Amarra Symphony version 2.6 is now easily the best Computer Audio software media player.
I discovered it accidentally while researching DSP systems, and was blown over by the huge improvement in sound quality over its competitors - Audirvana Plus, JRiver etc.
I'm not sure exactly what they are doing that makes it so clearly superior, but it is by far the best digital audio I've ever heard.
"Analoge sounding" is a tired quote, but it is very apt for the sound of Symphony.
If you have ever heard a master tape on a studio quality reel to reel machine you would know that it is the most "direct" sound you can hear. Amarra Symphony has much in common with that level of sound quality.
Some of my best recordings are from the 1960's - tube microphones, tube reel to reel recording, the dynamics are startling. In many ways we have gone backwards in recording technology.
However , digital is getting better and better, and I'm sure it wont be long before those old masters are surpassed.
Of course these days everything is recorded to computer files, and then released as digital files, or burnt to a physical format such as CD or SACD.
Of all the ways to play back these files, I'm convinced that Amarra Symphony is easily the highest quality playback device currently available.
Forget sample rates, bit depths, all the techno babble, Symphony plays music!
It has faults, it's library file management is a long way behind the ease and elegance of JRiver, and its not exactly cost effective, as it is expensive.
However, I think it is worth its cost. I saw this on the Computer Audio forum as a comment on the sound quality of Symphony and I quite liked the analogy:
I hesitate because I've only had a few hours with Symphony, but I opened that can of worms now didn't I. The change is hard to described so I will resort to an analogy (surprise). The experience is akin to taking in a gorgeous view of the ocean from the comfort of your air-conditioned room. Through a perfectly clear floor to ceiling window, it's beautiful. However, when you find yourself standing on the other side holding on to the railing, it's breathtaking. The sun on your face, the heat, the breeze, the smell & roar of the ocean.. a somewhat different experience than that lovely, plush, climate-controlled room.
Amarra paints a beautiful sonic picture, one which has held me captive since first listen. The recent update to 2.6 is fabulous & I truly wondered what more could I ask for my humble system. I sincerely doubt I would have upgraded if it weren't for the new iRC component now offered in Symphony. The SQ is beyond what I expected and for me the change was immediate and palpable. I can only imagine what room correction will add. I can't wait.
Symphony will really make a substantial difference to you audio enjoyment- get it!
So what has this got to do with Directly Heated Triode (DHT) tubes?
After nearly 35 years of building with DHT tubes I know most of the tricks to get them sounding as required. Most DHT preamps, indeed most tube preamps, tend to lean towards the "tube" sound character of warm and romance. And that is what I was doing myself when I released the first commercial 6SN7/300B preamp many years ago.
Over time though it became increasingly more neutral and accurate as better designs and tube loading methods were used.
Although I dont make a 300B preamp now they are still very good sounding , if a little bloomy through the bass regions.
The 300B was replaced with the 101D, and this tube could best be described as "analytical" with very good sound-staging and imaging properties, something I came to consider just as important as the "tone" of a preamp.
My preamps were now a long way from the "warm and romantic" sound of most contemporary tube preamps, and I think that was the main reason for their success.
They still had the "magic" of tubes, that vividness and directness , but were also very accurate and full of resolution.
I used the 101D tube because it was , in my opinion, the only new production tube available that was reliable, available and suitable for preamp use.
Of course there are many other DHT tubes suitable for preamplifiers, and I've tried all of them over the years- the NOS tubes from the 1930's on can be superb (the 71A is a wonderful preamp tube) but they are very hard to find in matched and unused condition.
Lately, in a quest for the ultimate balance in tone, and the 3D effects I value so highly I've turned to Russian DHT tubes. While these are also mostly NOS they are available in quantity, and most importantly are unused and of very high construction and quality.
They've allowed me to build preamps that are of even higher resolution and accuracy, perhaps in terms of absolute performance the very best tube preamps ever built .
(I'm not the only person using these tubes, there are a handful of designers around the world having fun with the Soviet tubes)
But now we have an enigma - you certainly could not call these preamps "warm and romantic" and I suspect many tube lovers would find the sound a little challenging.
Its possible, and relatively easy to "warm" up any design , and some tubes have a tendency to sound slightly warmer - given time I can build a preamp EXACTLY to a customers taste.
But you know what? A preamp that is coloured eventually becomes boring.
A coloured preamp can be very "enjoyable" , but when a really well constructed recording is played through a system that is composed of a collection of equipment that is working optimally , in synergy, at high levels of technical proficiency , meaning accuracy and resolution at the nth degree, then the truth of the recording comes shining through, the musical soul and energy is there for you to hear and be a part of.
You cant get higher than the truth.
This is the way that Supratek preamps have evolved, so if you want a warm "tubey" sounding preamp I can build it for you, and I'm happy to do it.
But , using a superb digital front end like Amarra Symphony, an accurate DHT preamp, with similarly accurate power amps and speakers , you will never be wondering what you may be missing out on.
