Amarra for iTunes at RMAF...

I will have to try getting BlueTack at OfficeDepot. I have found too many copies to be worthless.

Your other example is part of capitalism. If you make something and no one buys it, you go out of business.

Amarra only works with Macs.

I am probably moving to a Mac system using Amarra. I am not happy with having a switching power supply in a computer near a signal source, but such a system has sounded good in several suites at RMAF and CES, and it is certainly convenient and more user friendly than using crap like Foobar which lives up to its name. I also hate remote desktops for control. Weiss had a wireless mouse that worked well.

I guess it is okay to use USB2 for data exchanges, but certainly not for sending information to a dac. I will only use firewire.

In my opinion there are enormous differences among digital hard-drive music systems, and most are unlistenable. My present Exemplar music server sounds great but it is too finicky, often driving me to pull out what few hairs I have on my head.

Tfl30, is "it" the mini?

Drubin, I have heard that you can bypass Amarra on playback. I would suspect that Apple Lossless files would not equal those of no compression files.

Roccoriley, I read the entire thread and really don't know what to make of it. As an Apple user since the 80s, I don't feel very threatened, but having heard copy protection, I cannot help but wonder if ILock in the Amarra might actually harm the music. At any rate, I want to escape Foobar and cannot tolerate Itones, so I have little choice.

Yes, Itunes is the control.

I talked with Daniel Weiss at the RMAF who was using Amarra on a Mac Mini. He was not concerned and indeed recommended Amarra.

Mrjstark, see the review in 6moons on the Minerva http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/weiss2/minerva.html
from all that I have learned, you want to avoid USB2. I am getting a Mac Mini for what the Sonic Studios setup says.
http://www.sonicstudio.com/amarra/support/howtobuildaserver.html
I am getting the big one, but you will have to get an external raid hard drive with firewire connections.

Blindjim, you are uninformed about Apple's share of the market for computer over $1000. http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/07/apple-nabs-91-of-premium-computer-market-in-june.ars

Has it occurred to you that it might be far easier to design a program such as Amarra for Macs? USB2 outputs are available on Macs, but many would argue that Firewire is superior, even with Wavelength's new asynchronous software. Finally, this is largely professional gear going for the best possible solutions and not overly concerned about the price.

Blindjim, "bits are just bits" and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I guess that says it all in my opinion. In the meantime, I am buying a 13" Macbook with a SSD drive, Amarra, and a Weiss Minerva.

I expect that Window 7 will make MS competitive again, but we will have to wait and see.

Antipodes, I guess that I'm an anti-DOS person. I have had Apples since the Apple II and the 128 Mac. I could never understand why anyone would tolerate a 1960's operating system. But I digress.

I have a music server presently that uses Foobar and Exact Copy. I have to use VNC and a remote desktop to run it-an HP netbook, the only MS computer I have owned and the last. All of these programs work okay although with disinterest in being intuitive. Overall the server sound it quite good. I am told by a friend, however, that a Mac Mini running Amarra and using the Minerva handily outperforms my Exemplar server. I must say that I will rejoice in the convenience of Amarra and the Mac.

Antipodes, I have always used Foobar thus far and don't at all share your satisfaction with it. It has no user friendliness and fails often needing a new control file. This happens so often that I have the file on a stick. Were Amarra and its use of Itunes not so superior, I would not be giving up on a Windows system.

I find synchronous USB just awful and have little experience with asynchronous USB. I have not tried Firewire, but everyone that I know says it is the best way to go, although its transmitter and receiver are much more expensive and capable than USB.

I have been focused on just putting cds on a hard drive as my existing dac is capable only up to 24/96. But HiDef is in my future.