If you’re sick of trying to make non-audiophile digital music sound acceptable on anything other than ear buds, then listen up! Let us introduce you to the Amarra software by Sonic Studio.
Sonic Studio may not be a household name, but you’ve probably heard the buzz about Amarra line of downloadable consumer products, especially if you’ve been to an audio show in the last couple years. The digital audio engine developed by Sonic Studio has been used by recording engineers to create thousands of commercial CDs, and through Amarra, you can get a little closer to how the music should sound.
Sonic Studio has created three different applications that work seamlessly with iTunes to upgrade your digital music library, as well as an application that allows you to transfer vinyl to your computer in perfect resolution.
From a user in the UK, “When Amarra is switched on, music just sounds better. The soundstage is more expansive, and recordings are presented with more sonic weight.” With specialized algorithms, the Amarra products ensure that your Mac processes the musical data efficiently for a difference you can hear.
The best part? They’re all now available on Audiogon! If you want more details then continue reading.
Amarra Hifi
Amarra Hifi has simple iTunes integration yet a powerful upgrade in sound. It simply looks like a silver bar added to the top of your iTunes application as seen in the screenshot below.
When you click on the Amarra Hifi icon on your applications bar, it automatically opens Amarra Hifi as well as iTunes.
You simply select a song in iTunes and start playing! Amarra does the magic all by itself – it is as easy as that. You can also quit iTunes by quitting the Amarra Hifi app when you’re done.
You can turn Amarra on and off using the power button on the left of the Amarra Hifi bar to compare what your music sounds like before and after. If the blue light is on, Amarra is on. If it’s off, you’re listening to the music without any Amarra enhancement. Believe us, it will make a all the difference, but you don’t have to take our word for it – sign up for a free trial here!
We noticed a big difference, especially when we demoed some Beatles. Ringo Starr’s drums came alive like we’ve never experienced before on digital. The Persuasions came into the room and sang to us, standing just a few feet away!
At only $49 (or $42.49 with our 15% off discount if you buy before June 30th), who could turn sound like that down? We sure don’t know. This is a chance to try downloading without the ear pain, and maybe even introduce it to your sons, daughters, nephews, and nieces to what we are talking about when we say, “You’ve never heard a good recording, son.” We hope this encourages the generation of digital music listeners to strive for higher quality audio.
With Amarra Hifi you get the Sonic Studio Engine added to iTunes, a sample rate support (max resolution) of 192 kHz, automatic sample rate switching, the ability to play mp3, mp4, .wav, and aiff files, FLAC to AIFF conversion, and the Sonic EQ via iTunes interface.
Amarra
The next product in the Amarra line is simply called…Amarra. Amarra has all that Amarra Hifi offers, but also adds a sample rate support (max resolution) of 384 kHz, FLAC file playback, CACHE play, independent playlist creation, sonic mastering of dither algorithms, and the Sonic EQ Window. It can also work independently from iTunes.
Amarra Symphony
Amarra Symphony offers all the Amarra features, plus it brings Sonic Meters and two licenses instead of the one license you get with Amarra Hifi and Amarra.
Amarra Vinyl
Amarra Vinyl allows you to record your albums directly into your Mac with no loss of quality. You can also use it to remove any clicks, crackles, or pops with Sonic Studio’s legendary restoration technology on a simple and intuitive interface. Sonic Studio restoration tools are the industry standard in the professional mastering industry. Digital engineers have relied on Sonic Studio since 1992 when the first Sonic systems enables major record companies to begin releasing their back vinyl catalogs on CD. Now you can do the same thing with Amarra Vinyl. We saw a demonstration of the Pro version at RMAF 2012, and it was simply amazing.
*All the Amarra products require Mac OS X
To purchase these products, click here.
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