Amarra "Mini" -- $395

[deepak]

Does the Mini increase volume by 1.3 dB when engaged?

[jp11801]

I wonder if when I can record the difference digitally? In the metric halo console I can pull the signal from the firewire send and route it to the digital recording console?

[Smeggy]

it's be interesting to see if the original and amarra output would cancel each other out.

[Grahame]

it's be interesting to see if the original and amarra output would cancel each other out.

*cough* Audio DiffMaker *cough*

And a digital volt meter on the outputs fed, say A 1Khz tone should tell if there is any level difference in the output.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Grahame

[Smeggy]

Well if it does sound different as ppl say, it should definitely measure differently and not cancel. If it does alter the sound I'd be interested where and if not.. well.

[mypasswordis]

Somebody else try Minimalist Audio Player

and tell me what ya think. I never tried the minimalist one, just the Stealthplayer. I think it's the latest one. I been listening for couple of days now going back and forth between stealth and foobar.

Wow so it converts all files to wav and then stores the whole damn thing in memory. And although the dude claims it has no GUI which helps the sound and whatnot, he's pretty much using the OS as the GUI... only way it would not be GUI based is if everything was actually command line. It's close though. It's been hard comparing since there is no tracking so I can't compare anything except the beginnings of each song one after the other. There is a difference, foobar is slightly more mid-centric and muddy so far imo. Sometimes the muddiness is actually nice since it smooths out and warms the sound a bit. Actually just got around to comparing the two. Using laptop integrated audio -> Head-Direct RE-Zero, my new main rig.

[mypasswordis]

Correction, it dumps the converted wav files one file at a time into memory.

[gurubhai]

Somebody else try Minimalist Audio Player

and tell me what ya think. I never tried the minimalist one, just the Stealthplayer. I think it's the latest one. I been listening for couple of days now going back and forth between stealth and foobar.

I have tried the minimalist player & compared it to foobar.

Initially I thought that the minimalist player sounded better, but later I realized that I was using replaygain on foobar & at the same volume foobar was outputting about 6dB lower output.

On disabling replaygain I was not able to discern any difference.

[blessingx]

Here's a breakdown of the various Amarras: Stereophile: Amarra 2.1, Amarra Vinyl, Amarra Complete, What's Amarra You?

[VPI]

Having not turned on my system in months, I downloaded the latest Amarra this weekend and have found it to be pretty finicky. I guess in reading the web that a lot of people are having this problem with random noises before each song starts. Just a real short part of the next track, then silence then the track starts. Has anyone here determined a fix for this?

I am actually using the crazy Fidelio/Twilight software now which is somehow more reliable than Amarra in this particular update.

[Aimless1]

I have Amarra Mini and haven't noticed the noises you're referring to. You have probably done this, but any time I have an issue with Amarra I remove it from my system and then reinstall. If you have a demo unit I don't know that you can do a reinstall.

It has been a work in progress. When Amarra works I really like it. I like the sound reproduction and it's nice to have it play different bit rates automatically. EQ settings generally make sense if you choose to experiment with them.

My current issue is that it won't play AIFF downloads from HD Tracks. They have been working on a "fix" for the past few weeks. I just ran into an issue converting from FLAC to ALAC. I've owned it for a few months and don't think it has ever just worked with out some bug. Guess I"m paying for the privilege of beta testing.

[VPI]

I have never really had issues with Amarra function outside of iTunes work arounds when they had to catch up with new iTunes developments. I typically use Max to convert all my HDTracks music for use in iTunes.

[Voltron]

The latest Amarra or at least the Sonic Console seems buggy and unstable again. I wish I had stayed where I was but will just load an old build for now.

[VPI]

Okay Amarra 2.2 is out and it no longer uses the iLok thingee. Unfortunately it asks you for an activation code and says if you bought it recently they would e-mail it to you but if you have had it you are supposed to use your serial number. I cannot find a serial number on my old version of Amarra. Does anyone know where it is?

[Ridleyguy]

Okay Amarra 2.2 is out and it no longer uses the iLok thingee. Unfortunately it asks you for an activation code and says if you bought it recently they would e-mail it to you but if you have had it you are supposed to use your serial number. I cannot find a serial number on my old version of Amarra. Does anyone know where it is?

I used their announcement of version 2.2 email to reply, and ask them for my serial number. They replied 2 hrs. later with the serial number.

[VPI]

Thanks, I guess I will have to try that.

[Voltron]

JP told me the serial number is on the ilok dongle. Maybe you should try that. I plan to tonight v

[Aimless1]

JP told me the serial number is on the ilok dongle. Maybe you should try that. I plan to tonight v

this^^^

It's on the ilok unless you peeled the sticker off.

[VPI]

AH, I do have that. It seems like it was better when I could just move the iLok between computers.

[Voltron]

AH, I do have that. It seems like it was better when I could just move the iLok between computers.

Agreed. I'm not an ilok hater but the rest of them screwed it up for us.

[HeadphoneAddict]

I met the Amarra guys at RMAF last year, and was one of the lucky few who convinced them to lock it to my Macbook Pro without the iLok dongle, PLUS give me a license on an iLok to use it with any other computer. I would hope that I can keep using version 2.1 with the iLok on our other Macs, even if I upgrade the Macbook Pro to version 2.2 or higher.

On the other hand, I've heard that you can install 2.2 on two computers, and you can deactivate the software at any time to move to another computer. Is that true?

[Aimless1]

I met the Amarra guys at RMAF last year, and was one of the lucky few who convinced them to lock it to my Macbook Pro without the iLok dongle, PLUS give me a license on an iLok to use it with any other computer. I would hope that I can keep using version 2.1 with the iLok on our other Macs, even if I upgrade the Macbook Pro to version 2.2 or higher.

On the other hand, I've heard that you can install 2.2 on two computers, and you can deactivate the software at any time to move to another computer. Is that true?

From the email Sonic Studios sent:

"- New Licensing Mechanism ::Amarra 2.2 uses a new licensing method. iLoks, Interlock LIcense FIles (ILF) and Challenge Response codes are no longer used or recognized. Instead, a new user-friendly and secure authorization feature is used.

This change was made for several reasons as it:

- Provides the customer with simple, fast Internet Activation

- Allows users to manage their licenses using web based control panel

- Allows the user to move their license from one computer to another.

- Simplify purchases under a single licensing mechanism

- Customers are authorized for

Two

(2) Computers with Amarra (and can move their licenses to another computer by deactivating and reactivating)

- Customers are authorized for

One

(1) Computer with MINI and Junior (and can move their license to another computer by deactivating and reactivating)

- Secondary licenses will need to be purchased

- PPC support has been discontinued

- This change does

not

effect Amarra VINYL which continues to use the iLOK"

Edited April 22, 2011 by Aimless1

[morphsci]

So has anyone using Amarra mini upgraded to Lion and iTunes 10.4? Any problems?

[Voltron]

I haven't tried, but they sent an email suggesting that it was a bad idea to use Lion:

Amarra & Lion OS 10.7

Like a lot of Mac users, everyone here on the Amarra team is excited about the release of Mac OS 10.7 “Lion". Apple just released OSX Lion today and you may be wondering how Lion will affect you as an Amarra user.

Should I upgrade?

At this time, we recommend that you DO NOT upgrade your current operating system to Lion.

While this new version of OSX will offer most Mac users some interesting new functionality, it will also come with many more background functions turned on or enabled (i.e Security, Auto Save, iOS look/feel, etc.). While this may be good for general users, it is not good from a Music Server perspective. We want your Amarra Computer Music Player and your Mac focusing on playing back your music, not a few hundred other things going on...

NOTE: Amarra, MINI and Junior have been tested on developer versions of Lion and found to perform as expected. That said, it is always best to wait awhile before upgrading to a brand new operating system as there may be issues in the official release with devices such as DACs and in other areas of the OS. Generally, unknown issues with a new OS get discovered and addressed quickly.

If you do upgrade your current Mac OS to Lion, a few undesirable things could happen:

1) Any OS optimizations you have perfomed will be overwritten/undone.

2) Your Amarra product may sound worse.

3) If you change your OS and need Amarra technical support for Lion, we may have to charge you for a support session.

So what should you do?

Just keep using Amarra, MINI or Junior with your current Mac OS X version. This will help ensure your music playback continues working without disruption or degradation. The last thing we want is for your Amarra Computer Music Player not to work properly when you need it to.

If you must upgrade to Lion, you can set up a separate Snow Leopard partition on your Mac to continue running Amarra. You can learn more about setting up a partition at this article by Apple: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4722

We really appreciate your business. Check www.amarraaudio.com for more information and updates about Amarra Computer Music Player and Lion OS compatibility.

[morphsci]

Thanks Al,

You must be higher up on the list as I just received that email about 15 minutes ago. I guess I'll sit tight. I do like Lion on the MBA, even the reverse polish scrolling.

Edit: Just found out that as of now Amarra will only work with iTunes 10.4 in 32 bit mode.

Edited July 21, 2011 by morphsci