Amarra for iTunes at RMAF...

I don't know about better, but different maybe. Try Media Monkey. Also just in case you were unaware, the fastest way I have found to access my music in iTunes is the icon to the left on the top bar towards the right. You will see 3 iconic buttons which allow you to choose between coverflow, grid or list. I use the list and then I go into 'view' (on a windows box) and choose show browser. This way I can select via genre, artist or album. Typically I select via artist and it is so much faster as it only lists the artist once (unless they feature another artist then you will see it again), next to the right of it you can filter even further by selecting that artists' album. Hope it helps.

Don,

I have download and installed the Amarra Mini demo on my Mac Mini. It goes into a Benchmark DAC-1 USB. I have tried to drive the power amp directly from DAC-1 and even listen to a HD-650 headphone plugged into the DAC-1 in order to eliminate any inference from the preamp, speaker, and room. Here is what I find:

Playback of 24/96 tracks is virtually identical to iTunes. Amarra might be a little bit cleaner at the high but the difference is so small that it could be purely psychological. It definitely will not pass my blind test. So I consider them to be identical in sound quality.

Playback of 16/44 tracks is a different story. Amarra sounds decisively cleaner. In the High Life track of Jazz at the Pawnshop, cymbals and tambourines sound more delicate, drums are tighter with more "skins", instruments are in general better focused and have more presence.

In terms of female vocal, iTunes does sounds a little bloated in the mid bass and gives singers a little bit more chest and throat sound. That might be the phrasing you referred to in your post. I can hear that difference very clearly in the Danny Boy track sang by Jacintha.

Which is better is hard to say. I think it depends on what you like and your system. In my system, that little bloated mid bass often being exaggerated a bit by the BAT preamp. So I much prefer the Amarra presentation.

Thanks, Sidssp for your remarks. The phrasing that I refer to is not chestiness, it is phrasing much like a great trumpet player is able to do; sort of like Miles Davis. Their were many trumpeters with more power but I know of non that could phrase as he did. I do appreciate your' comments, I had a Rex so I am familiar with what a Bat pre will inject into the audible picture. I tend to think it may be a bit cleaner without Amarra, but I am still evaluating :)

Thanks again.

Did anyone allow the Amarra software time to burn-in?

I joked about that too...LOL!!!