I love Audirvana! Running it from my Mac mini via USB to a Technics SU-G700M2 and my speakers are Klipsch Forte IV. It's perfect, there is so much more clarity in comparison to tidal appp and most significant to Spotify.
Great video David! I started a similar journey 2 weeks ago with Roon (first 2 weeks are free). I like you am an enthusiast and bought a Bluesound Node 2021 to try streaming with Tidal through a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+. I kept seeing Roon stories on the web and in stereo mags. I pulled out my old Sony Vaio, ordered a mew battery and 8GB of RAM and installed an update of Windows 10. I’m waiting today for a 1 TB Samsung T5 SSD to arrive so I can put FLAC etc. files on it and not use a 16GB USB stick on the back of the Bluesound Node. I have started ripping some CDs again. I like the ROON interface on my laptop (Roon Core) and Roon on my iPhone. I still use vintage gear (TTs, CD transport, cassette etc.) as I love swapping gear. Vinyl, CDs, cassettes and digital streaming keep me excited about discovering new and old music. Keep up the good work!
OH MY GOD....yyyyeeeesss. Just wow. Using Tidal with the new Audirvana Studio. The dynamic range, the micro background layering and the overall tone is amazing. I can't stop listening to old favourite albums to hear new things.... I love it. My DAC is the Helm Bolt dac (does the last MQA master unfold - rendering) and sounds incredible. Also on Tidal if I skip through any track... I get a 4 second buffer. On Audirvana studio - no delay, just instantly plays without any pause. Just perfect.
Bypassing the OS level mixer to avoid resampling and multiple sound stream mixing has been understood among htpc (home theater pc) users since the late 90s per Avs forum and other pc audio related forums around 2000. The Sounblaster pci cards were infamous for their forced hardware audio resampling with no ability to bypass in software ie even 16/44 cd rips were resampled on those sb pci cards to 16/48 through their low quality resamplers Sometimes mixing and resampling are enforced by the sound card software driver and can be disabled using device control panels on windows machines, though win10 may have changed things
Audirvana definitely makea diff for those who use laptop to play music. Its not about diff in treble / HF range . sound becomes more clean...improvement in sound separation and imaging.
The Tidal app also has the option to activate exclusive port access and sending the raw Tidal signal to the DAC. I'm assuming you did that when comparing. Stopping background processes is Audirvana specific I guess, but it would surprise me if that had any effect. The only job the computer has to do is get a flac file (basically...) from the music service (Tidal) and pass it on to your system. A pure file copy in other words (ok, streaming since the DAC starts playing the file as soon as it starts getting data). That job should be easy enough. At least in theory. If someone finds Audirvana to sound better/different, then I would assume they haven't activated the exclusive port access in Tidal, and also the "Send the raw MQA" option. TLDR: Avoiding the mixer and any resampling done by the computer is the important thing here. Tidal also does that in its own app. There shouldn't be a difference.
Digital stuff can be confusing for many people (including me). I have concluded that losing some of the useful Tidal features that I like, results in my using Audirvana only occasionally. Actually I am currently transitioning to the Amazon HD service.
Windows has had a apt to bypass the audio mixer "WASAPI exclusive mode" and allow 'bit perfect' streaming since windows vista ! so not sure what Audirvana would offer over free players like 'Foobar' or 'Music Bee' using wasapi drivers ?
I guess my point is, IMO, any software that bypasses the os mixer and sends the audio out usb or spdif to an external dac should sound he same on the same dac. Again, assuming all resampling and mixing is disabled or bypassed When audivana was initially released on Mac only, it was useful because besides it’s interface for managing large music libraries, it made it easy to disable or bypass the Mac OS software mixer, which was easy to do with free music apps on windows or Linux
if it's just for sending audio signal from programs to your desired playback devices, a usb dac usually bypasses the computer's built in mixer/eq/sfx etc and should give you the option to simply choose the bitrate of signal going to the dac. in addition, you can use eartrumpet to route audio from individual programs exactly where you want the signal to go whether you want to send audio to an external dac or have the audio come out from an audio port on your computer.
For casual listening I’m using Spotify. Their smartphone app has an EQ feature that is very useful when I go jogging or listen to music in my car. For home listening I use Tidal via Audirvana on a macbook pro. I do notice an improvement with my system although I have to say, I’m also using an EQ plug in.
The best way to test things out is to capture the sound of both, Audirvana & another player (EQs & FX must be off). Then, export both of them as mono wav files. Then, load them both into an editing software or DAW. Then, invert the phase of one of the tracks. Hit play so they can run in the same time. If they null each other out perfectly, meaning, if no sound can be heard, then you'll know that what you hear is identical with both players. No "special sauce". Or, if you can hear some glitchy sounds, here & there, then you'll know that there are some differences.
Thanks for this info. I’m on the first day of my 30-trial. In settings I can see what my DACs are capable of: Peachtree DAC ITx up to 192kHz and the Topping e30 up to 768kHz PCM DSD64-DSD512 Native and DSD64-256 DoP (whatever that means). I’m playing a track on Audirvana and the display reads “88.2PCM” playing the exact same track on Tidal it’s 44.1
@@MODAC Yes! There is better depth in the sound stage. I think I’m going to purchase Audirvana. I’ve downloaded some DSD files and while the music isn’t my cup of tea, the sound is exceptional.
Ha. I had a similar issue with Audirvana. It did not see the ASIO driver of may dac. And via WASAPI it only saw my dac as a DSD64 device and not 128 as that what is capable of. Jriver, Musicbee, Roon, all saw the ASIO driver and are able to play full DSD128. Audirvana not so much. I've had numerious discussions with support. Basically they told me there is nothing wrong with their software and its up to the manufacturer to update the driver. Wait, what? The driver works with every other music software but you're telling me its broken because it does not work with your software. Sorry Audirvana, your software is broken. Chose Jriver.
To say it sounds better is misleading. In Windows, Audirvana uses either ASIO or WASAPI audio drivers for high quality streaming to your DAC. To say it's bit perfect implies that you have a prefect path from your computer to your DAC, ie: no bit errors, jitter ,,,etc.
I tried the latest Audirvana Studio and found it useless. The programme is confusing and the print and contrast terrible. I use a Mac Mini M1 and Apple Music programme with Ethernet to my Devialet Phantom one Gold setup using ALAC and found the Audirvana made no difference. The sound is already perfect from my Phantom. Another down mark is that Audirvana is now subscription based.
I had a similar experience. In my system, I would rank sound quality by 1)Audirvana 2)Tidal app for Windows 10 3)Roon. I think the sound qualify between 1 & 2 is so close that I just end up using the Tidal app 90% of the time because I greatly prefer the user interface.
Can I use Roon with Tidal? I like Tidal MQA and never tried anythinyg else, but many negative reviews about MQA is lossy. Would you still recommend Tidal over Qobuz, Apple music or Amazon HD? What DAC do you use if you don't mind sharing? Thanks so much.
@@khoiquach yes, you can use either Tidal or Qobuz with Roon. I prefer Tidal but many prefer Qobuz. I have moved my Roon server to run on an M1 Mac Mini and sound quality has improved to be equal to 2 in my original list. I have several “Roon Ready” devices but best sounding are PS Audio DirectStream dacs to my ears.
Tbh between foobar and audirvana I basically hear nothing I know bits is bits isn't completely true but I don't notice a difference in sound at all beyond maybe a little more timbre or maybe being able to hear more separation I mean I can BARELY hear a difference between a MP3 and FLAC and I'm using a sennheiser 58X
A couple of things. 1) at 3:17 what desktop speakers are you using and would you recommend them? 2) I have 2TB of music that I managed originally via ITunes. I now use JR River with my IMAC. Anything new out these days to manage my music?? Great review of Audirvana
That is a stock photo of desktop speakers. No idea of the model. I currently use a pair of floorstanding Zu Audio speakers flanking my desk. If you’re happy with JRiver, stick with it. Audirvāna has a new service called Studio. Check it out. Thanks
Thanks! Question here. Doos it connect like Roon doos? Wired to the modem and another internet cable to your streaming device? Or can you just go usb or upnp? Thanks again. Cheers!
The best discovery in playing CD quality music over my home network - ever! I was getting ready to spend $$$ on a higher end music streamer. Hopefully they'll add Amazon HD Music then my journey will be complete.
thanks for this - clear and understandable. I have a good (albeit very old) basic amplification and speaker arrangement, and am adding streaming. I have a good quality DAC and looking at streaming from a laptop. just looking at any issues that may arise that may hinder the quality -
Coherent and useful informations, thank you. I am not sure if this software may add any significant advantage to both the usage and sound quality beside using directly the apps like QOBUZ. For someone willing to have the same launcher for multiple sources, local files or streaming, it can be a solution. But the Audirvana interface is outdated and lacks some practical functions. And i saw a delay when launching some titles from Tidal. And to improve local files playing quality some others solutions exist. Make your choice.
Thank you for this video. It really saved me some time. I have Roon, but I am thinking whether I want to pay for a lifetime license or if I want to find a less cumbersome app for what I need. As a programmer myself I am tempted to try services I can setup myself but I don't want to update and maintain it.
@@MODAC - why? You think it's better than setting up my own raspberry pi w/ hifi add on boards to do the same job? Roon didn't work at all when I set it up. I'l started a technology company for 23 years, wrote software for audio, have a genius level IQ, and I was never able to get this to function even once, except on the local device. I'm sure I could do it if I really spend a lot of time on it but I don't see why I should have to do that if I'm going to, I feel like I'll just set up my own system. I think it's the best software out there but I think everything out there is 100% trash anyway.
I'm using an old macbook air via USB to my DAC. Like you, I prefer the Tidal interface which I use on my iPad. The problem I have is how can I control and view the Tidal app on my laptop? Audirvana comes with a remote app but I'm not aware of being able to control Tidal on my mac with my ipad. Any ideas?
I just did the free trial to Audirvana. I'm shocked at the sound improvement! I'm getting more CLARITY and SPACIOUSNESS (3D effect) with both local files and Tidal files. (Local files have more clarity than Tidal files). Before, I was playing local files with Volumio or M-Connect; and streaming files with AirPlay, M-Connect or Tidal Connect. Compared to M-Connect or Tidal Connect the sound is more musical (more relaxed and natural). I'm using the UPnP output to two streamers: (I'm not using USB out) -- Streamers - Magna Mano Ultra MkII & Ifi Zen Stream w/S-Booster Power Supply -- DAC - Holo Audio Spring 2 KTE -- Integrated Amp - Linear Tube Audio Z10 -- Speakers - Tekton Perfect Set & Caintuk Open Baffle w/Lee Audio F15 drivers I tried all the UpSampling parameters, but with my DAC the sound is fuller without upsampling. I will be buying the Yearly Subscription.
Just seeing your video and thank you for the post. As your review was 2-July, have you had a chance to stream Apple Music HIRES/Dolby tracks? Does Audirvana handle Apple's new formats?
@@MODAC So you no longer use Audirvana I take it? Thanks for the response. I'm just looking for ONE consolidated music manager to handle my CD's, Tidal streaming, and Apple Music streaming. But I don't think such an animal exists. I also tried Amazon HD but have been a Tidal user for so long I have chosen to keep Tidal and Apple Music for now.
Exactly This is why I’m against the stream model vs disc owner ship, ie rent vs owning, ability to resell, etc IMO, most stream subscribers are as you describe, listening to far fewer songs and, or minutes per month than the sub cost, thereby paying more on a monthly or yearly basis vs buying used vinyl or used CDs I’ve run the math many times. Current Salvation Army cd prices around Michigan are 50 cents each, though average across thrift chains is maybe a dollar. At those prices, and 45-60min per album, I doubt most lossless tier subscribers listen to 20-40 hrs per month of unrepeated lossless music
That said, I would probably do a free trial of tidal or qobuz lossless just for an audio or ht meet, for large library and convenience for club members, then cancel after free trial
I’m new to all high quality streaming I was wondering if I wound benifit if I used Audirvana on standard RUclips would that be a substantial difference
Audirvāna allows playback of your local files plus the streamed ones. I use as it sounds similar / maybe better than Qobuz, but way better than Apple Music, all in one place. The upsampling is confusing but actually can be awesome when you get that right. My rig is probably quite good, conditioned power, great dac with linear PSU, valve power amps, etc etc I miss the ability to set it to “play music like” XYZ … same as you.
Question. Hi! Ok so I’m an old guy from New Orleans that loves visuals and music (not computers files) and knows what it’s supposed to sound like. I hear major differences between musical recordings, complicated further by the “secret sauce” of hi rez streamers that vary greatly even when sampling the same song. I grew up playing music. Easy interface is important to me. I like that my most recent purchases from iTunes pop up first with a picture and I don’t have to remember names of artists or songs. Does this program have that feature, “last download/purchased pictures? I purchase my favorite cuts, rarely whole albums. I want to “press and play” not hunt and peck. 🙄
Its user interface and features are a bit simplistic. The Tidal search feature is 2nd-rate as is Audirvana's. Apple's interface is superior, but sound quality is not quite as good. Thanks, Dave
Today is day 1 of my 30 Day trial. I don't stream music, I'm looking for better sound quality for playing cds that I rip. So far, I've ripped two different cds, in AIFF, FLAC and Apple Lossless formats. I'm not sure which I like best yet. Question for Mac users, does anyone use the SysOptimizer? If so, what settings do you prefer? Thanks!
Yes, it does sound good but the user interface is just a nightmare. Try browsing through 200,000+ tracks when you cannot even get a text only view. Their album cover pics are about 20% accurate anyway. Such a shame.
Is there a way to do Parametric EQ on Audirvana? All the VST plugins I've found so far are not Parametric. Also, I don't like the Audirvana interface...it's basically a 1990s music player...
I liked Audirvana, until I tried Roon.. Roon is vastly superior in every way: You can use it on multiple devices at the same time and even link devices together but still having direct format output control for each device. Audirvana is found lacking on every level. You don't even have to listen to DSD to appreciate Roon.. I use it as my main music player/organiser.
I take this back. Not sure why but, if the intent of Audirvana is for users to try and buy the app after the trial it failed for that purpose. No difference in sound at all except that with it I have a way to organize and play my FLAC files. However after several days of reading more reviews I took the plunge and bought a license. Big difference in sound after activating it (not sure why). If you have a ton of FLAC files (on a MAC) it is worth getting it. It does enhance the sound of my MP3 files too (however, if your music file suck it will still suck). If you buy this for the purpose of just listening to Tidal streaming music just use the Tidal app, not worth to justify the $96 price. This is just my opinion.
@@chotafallen8390 I currently use VLC as my player for my FLAC files. VLC may look clunky or in some case ugly because of the poor user interface but I prefer the sound that comes out of it compared to Audirvana (yep I changed my mind I thought it was good). After 5 months, Audirvana is not worth the price tag. All hype....again just my opinion.
I agree. I’m lucky to have a college student in the family, so I only pay $9.95. Obviously, it’s your decision if it worth it to you. Take advantage of the free trial and see. Thanks.
Thanks for saving me $100. Appreciate an honest, objective review. They are hard to find among RUclips reviewers.
I love Audirvana! Running it from my Mac mini via USB to a Technics SU-G700M2 and my speakers are Klipsch Forte IV. It's perfect, there is so much more clarity in comparison to tidal appp and most significant to Spotify.
Great video David! I started a similar journey 2 weeks ago with Roon (first 2 weeks are free). I like you am an enthusiast and bought a Bluesound Node 2021 to try streaming with Tidal through a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+. I kept seeing Roon stories on the web and in stereo mags. I pulled out my old Sony Vaio, ordered a mew battery and 8GB of RAM and installed an update of Windows 10. I’m waiting today for a 1 TB Samsung T5 SSD to arrive so I can put FLAC etc. files on it and not use a 16GB USB stick on the back of the Bluesound Node. I have started ripping some CDs again.
I like the ROON interface on my laptop (Roon Core) and Roon on my iPhone.
I still use vintage gear (TTs, CD transport, cassette etc.) as I love swapping gear. Vinyl, CDs, cassettes and digital streaming keep me excited about discovering new and old music.
Keep up the good work!
OH MY GOD....yyyyeeeesss. Just wow. Using Tidal with the new Audirvana Studio. The dynamic range, the micro background layering and the overall tone is amazing. I can't stop listening to old favourite albums to hear new things.... I love it. My DAC is the Helm Bolt dac (does the last MQA master unfold - rendering) and sounds incredible. Also on Tidal if I skip through any track... I get a 4 second buffer. On Audirvana studio - no delay, just instantly plays without any pause. Just perfect.
Oh yeah I’m using it with Quboz on my pc with a DH80s dac and I’m absolutely loving it
Bypassing the OS level mixer to avoid resampling and multiple sound stream mixing has been understood among htpc (home theater pc) users since the late 90s per Avs forum and other pc audio related forums around 2000.
The Sounblaster pci cards were infamous for their forced hardware audio resampling with no ability to bypass in software ie even 16/44 cd rips were resampled on those sb pci cards to 16/48 through their low quality resamplers
Sometimes mixing and resampling are enforced by the sound card software driver and can be disabled using device control panels on windows machines, though win10 may have changed things
Audirvana definitely makea diff for those who use laptop to play music. Its not about diff in treble / HF range . sound becomes more clean...improvement in sound separation and imaging.
Bruh
The Tidal app also has the option to activate exclusive port access and sending the raw Tidal signal to the DAC. I'm assuming you did that when comparing. Stopping background processes is Audirvana specific I guess, but it would surprise me if that had any effect. The only job the computer has to do is get a flac file (basically...) from the music service (Tidal) and pass it on to your system. A pure file copy in other words (ok, streaming since the DAC starts playing the file as soon as it starts getting data). That job should be easy enough. At least in theory. If someone finds Audirvana to sound better/different, then I would assume they haven't activated the exclusive port access in Tidal, and also the "Send the raw MQA" option.
TLDR: Avoiding the mixer and any resampling done by the computer is the important thing here. Tidal also does that in its own app. There shouldn't be a difference.
Digital stuff can be confusing for many people (including me). I have concluded that losing some of the useful Tidal features that I like, results in my using Audirvana only occasionally. Actually I am currently transitioning to the Amazon HD service.
Windows has had a apt to bypass the audio mixer "WASAPI exclusive mode" and allow 'bit perfect' streaming since windows vista ! so not sure what Audirvana would offer over free players like 'Foobar' or 'Music Bee' using wasapi drivers ?
Actually win98se and xp could do bit perfect with similar driver and apps
Linux does bit perfect spdif and usb out by default
I guess my point is, IMO, any software that bypasses the os mixer and sends the audio out usb or spdif to an external dac should sound he same on the same dac. Again, assuming all resampling and mixing is disabled or bypassed
When audivana was initially released on Mac only, it was useful because besides it’s interface for managing large music libraries, it made it easy to disable or bypass the Mac OS software mixer, which was easy to do with free music apps on windows or Linux
if it's just for sending audio signal from programs to your desired playback devices, a usb dac usually bypasses the computer's built in mixer/eq/sfx etc and should give you the option to simply choose the bitrate of signal going to the dac. in addition, you can use eartrumpet to route audio from individual programs exactly where you want the signal to go whether you want to send audio to an external dac or have the audio come out from an audio port on your computer.
For casual listening I’m using Spotify. Their smartphone app has an EQ feature that is very useful when I go jogging or listen to music in my car. For home listening I use Tidal via Audirvana on a macbook pro. I do notice an improvement with my system although I have to say, I’m also using an EQ plug in.
From my experience, evaluating and comparing digital based sound is very challenging. Differences are often very subtle. Thanks, Dave
Hi which EQ plugin are u using? Thanks
@@Shoaibexpert Hi! I use Voxengo Marvel GEQ
The best way to test things out is to capture the sound of both, Audirvana & another player (EQs & FX must be off).
Then, export both of them as mono wav files.
Then, load them both into an editing software or DAW.
Then, invert the phase of one of the tracks.
Hit play so they can run in the same time.
If they null each other out perfectly, meaning, if no sound can be heard, then you'll know that what you hear is identical with both players.
No "special sauce".
Or, if you can hear some glitchy sounds, here & there, then you'll know that there are some differences.
Thanks for this info.
I’m on the first day of my 30-trial.
In settings I can see what my DACs are capable of:
Peachtree DAC ITx up to 192kHz and the Topping e30 up to 768kHz PCM
DSD64-DSD512 Native and DSD64-256 DoP (whatever that means).
I’m playing a track on Audirvana and the display reads “88.2PCM” playing the exact same track on Tidal it’s 44.1
But does it actually sound better?
@@MODAC Yes! There is better depth in the sound stage. I think I’m going to purchase Audirvana.
I’ve downloaded some DSD files and while the music isn’t my cup of tea, the sound is exceptional.
Ha. I had a similar issue with Audirvana. It did not see the ASIO driver of may dac. And via WASAPI it only saw my dac as a DSD64 device and not 128 as that what is capable of. Jriver, Musicbee, Roon, all saw the ASIO driver and are able to play full DSD128. Audirvana not so much. I've had numerious discussions with support. Basically they told me there is nothing wrong with their software and its up to the manufacturer to update the driver. Wait, what? The driver works with every other music software but you're telling me its broken because it does not work with your software. Sorry Audirvana, your software is broken. Chose Jriver.
To say it sounds better is misleading. In Windows, Audirvana uses either ASIO or WASAPI audio drivers for high quality streaming to your DAC. To say it's bit perfect implies that you have a prefect path from your computer to your DAC, ie: no bit errors, jitter ,,,etc.
I tried the latest Audirvana Studio and found it useless. The programme is confusing and the print and contrast terrible. I use a Mac Mini M1 and Apple Music programme with Ethernet to my Devialet Phantom one Gold setup using ALAC and found the Audirvana made no difference. The sound is already perfect from my Phantom. Another down mark is that Audirvana is now subscription based.
I had a similar experience. In my system, I would rank sound quality by 1)Audirvana 2)Tidal app for Windows 10 3)Roon. I think the sound qualify between 1 & 2 is so close that I just end up using the Tidal app 90% of the time because I greatly prefer the user interface.
Can I use Roon with Tidal? I like Tidal MQA and never tried anythinyg else, but many negative reviews about MQA is lossy. Would you still recommend Tidal over Qobuz, Apple music or Amazon HD? What DAC do you use if you don't mind sharing? Thanks so much.
@@khoiquach yes, you can use either Tidal or Qobuz with Roon. I prefer Tidal but many prefer Qobuz. I have moved my Roon server to run on an M1 Mac Mini and sound quality has improved to be equal to 2 in my original list. I have several “Roon Ready” devices but best sounding are PS Audio DirectStream dacs to my ears.
for me audirvana is more clear and detailed, I can hear a big difference
I wish I could say the same. I prefer the Tidal app. Thanks, Dave.
@@MODAC that's the difficult with the audio, its very subjective.
Tbh between foobar and audirvana I basically hear nothing
I know bits is bits isn't completely true but I don't notice a difference in sound at all beyond maybe a little more timbre or maybe being able to hear more separation
I mean I can BARELY hear a difference between a MP3 and FLAC and I'm using a sennheiser 58X
@@MODAC you should fix your room at First.
A couple of things. 1) at 3:17 what desktop speakers are you using and would you recommend them? 2) I have 2TB of music that I managed originally via ITunes. I now use JR River with my IMAC. Anything new out these days to manage my music?? Great review of Audirvana
That is a stock photo of desktop speakers. No idea of the model. I currently use a pair of floorstanding Zu Audio speakers flanking my desk. If you’re happy with JRiver, stick with it. Audirvāna has a new service called Studio. Check it out. Thanks
Thanks! Question here. Doos it connect like Roon doos? Wired to the modem and another internet cable to your streaming device? Or can you just go usb or upnp? Thanks again.
Cheers!
The best discovery in playing CD quality music over my home network - ever! I was getting ready to spend $$$ on a higher end music streamer. Hopefully they'll add Amazon HD Music then my journey will be complete.
I'm using SPDIF into my DAC.
I miss Winamp
Question is: Audirvana vs foobar2000.can the prog play all formats and sample rates?
Foobar2000 does not play DSD or SACD iso on Mac and even the latest release has bugs where it crashes when you play from a .cue file.
Does audirvana work like Mconnect meaning call it play qobuz over the network to my oppo 205?
It does support UPnP, so perhaps.
thanks for this - clear and understandable. I have a good (albeit very old) basic amplification and speaker arrangement, and am adding streaming. I have a good quality DAC and looking at streaming from a laptop. just looking at any issues that may arise that may hinder the quality -
Thanks alot for this. How is this different to Roon
Coherent and useful informations, thank you. I am not sure if this software may add any significant advantage to both the usage and sound quality beside using directly the apps like QOBUZ.
For someone willing to have the same launcher for multiple sources, local files or streaming, it can be a solution.
But the Audirvana interface is outdated and lacks some practical functions. And i saw a delay when launching some titles from Tidal.
And to improve local files playing quality some others solutions exist.
Make your choice.
Thank you for this video. It really saved me some time. I have Roon, but I am thinking whether I want to pay for a lifetime license or if I want to find a less cumbersome app for what I need. As a programmer myself I am tempted to try services I can setup myself but I don't want to update and maintain it.
Stick with Roon.
@@MODAC - why? You think it's better than setting up my own raspberry pi w/ hifi add on boards to do the same job? Roon didn't work at all when I set it up. I'l started a technology company for 23 years, wrote software for audio, have a genius level IQ, and I was never able to get this to function even once, except on the local device. I'm sure I could do it if I really spend a lot of time on it but I don't see why I should have to do that if I'm going to, I feel like I'll just set up my own system. I think it's the best software out there but I think everything out there is 100% trash anyway.
I'm using an old macbook air via USB to my DAC. Like you, I prefer the Tidal interface which I use on my iPad. The problem I have is how can I control and view the Tidal app on my laptop? Audirvana comes with a remote app but I'm not aware of being able to control Tidal on my mac with my ipad. Any ideas?
Tidal has Tidal Connect.
@@MODAC Thanks but how can I sit on my couch and control the Tidal app on my MacBook across the room using the iPhone app?
I just did the free trial to Audirvana. I'm shocked at the sound improvement!
I'm getting more CLARITY and SPACIOUSNESS (3D effect) with both local files and Tidal files. (Local files have more clarity than Tidal files).
Before, I was playing local files with Volumio or M-Connect; and streaming files with AirPlay, M-Connect or Tidal Connect.
Compared to M-Connect or Tidal Connect the sound is more musical (more relaxed and natural).
I'm using the UPnP output to two streamers: (I'm not using USB out)
-- Streamers - Magna Mano Ultra MkII & Ifi Zen Stream w/S-Booster Power Supply
-- DAC - Holo Audio Spring 2 KTE
-- Integrated Amp - Linear Tube Audio Z10
-- Speakers - Tekton Perfect Set & Caintuk Open Baffle w/Lee Audio F15 drivers
I tried all the UpSampling parameters, but with my DAC the sound is fuller without upsampling.
I will be buying the Yearly Subscription.
Just seeing your video and thank you for the post. As your review was 2-July, have you had a chance to stream Apple Music HIRES/Dolby tracks? Does Audirvana handle Apple's new formats?
That video was made in 2020. I don’t believe any 3rd party apps work with Apple Music. I do currently use Apple Music and Amazon HD.
@@MODAC So you no longer use Audirvana I take it? Thanks for the response. I'm just looking for ONE consolidated music manager to handle my CD's, Tidal streaming, and Apple Music streaming. But I don't think such an animal exists. I also tried Amazon HD but have been a Tidal user for so long I have chosen to keep Tidal and Apple Music for now.
tried it for 30 days and keep paying spotify bill to play 6 songs/month.
Exactly
This is why I’m against the stream model vs disc owner ship, ie rent vs owning, ability to resell, etc
IMO, most stream subscribers are as you describe, listening to far fewer songs and, or minutes per month than the sub cost, thereby paying more on a monthly or yearly basis vs buying used vinyl or used CDs
I’ve run the math many times. Current Salvation Army cd prices around Michigan are 50 cents each, though average across thrift chains is maybe a dollar. At those prices, and 45-60min per album, I doubt most lossless tier subscribers listen to 20-40 hrs per month of unrepeated lossless music
That said, I would probably do a free trial of tidal or qobuz lossless just for an audio or ht meet, for large library and convenience for club members, then cancel after free trial
I’m new to all high quality streaming I was wondering if I wound benifit if I used Audirvana on standard RUclips would that be a substantial difference
I don’t believe RUclips works with Audirvāna. You must a service like Tidal or Qobuz.
@@MODAC Ok thanks
Audirvāna allows playback of your local files plus the streamed ones. I use as it sounds similar / maybe better than Qobuz, but way better than Apple Music, all in one place. The upsampling is confusing but actually can be awesome when you get that right. My rig is probably quite good, conditioned power, great dac with linear PSU, valve power amps, etc etc
I miss the ability to set it to “play music like” XYZ … same as you.
Question. Hi! Ok so I’m an old guy from New Orleans that loves visuals and music (not computers files) and knows what it’s supposed to sound like. I hear major differences between musical recordings, complicated further by the “secret sauce” of hi rez streamers that vary greatly even when sampling the same song. I grew up playing music. Easy interface is important to me. I like that my most recent purchases from iTunes pop up first with a picture and I don’t have to remember names of artists or songs. Does this program have that feature, “last download/purchased pictures? I purchase my favorite cuts, rarely whole albums. I want to “press and play” not hunt and peck. 🙄
Its user interface and features are a bit simplistic. The Tidal search feature is 2nd-rate as is Audirvana's. Apple's interface is superior, but sound quality is not quite as good. Thanks, Dave
Don Jenkinson sounds like what I’m really looking for.
Today is day 1 of my 30 Day trial. I don't stream music, I'm looking for better sound quality for playing cds that I rip. So far, I've ripped two different cds, in AIFF, FLAC and Apple Lossless formats. I'm not sure which I like best yet. Question for Mac users, does anyone use the SysOptimizer? If so, what settings do you prefer? Thanks!
Yes, it does sound good but the user interface is just a nightmare. Try browsing through 200,000+ tracks when you cannot even get a text only view. Their album cover pics are about 20% accurate anyway. Such a shame.
I switched to Roon.
Is there a way to do Parametric EQ on Audirvana? All the VST plugins I've found so far are not Parametric. Also, I don't like the Audirvana interface...it's basically a 1990s music player...
Dmg audio equilibrium
@@econautx dmg🤔
I thought I can use audirvana to play music using qobuz to my oppo 205
I don’t see why not.
Thank you.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked Audirvana, until I tried Roon.. Roon is vastly superior in every way: You can use it on multiple devices at the same time and even link devices together but still having direct format output control for each device. Audirvana is found lacking on every level. You don't even have to listen to DSD to appreciate Roon.. I use it as my main music player/organiser.
Great review. I share the same thoughts. I tried it for 30 days and uninstalled it on my MAC.
I take this back. Not sure why but, if the intent of Audirvana is for users to try and buy the app after the trial it failed for that purpose. No difference in sound at all except that with it I have a way to organize and play my FLAC files. However after several days of reading more reviews I took the plunge and bought a license. Big difference in sound after activating it (not sure why). If you have a ton of FLAC files (on a MAC) it is worth getting it. It does enhance the sound of my MP3 files too (however, if your music file suck it will still suck). If you buy this for the purpose of just listening to Tidal streaming music just use the Tidal app, not worth to justify the $96 price. This is just my opinion.
@@cesartemio Paid version sourcecode is gold plated and insulated, free version bytes are plain copper.
@@cesartemio which software do you use now? And I don´t mean Tidal or other streaming ones. If you want to play DSD or other hi-res music you have.
@@chotafallen8390 I currently use VLC as my player for my FLAC files. VLC may look clunky or in some case ugly because of the poor user interface but I prefer the sound that comes out of it compared to Audirvana (yep I changed my mind I thought it was good). After 5 months, Audirvana is not worth the price tag. All hype....again just my opinion.
Maybe they will have a Linux version.
thank you
pretty sure this does nothing tbh
- thought stream UK on Facebook
3:41 for the non-useless section of the video
... and Tidal's $19:99/Month... when you already have a family subscription to Spotify, that turns into A LOT of money in a couple of years..
I agree. I’m lucky to have a college student in the family, so I only pay $9.95. Obviously, it’s your decision if it worth it to you. Take advantage of the free trial and see. Thanks.
I use audirvana to play my MQA files and that's about it
I believe you still need mqa certified hardware for the full unfolding.
@@MODAC Playing MQA files through Audirvana, you only get the first unfolding up to 96K
I guess I'm glad I couldn't get it to work
Audirvana