Decibel player for Mac...Anybody else using it other than me?...If so what are your thoughts?

[admin_exported]

Have been a very happy user of the Mac audio software player "Ayrewave" (sbooth.org) for several months now...Have recently switched over to it's replacement "Decibel"...I now find myself using this more often than "Pure Music"!

mp3 to 24/192 files sound fantastic.

Anybody else using this?...And If so, what are your thoughts?...Would love to hear from you.
You can find it here - http://sbooth.org/Decibel/
( Not to be confused with this one - http://decibel.silent-blade.org/index.php?n=Main.HomePage )

 

[Anonymous]

I would just like to add that the Decibel Audio Mac Player has been released today to purchase.

At just £25.23 including VAT (at todays USD exchange rate - via PAYPAL) I personally think it's a real bargain....Especially when comparing to the O/A cost of Amarra and Pure Music...It's dead simple to use...Sounds great...MP3 to High Rez...Even plays flac.

I understand that their is even a remote App for it...for your iphone/ipad/ipod touch

You can find it here - http://sbooth.org/Decibel/

Would love

to hear from any other users.

 

[6th.replicant]

Does Decibel auto-select 44.1, 88, 96 and 192s?

Ta.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi 6th.replicant

Yes it auto-selects on my W4S Dac2...I just tested 192, 176.4, 96 and 44.1 with no problems.

You can test it yourself free (It currently works for upto 24hrs - without a licence).

+

I have been trying to get Audirvana Mac Audio Player going...But no joy with my Dac at the moment.

See http://code.google.com/p/audirvana/

Cheers

 

[shooter]

6th.replicant:Does Decibel auto-select 44.1, 88, 96 and 192s?

Ta.

Tried it 6th?

 

[6th.replicant]

shooter69:6th.replicant:Does Decibel auto-select 44.1, 88, 96 and 192s?

Ta.

Tried it 6th?
Hmm, think I'll demo Decibel this evening...

BTW, in terms of sonics, IMHO I've discovered a free alternative to Pure Music - it's called "iTunes with its EQ set to 'Treble Booster'."

[EDIT]
Given Decibel a whirl - it's a huge faff to have to load it with tracks and I'm not hearing much difference compared to iTunes, maybe Decibel has a wee bit more low-end bass (which, with my DAC and speakers, I need like a night-out in Tripoli with Charlie Sheen).

Is there anything 'I'm missing', any setup suggestions?

Ta

 

[Anonymous]

I am sorry your having a problem...I just open it up and drop an album folder (or single) music file into the interface...Loads in seconds (or less) for me...It couldn't be easier or quicker as far as I can see.

Did you try flac and high rez files out of interest...something that itunes can't do on it's own without help from a 3rd party.

Cheers

 

[shooter]

6th.replicant:shooter69:6th.replicant:Does Decibel auto-select 44.1, 88, 96 and 192s?

Ta.

Tried it 6th?
Hmm, think I'll demo Decibel this evening...

BTW, in terms of sonics, IMHO I've discovered a free alternative to Pure Music - it's called "iTunes with its EQ set to 'Treble Booster'."

[EDIT]
Given Decibel a whirl - it's a huge faff to have to load it with tracks and I'm not hearing much difference compared to iTunes, maybe Decibel has a wee bit more low-end bass (which, with my DAC and speakers, I need like a night-out in Tripoli with Charlie Sheen).

Is there anything 'I'm missing', any setup suggestions?

Ta

That's two off the list then.

For god sake don't try Amara Mini, you may just like it..

 

[6th.replicant]

shooter69:... For god sake don't try Amara Mini, you may just like it..

Och, not when it's limited to 96kHz and costs $295/£180

Still, I'm keen on the rumour that iTunes 11's 4-month delay is due to the addition of enhanced specs to coincide with the launch of 24-bit DLs from the iTunes Store. Who knows what the upgrades might be - auto-switching from 44.1 to 192kHz, the adoption of 64-bit audio precessing? 'Tis only a rumour, mind.

 

[6th.replicant]

w2s:...Did you try flac and high rez files out of interest...something that itunes can't do on it's own without help from a 3rd party.
Cheers

I tried 24-bit 96-192kHz ALACs. (Isn't ALAC merely Apple's lossless equivalent of FLAC?)

And I can understand why you prefer Decibel to Pure Music, the latter sounds too bright IMHO

Cheers for the heads up re Decibel - it's always worth giving something new a try

 

[shooter]

6th.replicant:shooter69:... For god sake don't try Amara Mini, you may just like it..

Och, not when it's limited to 96kHz and costs $295/£180

Still, I'm keen on the rumour that iTunes 11's 4-month delay is due to the addition of enhanced specs to coincide with the launch of 24-bit DLs from the iTunes Store. Who knows what the upgrades might be - auto-switching from 44.1 to 192kHz, the adoption of 64-bit audio precessing? 'Tis only a rumour, mind.

Really ,didn't know Amara was limited to 96..

Seem's iTunes has the sound so would be interesting to find out what's happening with the latest release, let's hope the rummers are correct..

 

[Anonymous]

Hi 6th.replicant

Re: "Isn't ALAC merely Apple's lossless equivalent of FLAC?"

As I am sure you know flac is a very commonly used format, certainly for
high res downloads (Linn etc...), as it keeps the file size as small as
possible for downloading. It's just very convenient to have a player
such as "Decibel" that plays native flac files without having to
convert them to some other lossless format....itunes currently doesn't
support flac or high rez files without support from some other 3rd party
software.

To put it into some sort of perspective, current software prices for Mac audio players...192Khz and above.

Amarra at 695 USD for flac support + high rez to 192Khz - http://www.sonicstudio.com/amarra/productoverview.html

Pure Music at 129 USD for flac support + high rez to 384Khz - http://www.channld.com/puremusic/index.html

Decibel at 33 USD for flac support + high rez (I have only tested to 192Khz) - http://sbooth.org/Decibel/

 

[6th.replicant]

All true, w2s

I convert FLACs to ALACs using Sbooth.org's Max, which is a free DL. (Once it's converted the FLACs, Max auto loads the ALACs into iTunes.)

To play up to 192kHz I use a M2Tech hiFace USB/coax adaptor thingy - rDAC only plays 192kHz via coax - which is a minor faff because Audio MIDI has to be changed manually 'tween 44.1-192kHz, but TBH I leave 'MIDI at 192kHz. (HiFace costs £100, incl VAT & next-day deliv.)

FWIW, to my ears, Pure Music (PM) improves iTunes's soundstage, detail and separation but the trade-off is very bright/metallic top-end treble and significantly reduced mid-range bass. And IMHO, PM is a chore re Preferences re-sets (ie Energy Saving, Screen Saver, closing all other programs etc.)

At face value, Decibel looks like a bargain but when comparing its SQ to iTunes's, I heard no difference apart from increased low-end bass.

The full-fat version of Amarra, by all accounts, seems to be the ticket but at present I can't justify its $695/£427 cost, which, IMHO, also represents weapons'-grade chutzpah

So, for now I'll stick with plain ol' iTunes.

But thanks for the heads up re Decibel

 

[shooter]

6th.replicant:

The full-fat version of Amarra, by all accounts, seems to be the ticket but at present I can't justify its $695/£427 cost

I presumed wrongly the Mini was the demo version, why, haven't a clue.

By these word's 6th you've given the Amarra demo a go?

 

[6th.replicant]

shooter69:6th.replicant:

The full-fat version of Amarra, by all accounts, seems to be the ticket but at present I can't justify its $695/£427 cost

I presumed wrongly the Mini was the demo version, why, haven't a clue.

By these word's 6th you've given the Amarra demo a go?
Demo top-of-the-range Amarra? Erk ahlors, no way! With my luck, if I demo the full-house Amarra it'll sound beautiful and I'll be 'forced' to fork out £427, then a couple of months later Apple will upgrade iTunes to a level that almost negates Amarra's benefits

 

[Anonymous]

6th.replicant:shooter69:6th.replicant:

The full-fat version of Amarra, by all accounts, seems to be the ticket but at present I can't justify its $695/£427 cost

I presumed wrongly the Mini was the demo version, why, haven't a clue.

By these word's 6th you've given the Amarra demo a go?
Demo top-of-the-range Amarra? Erk ahlors, no way! With my luck, if I demo the full-house Amarra it'll sound beautiful and I'll be 'forced' to fork out £427, then a couple of months later Apple will upgrade iTunes to a level that almost negates Amarra's benefits

Hi 6th.replicant

Re. Amarra

I think you will find it is more like £500+ (Once you have added 20% VAT)...In fact the VAT alone on Amarra is over twice the total price of "Decibel" including VAT.

But as you say, if the rumours are true it's probably better to hang on for an upgraded all singing all dancing new itunes....It should be free hopefully.

I just personally think "Decibel" is a great place to start, for a sensible price if people want to investigate trying hi rez music on a mac and a budget. I really can't see the point of having all the equipment and hi rez tracks, if they haven't got a player to play them on!

It's also a good benchmark to DEMO both Ammara and Pure Music against...before parting further with a ton of money.

I purchased Pure Music about 4-5 months ago and Decibel just this week...I think they both sound pretty much the same to be honest (very good...and better than stand alone itunes IMHO)...From what I have read over on the CA forum...Some people think Pure Music is better SQ wise than Amarra's $695 effort....Then there are those that have already spent $695+ that don't...only our ears can tell us what we prefer.

I am certainly not a believer of the more it costs the better it must be! (I also don't expect Amarra to sound a million zillion miles better, if at all than the other 2)....Well that's enough of me bleating on singing the praises of Decibel....I have no vested interests in it...Just thought I should share with the community.

Cheers

 

[JohnnyC]

Fidelia is very good too. I prefer it to Amarra and have now moved to Fidelia.

It supports all formats and sample rates - $70 (whatever that is in £'s) for the full version.

 

[6th.replicant]

JohnnyC:Fidelia is very good too. I prefer it to Amarra and have now moved to Fidelia.

It supports all formats and sample rates - $70 (whatever that is in £'s) for the full version.
Oh Gawd, 'ere we go again - downloading Fidelia's demo version as a type...

 

[shooter]

6th.replicant:JohnnyC:Fidelia is very good too. I prefer it to Amarra and have now moved to Fidelia.

It supports all formats and sample rates - $70 (whatever that is in £'s) for the full version.
Oh Gawd, 'ere we go again - downloading Fidelia's demo version as a type...

Ooo...

 

[6th.replicant]

JohnnyC:Fidelia is very good too. I prefer it to Amarra and have now moved to Fidelia.

It supports all formats and sample rates - $70 (whatever that is in £'s) for the full version.
Thanks for the heads up re Fidelia, JohnnyC.

Been giving it a whirl. Hmm, interesting... Like its simple/intuitive interface - the complete antithesis to the total faff fest that is Pure Music, then.

Not sure re Fidelia's sound, though. IMHO, classical instruments have a nice natural tone, violins, for example, sound very sweet at the top-end, although overall Fidelia sounds a wee bit 'dry'. (I guess that Fidelia would sound great with a setup that's very detailed and has a hint of brightness?)

Meanwhile, iTunes - with all its settings such as 'Enhancer, Sound Check and EQ turned off - via my system has more overall separation/depth and instruments have more 'air' and timbre but, compared to Fidelia, violins and brass instruments sound a tad harsh. Hmmm.

Does Fidelia have any settings/tweaks that produce more separation/depth etc?

Cheers

 

[6th.replicant]

w2s:
6th.replicant:shooter69:6th.replicant:

The full-fat version of Amarra, by all accounts, seems to be the ticket but at present I can't justify its $695/£427 cost

I presumed wrongly the Mini was the demo version, why, haven't a clue.

By these word's 6th you've given the Amarra demo a go?
Demo top-of-the-range Amarra? Erk ahlors, no way! With my luck, if I demo the full-house Amarra it'll sound beautiful and I'll be 'forced' to fork out £427, then a couple of months later Apple will upgrade iTunes to a level that almost negates Amarra's benefits

Hi 6th.replicant

Re. Amarra
I think you will find it is more like £500+ (Once you have added 20% VAT)...In fact the VAT alone on Amarra is over twice the total price of "Decibel" including VAT...
Sure, Amarra's price is ludicrous - £500!

I'd rather fork-out £500 for some weird power cables. (Then again, maybe not.)

I guess Decibel doesn't gel with my DAC/amps/speakers?

Was worth a try, though

TY

 

[Anonymous]

I've been using Pure music for a while now and to summarise the difference between it and stock i-tunes is IMO chalk and cheese. I-tunes has a mid-band hardness that goes when Pure music is used, plus soundstaging improves along with a more natural tone and vastly improved detail levels. Bass is also more detailed and extended. Downsides are that you currently can't play streamed music and the software has the occasional glitch - small price to pay for the vast improvement in sonics. That's my tuppence worth!