Mach2Music mini and Amarra : Huge disappointment


I invite all the fellow Audiogon members than own both the Mach2Music Mini and Amarra to share they experiences.

Mine has been a huge disappointment .

The sound I get from the Mach2Music mini even with the advantage of playing Hi-Res files is mediocre at best and way inferior to the sound of a common CD.
Mach2Music tech support after checking that every setting is correct and everything is as it should dropped the ball. They blame the mediocre sound I'm complaining about on Amarra newer version of software they say more stable but sounding not so great.......

To me It doesn't add up. When there are problems the old music start playing: It's someone else fault. May be it's just that the Mach2Music mini is not so great as some say to start with.......

After spending over $4000 on the Mach2Music web site purchasing all the best available upgrades to possibly get the best possible sound from this computer based system, including their top of the line cables (power, USB, Firewire) an optional solid state SSD hard drive besides their special sandwich case to reduce vibrations and the expensive software Amarra, I get instead the sound you would from a cassette player.........at least that's how it sounds to me in my audio system....

My audio system as you read below is of high quality and well balanced where everything from acoustic treatment to power treatment has been closely matched starting from a dedicated room 20x24x9H fully treated with massive use of acoustic diffusers Gikq7 and bass traps Soffits and Tritraps by GikAcoustics.

Audio components connected to the Mach2music mini are:

DAC : dCS Debussy 24/192
Pre: BAT VK52SE upgraded with 6H30DR supertubes Reflector 1987.
Amp: 2x BAT VK600SE Mono
Transport ; Oppo 95
Speakers ; Magnepan 20.1
Speaker cables : MIT Oracle Matrix HD90
Interconnect : MIT Oracle Matrix XLR
Power: 2x Torus RM20 (one x each amp on two dedicated 20 amp circuits)
Power cords all MIT Oracle ZIII
Audio rack Adona Zero reference
All internal and external stock fuses replaced with HiFi Tuning Supreme.

I rarely write on the forum but this is too big of a screw up to pass and I hope to save to somebody the frustration I went thru.

Besides if some of you has a very positive experience with other computer based systems please share . Help is always appreciated.

I hear good things about Solos by Meridian or the USB Thumb reader by Bryston and I'll probably move on one of the two.... life continues......

so if you'll see my Mach2mini for sale on Audiogon in the near future you already know why..............................
128x128alessandro1
The bridge is very good, but have you read this:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1320430393&openflup&74&4#74

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Steve: yes...i've read it and posted in it several times. is there something specific you'd like to point out?

i do have the mk2 upgrade.
I have a few hunderd hours on the MKII board and it is absolutely amazing. I would not be surprised if it creams the DCS, but only a proper shootout will tell. If the turn-key PS audio silent server delivers the goods, in theory you should have a plug and play computer based system, without the head-aches of doing your own integration. Reality is, this is an ongoing R&D project, which will have some frustrating bumps in the road.
As everyone knows, I am a Critic of Computer Audio. I know
it may seem that I want Computer Audio to fail, actually I
want Computer Audio to succeed. CD is failing, it could never stand up to Analog despite being more Convenient-
still having mediocre sound. Those that complained about
it's Sound Quality were quickly dismissed. The Market decided on the convenience and mediocre Sound Quality of CD. Now CD is a failure, and on its way out. This marketing
strategy did not succeed in the long run. Why do we want to
repeat this History with Computer Audio, going down the same road sacrificing Sound Quality for Convenience?
People, we are just going to end up exactly where we
started from- just going in circles. You want to break the
cycle, demand better Sound Quality from Computer Audio.
You deserve it, and Computer Audio might be around just a little bit longer than CD. Accept the mediocre Sound Quality of Computer Audio, and you will end up just putting another nail in it's coffin- CD all over again!
Learn from History, instead of just endlessly repeating it!
Mediocracy is the death knell of any Format, no matter how
immediately exciting it's convenience may be at first appeal. The End is never the less the End, unless you take steps to avoid it!