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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
pettyofficer
462 posts
 
I was hoping for some comedic uplift, all that I got from
your response was pathetic apathy. Is that why you listen to Music, to make you feel more apathetic? Is that some new
Goth thing that comes with Computer Audio? You're buying
HAL, or SKYNET for your Audio to get your Goth on? Are you
becoming a machine listening to another machine produce
Computer Audio Music? Shoot, who would want to pass an
opportunity like that up? Burn them CDs, "BURN EM"! I want
to become a machine too-"NOT"!!!
talk2me's avatar
talk2me
325 posts
 
I use a MacbookPro with ugraded GB and Decibel with usb and glass toslink cables. It sounds pretty good with HD Tracks and iTunes. However, in now way shape or form can it compete with my GNSC modded Wadia S7i. Computer audio is way over hyped by mid-fi owners and those making a loving off of cumputer audio.And to those who think silver disks are going away anytime soon, get a life.
hfisher3380
167 posts
 
Huh?? This response does not compute...
chadeffect
586 posts
 
Pettofficer,

You are probably right. I must be some kind of digital single processor goth as I thought that was funny. Computer music has finally crushed that last bit of hope out of me.

In fact now you mention it I just realised I am a machine. Not the HAL9000 Dave disliking type, more "The hitch hikers guide to the galaxy" Robot type...Marvin. And in a kind of Apple mac silver finish. Only my ASIO dithers all high sample rates to really low bandwidths. I always wished for an old anologue circuit to give me meaning.

Step away from the magnets! It's ok though. I was cheap, downloadable & very convenient.

I burned my CDs, and I love the smell of charred CDs in the morning.
pettyofficer
462 posts
 
Shortcut Computer Audio Style: Pick two points, start a line and head westward circumnavigating the Globe, come
around to the second point only 1 inch from the first
point. CD: jump the one inch! Bypass: Wasapi, Kernel Streaming, Hard Drive Errors, File Fragmentation, Meta
Data, Hard Drive Crash, Back-up Hard Drive Crash, Computer
Viruses, Three hour High Rez. Downloads, Ripping Software,
Media Player Software, Configuration of both, and endless
amount of time and tasking to handle "ALL" of these. It is like going to the Moon via Mars, are we lost here? Reasonable question before dumping a 1,000 times more tasking on us, as a replacement for simple plug-n-play CD?
Why do we need the 50th extra Wheels required for Computer
Audio? Because a CD is too heavy for you? Simple- I want
Music, not to have to decode the "Matrix" to get it! Your
Computer Audio is just getting in my way of my Music in a
big way! Add more steps, run more interference, "WHY"?
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