Audirvana Plus 3 - Released

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

  1. kirayamato

    kirayamato Friend

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    hearing people say it sounds better than the stock tidal app seems snake oil to me but am not sure

    @Torq in what ways does audirvana sonically make tidal sound better can you elaborate? thanks
     
  2. monacelli

    monacelli Friend

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    Torq hasn't been around in a little while, so I'm not sure you'll get a response from him. This is probably one of those situations where you just need to try it and make a determination for yourself. Maybe you'll find that the difference is meaningful, maybe you won't. The good thing is that it wouldn't cost you anything to find out. The Audirvana+ trial is completely free. For me, it would be worth the price even if it didn't sound better than the Tidal app because of its other features, e.g., integration of local library content.
     
  3. aamefford

    aamefford Nothing like chamberpot coffee

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    I did back to back, totally unscientific sighted tests of Amarra 4 lux, A+ current as of early April and Tidal. On streamed Tidal music, I found A+ and Amarra to sound a bit better. Was it close enough to be expectation bias? Probably, but it was enough better to my ears regardless, that I’d pay for it.

    I also found Amarra to sound very (very) slightly better than A+. Totally within the bounds of expectation bias. Close enough that I’d be happier with A+ just for the usability.

    I’m currently participating in Amarra’s beta. I’ve tried a couple of iterations. They may be a bit more stable, but the remote app is still nfg.
     
  4. LVF1

    LVF1 New

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    Between A+, Amarra, and JRiver on Win 10, I prefer Amarra's sound the best. But it's also the by far the most sluggish when navigating between songs on the My Music page so until that's fixed, I can't buy it. Just scrolling on the list of songs is so slow I want to delete it. But when the music is playing, it sounds so good.
     
  5. Screwdriver

    Screwdriver New

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    I tried Audirvana the other day....nope. Clunky, unresponsive and my library is all over the place. Hopefully they get it ironed out.
     
  6. LVF1

    LVF1 New

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    Yeah the library sucks. I have dupe flac albums as I'm sorting which ones sound the best and when I compare the 2 or 3 different ones in Audirvana, the wrong song is playing. I have no idea how that happens. The filename should play the correct file, but it doesn't.
     
  7. Screwdriver

    Screwdriver New

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    I have two main folders under my main music folder. Old low rez MP3's from the days of low disk space and a folder with re rips FLAC's etc. Audirvana sorts the first folder into the library and then the other. And there is no way to sort in Audirvana.
     
  8. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    Sure there is.

    Under the View menu, "Show View Options", you can control which metadata fields (including file location) are used for sorting, in which direction, and in what order they are observed. And then in Track List you can also toggle the sort order for any displayed metadata column.

    "I don't know how to do it" is not the same as "it can't be done".
     
  9. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    This is a noob question, but the way Audirvana has presented their new software is really stupid and illogical so I am forced to ask this question.

    Does Audirvana Plus work on Windows 7? They advertise it as "For Windows 10" and there is no other mention of system requirements. In the past 15 years I've been working with Windows and Linux systems, there has typically been a way to allow software to be backwards compatible to recent iterations of an OS. Has Audirvana created this latest version to only work on Windows 10?

    I have installed to Windows 7 along with the appropriate .Net 4.7.1, but Audirvana does not launch and I get no feedback as to why it does not launch. It is very important to note that this is a work computer with restrictions and some pretty hefty anti-virus software. I installed the software with local administrator privilege, and as far as I can tell everything installed correctly. It is entirely possible that the anti-virus software is killing the thread when it attempts to start, but I do not have a way of knowing that without alerting my IT directors that I am trying to run ancillary software that is not approved. So I just want to be clear, will Audirvana Plus work on Windows 7 under normal circumstances?

    I am perfectly comfortable using Foobar2000 but I had hoped that by now someone would have come out with a software program with a more modern interface and a bit of UX consideration.

    Foobar it is!
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2018
  10. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    Nope, the Windows version of Audirvana+ requires a 64-bit version of Windows 10.

    It's listed as one of the system requirements on the "buy" page for the Windows version.
     
  11. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    Win 10 eval:

    OK, I use wav+cue, so not your 'typical' mp3/flac libraray, but nonetheless this thing is nowhere near competent. It saw 1 of 4 albums in a test directory, cocked up the album covers and crashed within 3 minutes. The options under settings are so minimal that someone who cares about what a player is going to do woith metadata retrieval and so on before loading a library has no way to know what will happen.

    No thank you, not even close.
     
  12. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    I can't comment on the Windows version; I run the macOS version - and then only on my laptop - and THEN only when traveling and wanting both local-library AND TIDAL access and some reasonable control options/Audio-Unit support for the output.

    Otherwise I'm a Roon user - regardless of platform.

    God forbid I ever have to use Windows again for my personal stuff, but I'd use Roon and Foobar 2000 there if I did. Or suck it up and deal with the complete abortion that is the entire JRiver MC UX. And totally wouldn't surprise me that the Windows version of Audirvana+ is problematic ... as I recall there was quite a bit of noise in the beta forums about it not being ready for release yet ...
     
  13. gefski

    gefski Facebook Friend

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    I haven't gone with A+3 over my 2.5.something since I'm 98% Redbook to Yggdrasil, and don't care about MQA.

    Any comments that suggest I would benefit sonically if I did?
     
  14. frenchbat

    frenchbat Almost "Made"

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    I wish the vast majority of people was actually learning to configure the software (whichever they use), instead of just rolling them.

    Timings, buffer sizes, type of dithering, etc.. they will make a difference in most cases. Failing to do that is like using bicycle tires on a sports car.
     
  15. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    Not from me ... if there's a real, sonic, difference between the two when simply doing bit-perfect replay of 16/44.1 kHz content then I wasn't able to discern it.
     
  16. Screwdriver

    Screwdriver New

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    Audirvana has fixed the sort and it now correctly lists music as well as JRiver, MB or Foobar2000. They also fixed all the other issues I had with them. So, I decided to buy it as it comes with three months of Tidal.

    Running all in bitperfect, same volume etc. I feel that JRiver, MB, Foobar, and Audirvana all sound identical. When I am just listening to music, I prefer Audirvana. JRiver for music and video and when I mess around with VST plugins. Audirvana does not support plugins yet, but the developer says they will be added soon.

    If I could only use one, it would be JRiver for the "Swiss Army Knife" ability.
     
  17. allegro

    allegro Friend

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    Latest Audirvana+ seems to be working well. I decided to take advantage of the free trial and it works with both Tidal and Quobuz without hiccups on my Win10 64 laptop.

    What I find interesting is that it does the first unfold of MQA files on Tidal so I can listen to 24/96 on my Yggdrasil while the same album on Quobuz might be limited to 24/48. And there are none of the annoying drop outs that plaqued the Tidal desktop player for me streaming MQA files when I had the Brooklyn. Audirvana+ is doing something right ... compared to the desktop Quobuz and Tidal apps I am getting better sound quality. Blacker background with better imaging and soundstage depth. Edit: I'm sold, bought a license.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2018
  18. donunus

    donunus Friend

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    did they fix the album art issue yet? My trial wasn't displaying art from folders unless the files were embedded with the art.
     
  19. allegro

    allegro Friend

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    @donunus I have only been using the free trial of Audirvana+ for two days but so far there is no problem with album art on Windows 10 Pro. But I am not importing albums. The desktop player for Quobuz can hang up and output distorts requiring me to clear the cache, exit the player and restart. There are no such problems streaming Quobuz over Audirvana+. For that reason alone I would buy a license.

    When I first started listening to Quobuz I was a little disappointed as even with 24/96 files sound from the desktop player was a bit in your face forward with lack of soundstage depth. Audirvana+ corrects those problems ... I don't consider the difference subtle so far. Also, there is a lot of content available on Quobuz that is not on Tidal.
     
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2018
  20. buonassi

    buonassi New

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    I know my rando status doesn't give me any cred, but FWIW I will still attest to A+ sound quality and excellent Tidal integration. I have the Mac version and use FabFilter ProQ2 plugin to tame treble spikes in my IEMs and cans. I believe it to be a premier product well worth the asking price and couldn't imagine building a Tidal based system without it. The developer, Damien Plisson, regularly interacts with posters and via PM on computeraudiophile.com and I'm confident he'll continue to develop the windows version to the level it is on the Mac. He has already pledged to incorporate VST plugin support for windows and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't port over both iZotope dither volume control, as well as both iZotope and SoX resampling. All you guys interested in upsampling to DSD may want to keep this on your radar.
     

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