed software, and user preferences that it's impossible for the alpha test group to do a complete job in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[jhbpa]

I must agree with some of the other posters as to the sonic superiority of wav files vs. aiff, however, with a few qualifications.

 

If I use Max to make the conversion, I can tweak the settings and output an uncompressed aiff version of my 24/96 files. My ears can't discern an audible difference. Unfortunately, when this file is added to AyreWave the file tags are missing.

 

The conversion performed by iTunes compresses the file. I suspect this due to the fact that the sample size encoder in iTunes is limited to 16 and the rate is limited to 48. With 24/96 wav files downloaded from iTrax as well as those created from my LP's the sonic deterioration is very obvious in PM or AyreWave, much, much more obvious than any sonic differences perceived between AyreWave and PM.

 

I've always wondered why everything from iTrax and most of the digital files I have created from my LP's sound better than everything I've purchased from HDTracks. Now I know why.

 

Possibly a way to add the tags in AyreWave can be implemented.

 

John

 

[sbooth]

When you choose the preference to load tracks into memory, does Ayre Wave load track by track or does it attempt to load the entire playlist you've added to AW? I am wondering if loading too many tracks will cause it to become unstable?

The tracks are loaded in memory one at a time as needed, so having a large playlist shouldn't make a difference.

 

[CG]

"The conversion performed by iTunes compresses the file."

 

You are absolutely right! The file is compressed to a 16 bit version and is inferior. I had never tried that particular conversion and it is definitely flawed. This stinks and is very disappointing.

 

I will do some more research and get back to you!

 

[Lars]

iTunes has had this problem with 24 bit files for years. Use Max for conversion.

 

[jhbpa]

Regarding Max and AyreWave

 

[Lars]

Sorry jhbpa. I see your problem now. Have you ever tried XLD for conversions? AW being a beta may just have to work this out in future releases.

 

http://tmkk.pv.land.to/xld/index_e.html

 

After some experimentation, AW does not show the meta data with my wave files. I don't think XLD will make any difference.