Audirvana Plus 3 - Released

Discussion in 'Computer Audiophile: Software, Configs, Tools' started by Torq, Mar 8, 2017.

  1. aamefford

    aamefford Nothing like chamberpot coffee

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    How’s the remote app? I’ve been using Amarra, or at least attempting to use it, for a couple or 3 years. The remote is one of the biggest failures. One of them. Amarra sounds great, but is a pathetic kluge. I’m finally looking for something better.
     
  2. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    I find it usable but imperfect. The UX of Spotify, for example, is considerably better, but the Audirvana iphone app is good enough to get the job done.
     
  3. captkirk

    captkirk Khan's BFF

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    The remote is not terrible, but connectivity has always been an issue, at least for me. I consistently have to close the app and restart it to reconnect. More annoying than anything.

    As for UI, it's fairly basic and easy to navigate, but can get a little confusing if you're streaming with Tidal, likely due to how the UI manages your local music and that of the streaming service.

    It's nice that it's available, but it could easily be improved.

    FWIW, I started a trial for Roon, and their app is f*ing rad. Just a bummer the service is so pricey.
     
  4. aamefford

    aamefford Nothing like chamberpot coffee

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    I’m not ready to spend for Roon yet. Plus, I’m unclear if it will work the way I want - Roon an a laptop, usb’d To my Gungnir Multibit, controlled via an iPhone or iPad. Audirvana should work this way. I currently “use” Amarra this way. Quotes around use, as Amarra is such a cluster screw that use is not really the correct term. It has a really nice sound, probably buried DSP or something, but:
    • When sample rate changes, it sounds like switching speeds on a turntable until I stop and start the song one to several times.
    • Amarra crashes semi regularly
    • The remote app loads artist, album and song info in chunks as you scroll - god help you if you want to play ZZ Top
    • The remote app losses commection, crashes or crashes Amarra regularly
    Amarra is just about unusable. I’m hoping Audirvana is my salvation here. I’m also curious if Jriver is instead my salvation? I’m interested in Roon, but I’m not sure it works the way I need it to work, and the pricing is about 4x what I’d consider reasonable, at least for me, for now.
     
  5. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    It will.

    You can play to any end-point(s) from any controller.

    Controllers and end-points can be the same machine (including iOS devices).

    And the machine running Roon Core can also be a Controller and an End Point (will be by default on Windows and macOS installations).
     
  6. Madra

    Madra Acquaintance

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    @aamefford , did you try the Amarra 4.2 update?
     
  7. aamefford

    aamefford Nothing like chamberpot coffee

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    Yes. In my case, the loading of information to the remote app is a bit faster, but still unacceptable. Once I scroll through the chunks of information, any artis from my tidal catalog will show with 0 albums. It won’t update unless I select the artist , then go back to the artist list, and pick the artist again. 4.2 is also when the sample rate changes starting acting like speed changes on a turn table. There has always been lots of promise with Amarra, but in my case and set up at least, inexcusable delivery.

    Edit - Wow I sound bitter.
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2018
  8. Madra

    Madra Acquaintance

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    Not really, i have been having issues with Amarra for longer than i care to remember, all versions included. What keeps me going back to it is the Sound Quality, that I find preferable to both A+ and jRiver. I too am reluctant to spend $$ on a Roon lifetime subscription, though the more i think about it, It feels inevitable.
     
  9. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    I think most peoples mistake with Roon is looking at it as just a server/player solution. This completely misses the point ... and while it's very good in those roles, that's just the most basic elements of it's functionality.

    Install the trial, let it index your library, hook it up to Tidal, and then dedicated a few evenings to exploring music with the "Focus" mode ... and I think you'll see where it really shines.

    And if you think the subscription (yearly or lifetime) is expensive, just wait to you see what happens with all the music you discover using it the way it is supposed to be used (I've lost count of how much stuff I've bought that I never would have found without Roon ... it's so much better for discovery and understanding than any of the raw streaming solutions that it's just not funny).
     
  10. aamefford

    aamefford Nothing like chamberpot coffee

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    @Torq, one of my issues with a lifetime subscription model at $500 is the definition of “lifetime”. As in will the Roon group be around 5+ years from now?
    1 yes, that is kind of a paranoid wanker thing....
    2 I do hope so, as they are doing a good job
    3 the “exit strategy” is usually acquisition - would it be good for Apple or Spotify or some hardware outfit to acquire them? Would a lifetime subscription be honored at that point? Yeah, paranoid again....
    4 the annual option is the way out of that, it just seems a bit pricey.
    Grrrrrr, why does it have to solve all my problems and cost so much. Why am I such a cheapskate! What happened to the good old days of popping, hissing vinyl, cheap cartridges, clipping and feedback, and media packaging big enough to clean your stash in - uh I mean read and enjoy the liner notes from......

    Seriously @Torq, thank you for your comments. I *think* my plan is to try Audirvana first and see if it does what I need, and then evaluate Roon and see if the premium seems acceptable after I use it. Hmmm - that seems really obvious now that I reread it......
     
  11. donunus

    donunus Friend

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    Can't wait for the windows version. It is supposedly coming out this month according to the people at Audirvana.
     
  12. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    I wound up with both ... for different purposes.

    When I bought the lifetime subscription to Roon I was primarily concerned that they stuck around long enough to make the service not cost more than just paying annually. I'll hit that point sometime this year (or just have, I'd have to look).

    The Roon guys were previously "Sooloos" (acquired by Meridian) and that had a good run (and Roon will interoperate with it), so they've been around for a while. And, given the rate at which Roon support is being baked into new hardware I don't see it going away any time soon ... but that's not a guarantee of course.

    Roon is something for "music first" audiophiles, I think. Yes, it's a great player/server/control point. And it'll talk to a huge array of hardware. The DSP and EQ functions are excellent (especially if you like Audeze headphones as it already has the "Reveal" plug-in capabilities integrated into it). But it's really about exploring your music collection and using it as a starting point to expand out and discover not just lots more music/artists but also to get interesting insight into it.
     
  13. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    It's probably just as well that your chain isn't super-revealing. It looks like that Chris Stapleton ablum is put out by UMG, so It may well have an audible watermark in it with the Tidal version (as opposed to the CD version).
     
    Last edited: Mar 12, 2018
  14. pavi

    pavi Almost "Made"

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    this.
     
  15. Soups

    Soups Sadomasochistic cat

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    Really enjoying my Audirvana Plus trial. The way it improves the Tidal FLAC streaming experience is worth the purchase price alone for me. Not only is fidelity improved but I've had zero dropouts with Audirvana's stream caching. Probably too early in my trial to tell if such streaming consistency is to be expected - what are y'alls experience there? Aside from Tidal's sad UI, their incessant dropouts (especially during peak hours) has me begging for their more evil overlord (Spotify) to enter the hi-res racket.

    PS - Roon is next on my list, but I'm afraid to try it. On account of @Torq's description of its music exploration features, it's likely going to own me. So, any of you longtime Roon users seen any sales/discounts on their lifetime subscription? I suppose I could wait if there's some predictable black friday discount or something like that.
     
  16. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    These generally tend to be limited to something that Roon gives out at special events, shows and/or are occasionally bundled with some partner's products (i.e. Roon-Ready end-points/Servers). I've not seen a general discount code online, outside those contexts, in at least 18 months.
     
  17. gefski

    gefski Facebook Friend

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    A+/Tidal has been glitch-free for me. Great for exploring, and it's sonically very good. Tidal's recent addition of the ECM catalog really added depth in a label I like.
     
  18. Josh83

    Josh83 Friend

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    The process is tedious, but I’ve done it a few times now, and it works. Definitely worth the effort to enable Direct.
     
  19. drgumbybrain

    drgumbybrain Science Nut

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    Exactly. At first I didn’t understand the roon utility. But their algorithm is really smart. I discovered musics and albums that only a good friend could recommend .
     
  20. Orkney

    Orkney Acquaintance

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    As a longtime A+ user (sufferer?) I find it to be consistently good-sounding, laggy and buggy, even in this iteration, and its remote app Is pretty hairshirt, but it's more customizable than Roon, and generally more reliable than some of its other competitors. Roon is definitely the most seamless solution, with a solid interface and remote, notwithstanding its weird orientation bug on i-devices, and I use its focus and radio functions a lot. I run Roon core on a NAS, which takes some fiddling but is worth it for the always-on utility.

    I still can't bring myself to do the lifetime payment option, despite the occasional veiled threats by Rooners that it won't last forever. Every time I think about spending the $$$ on the lifetime I have visions of the gear/weekenders/etc that 500 might buy, and buckle. Maybe someday.
     

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