Amarra "Mini" -- $395

[Hopstretch]

Interesting.

Focused on pure playback, it seems. You apparently give up A/D, equalization and 24/192 support (caps at 24/96) for your $1100 savings -- though that's all second hand scuttlebutt.

[blessingx]

Very, very interesting.

Still opposed to iLok use (especially for laptops), though.

[Dreadhead]

Still opposed to iLok use (especially for laptops), though.

A fucking dongle? Are you shitting me? What the fuck is wrong with flexLM or some equivalent.

Dongles are crap.:palm:

[Hopstretch]

Dongles are crap.:palm:

Although the word itself is amusing, if you're from the British sphere of influence.

[Quadrangulum]

Damn, I should have waited a while.

And FYI, I think it still might be possible to get Amarra complete at $995.

[morphsci]

Dongles=Fail. I vowed never to use any software that employs them after several near death encounters in the early 90's.

[Augsburger]

Damn, I should have waited a while.

And FYI, I think it still might be possible to get Amarra complete at $995.

If so, how? I have looked all over the net and the price is the same everywhere.

[Quadrangulum]

If so, how? I have looked all over the net and the price is the same everywhere.

Here's the link.

Amarra Computer Music Player

I also just received an email from Sonic Studio about Amarra 1.01 which was just released and the forthcoming Amarra 1.1. I just installed 1.01 but I'm not sure what has changed; there weren't any release notes.

1.1 sounds pretty interesting though.

Amarra 1.1 - Next Release

We are now busy starting work on Amarra 1.1 targeted for release this fall.

The main features Amarra 1.1 include:

• Support for Apple Lossless

• Support for FLAC

• Amarra Vinyl Recording and Format Converter

What is Amarra Vinyl? Amarra Vinyl is a standalone application with the following capabilities :

• Records Vinyl and other analog sources up to 192 kHz.

• Import CDs

• Burn CDs

• Export Tracks into iTunes

• High Quality Sample Rate Conversion

For all current users of Amarra interested in Vinyl recording we can provide a copy of soundBlade and noise restoration tools until Amarra Vinyl is released. Please write use at Sonic Studio for more information.

[Quadrangulum]

Not sure how I didn't notice earlier but 1.01 updated the UI.

[Sherwood]

Somehow Amarra has gone completely over my head. Could one of you fine gentlemen give me the quick non-sales-pitch rundown of why I would want this?

[Dreadhead]

Somehow Amarra has gone completely over my head. Could one of you fine gentlemen give me the quick non-sales-pitch rundown of why I would want this?

It makes your digital recording sound "better" by applying proprietary DSP to the digital signal. It can be summed up with the quote along the lines "the correct math is not the best sounding math" (can't find the original on their website anymore). At that point I lost all interest.

[n_maher]

$400 for software manipulation is about all I can see that it does.

[morphsci]

that makes sense if you relate it to the human ear/brain combo not being a perfect and linear measurement device.

And the fact that our model of how human's actually hear is just slightly better than that under which witch doctors operate.

[Hopstretch]

Without getting into the whys and hows of Amarra -- when playing with Al's rig at CanJam I did like how easily you could toggle it on and off to get a feel for whether you actually enjoy whatever it is doing to the music.

I wonder if they'll trial the mini version the same way they do with the full suite? And I wonder if FLAC and ALAC support is baked in now that big brother has it? If not, I woudn't think they're going to make many inroads even at the lower price point.

[grawk]

It's only cultural bias that has us thinking we know more than witch doctors

[grawk]

Ah, but we're talking about the workings of the ear, not sucking chest wounds.

[Sherwood]

Alright, excellent. It's essentially a proprietary DSP plugin. Also, hey speaking of witch doctors, this guy treated my coworker's dog from 120 miles away yesterday over the phone.

[grawk]

In actuality, I think their understanding of anatomy, and how to patch up bashed up bits of flesh is better. For things like food reactions and infections, I have spent most of the last 2 years losing faith in medicine. At least as how it's practiced by doctors beholden to HMOs.

[n_maher]

does he also improve speakers over the phone?

Teleportation Tweak Audio Video Telephone Advanced Long Distance Quantum Entanglement

[Sherwood]

does he also improve speakers over the phone?

Seeing as how speakers have magnets AND high concentrations of heavy metals, I'd say that's a resounding yes.

[Hopstretch]

In actuality, I think their understanding of anatomy, and how to patch up bashed up bits of flesh is better. For things like food reactions and infections, I have spent most of the last 2 years losing faith in medicine. At least as how it's practiced by doctors beholden to HMOs.

The thread at this point would appear to be absolutely crying out for a reproduction of the witchdoctor picture du jour.

[morphsci]

For acute trauma and acute illness I agree with you reks but for a chronic disease I would certainly trust a witch doctor more than most doctors involved in the U.S. system of health care, for oh so many reasons.

[Hopstretch]

Alright, let's get off the PCP and back to the DSP.

I'll try and get in touch with Sonic Studio and see if there are any further specs available. I know Al knows Jonathan Reichbach, who is behind this stuff, so maybe he can get us some good info?

[morphsci]

^^^Ask him to get rid of the dongle.

[Voltron]

People can diminish Amarra by calling it a plug-in or by pointing out that it does not sit well with their technical notions, but the fact is that most everybody that hears iTunes without Amarra and then with it hear the benefit. I had already bought Amarra by this point, but the symposium that Computer Audiophile put on at Fantasy Studios last month demonstrated just how powerful Amarra can be. They had an incredible system for the listening tests with 4 different computer options, 4 separate Pacific Microsonics Model 2s for each computer (talk about drooling), Boulder preamp and amps, and the top Magico 5 speakers set up by the owner of Magico. They went to extremes to do level matching on all 4 systems, to a tolerance of four hundredths of a dB as tested by Paul Stubblebine, and had all other things equal to hear the different systems or to hear Amarra vs. the alternatives, including iTunes, Samplitude, and a super-tweaked UNIX thing.

The audience was mostly music/recording/manufacturing professionals, along with a number of audiophile types. There was no doubt in my mind that Amarra was making one of the biggest differences present between the competing systems, but that is my own conclusion and opinion. The more objective test of Amarra's impact was when they tried switching off Amarra in favor of straight iTunes. The audience actually laughed at the comparison and begged for Amarra to be put back on. It wasn't that it smoothed out the sound or made it euphonic, it simply sounds more natural, more like music and less like a digital hi-fi system.

How it is done, I don't know. If you ask its creator, he doesn't either, in point of fact. Amarra also switches sample and bit rates and handles more and more formats. If it doesn't handle it (MP3s, for example), then Amarra shuts itself out of the equation until the next lossless track is played.

Who among us wouldn't spend $400 for a DAC that kicked ass over iTunes output? It really amazes me that because the product here is software and because there is a Dreaded Dongle involved that people fight it so hard. This new cheaper version is a great idea for people who don't want to mess around with EQ and don't expect to use Amarra for ADC/needle-dropping duties. It will do all the good stuff to the sound and all the rate switching just like the full model, so I don't think a separate demo is needed. Anyway, just my thoughts after having this thing for a few months. YMMV, and all that.

EDIT: I was going to call Jonathan today anyway, so I will see if anything I said directly above is not correct, etc. I know you can get a Demo Dongle for a refundable or appliable $50 deposit and would encourage people to try before they cry.