Amarra or amarra symphony???

All of these players have versions that sound different. The best thing is to get advice from someone who has tried them all. I selected Amarra and I use an older version which can be loaded here:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=105236.0

Once you have Amarra, just go to the "extras" folder, do a "clear preferences" and then install version 4318.

Full Amarra has the huge advantage of not only sounding superior, it has an EQ built-in that is the best on the planet. Totally transparent. I use it at home at at shows. Its like replacing your $10K speakers with $100K speakers. EQ is mostly useful for the speaker and somewhat for room bass resonances. Here are instructions on how to use EQ:

http://www.empiricalaudio.com/computer-audio/recommended-systems

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

@ Steve...

"...Once you have Amarra, just go to the "extras" folder, do a "clear preferences" and then install version 4318..."

did you mean version 4319? this is the next thing i want to try with my late 2009 mac mini setup. i'm extremely impressed with this little rig (SSD, 8 gigs mem) running audirvana and would like to give amarra a listen.

thaks for all the input guys. Will, I have tried all three (audirvana, amarra and PM) and must say that I think amarra sound better. I did have some problems with PM, but the other two worked very well. So I'm going for amarrar

Srosenburg - yes its called 4318/19.

Steve N.
Empirical Audio

Audioengr - Srosenburg - yes its called 4318/19

I am constantly reminded that this is not an exact science. Our ears, system synergy (Source, speakers, amp, cabling, etc) & room dynamics all play a role in the perception what we hear. I read in another post Steve's comments regarding the sound of the older version of Amarra and downloaded that version for an A/B comparison to current version. The newer version was better to me in warmth (less analytical), better macro/micro transients, bit better staging and overall closer to what I would expect from the master recording. After reading numerous blogs I came to realize there are others who feel the same. That said, the best means to make a decision is to try them yourself and choose which you like the most. Reaching audio nirvana is like sand through your fingers - and the search goes on.