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Pure Music and Integer Playback

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Posted on February 18, 2011 at 04:28:11
Mercman
Audiophile

Posts: 6581
Location: So. CA
Joined: October 20, 2002
 There has been a frenzy of activity in the creation of music playback software for OSX. I recently described the excellent soundstage of the program Audirvana with its integer playback feature. A number of e-mails have come my way asking the name of my current favorite music program.

Pure Music gets my vote. As another inmate observed, Pure Music seems to have better focus and to my ear, better definition than Audirvana. Pure Music utilizes what I like to refer to as “real” memory play. That is, the total track or tracks are loaded to RAM before playback. Audirvana and Decibel both claim memory playback, but only Amarra and Pure Music truly load memory. Just look at the amount of RAM being used in Activity Monitor. By definition, both Audirvana and Decibel are using memory play, but it is different. Pure Music takes this to another level with the Preallocate feature by loading the memory in Integer form. There is no floating point conversion performed before loading memory as in Amarra.

Exclusive audio device access (hog) is another feature finding its way into all of the new audiophile music programs. Decibel, Fidelia (soon to be released version for sale), and Auirvana have this feature, but not Amarra. Pure Music seems to be the only program with true memory playback in integer with hog. There has been previous discussion in this forum of the role of loading a file completely into memory for playback. Some very respected inmates feel that full memory playback has no audible advantage. I say just turn off the memory feature in Pure Music and listen to the difference. Turning off hog and or memory results in a much smaller soundstage and diminished definition. You can try turning off one or both to prove to yourself if there is an audible difference on your system.

Rob at Channel D recently sent me an Enterprise version of Pure Music to listen to that has pure integer playback. The internal mixer is bypassed that works in floating point. There is no conversion from integer to 32 bit float. A more direct method of processing music files, that in my opinion, results in better sound quality. Audirvana also has the same integer playback, but does not match the sound quality I’m hearing with the Pure Music Enterprise version.

The clarity and definition I’m hearing with the Enterprise version of Pure Music is just amazing. Bass achieves greater definition with the soundstage expansiveness I heard in Auirvana. Good high resolution recordings are reproduced with an intimacy I have never heard before.

Guys, please realize that all dacs will not support integer playback. I think the true integer memory playback of Preallocate and hog are probably the most important features of Pure Music. Those of you with dacs that support integer will hear the added benefits of this feature.

Please wait for Channel D to finish some fine points on the integer version of Pure Music before asking Rob to release it. The Enterprise version is for brave souls that can handle an unpredictable blast of noise that sends your tweeters into the next room. Yes, this version is not ready for release. I just wanted to share my experiences with this new software.

I am hoping that this post will encourage OSX users to try the different music programs available like Pure Music, Amarra, Decibel and Fidelia. Spend some time to thoroughly learn and utilize the features in these programs. Doing so will allow you to discover your favorite music program and improve the sound quality of your system.











 

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and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 18, 2011 at 14:50:12
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nt

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 18, 2011 at 15:20:36
Mercman
Audiophile

Posts: 6581
Location: So. CA
Joined: October 20, 2002
 Use HalLab program with OSX.

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 18, 2011 at 17:27:10
ted_b
Audiophile

Posts: 803
Joined: January 14, 2001
 Steve,
Thanks for this post. As "another inmate" I appreciate the excellence in Rob's work and feel, at least in my system, his products have a focus and stability that the lesser products can't yet reach. Amarra is also excellent in its own right and I use it for some music as well.

Where in HALLAB does it indicate integer support/non-support?

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 18, 2011 at 17:36:26
Mercman
Audiophile

Posts: 6581
Location: So. CA
Joined: October 20, 2002



Rob told me this Ted. But I don't know what will come up with the Weiss dacs.

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 18, 2011 at 18:02:21
ted_b
Audiophile

Posts: 803
Joined: January 14, 2001



Mine (Weiss DAC2) shows integer in physical format, but not virtual

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 18, 2011 at 18:15:45
Mercman
Audiophile

Posts: 6581
Location: So. CA
Joined: October 20, 2002
 Ted,

Who had any idea about this stuff a year ago? All I can say is that Rob is a very talented fellow.

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 19, 2011 at 07:56:12
ted_b
Audiophile

Posts: 803
Joined: January 14, 2001
 I had a nice conversation with Rob, and here is how one checks whether his/her device (DAC) is capable of integer playback. Please try to leave Hallab with zero changes when done!

1. Run HALLab without player running

2. Important! Press the Take button in the Info tab. The Hog mode should change from -1 to another positive number (which happens to be the process ID of the application owning Hog mode; here, HALLab).

The second step is important because the non-mixable integer streams aren't revealed unless we have taken Hog mode.

3. Check for the presence of Unmixable signed integer output stream formats in the Streams tab.

4. Even more important!!!!!!! If you change the stream formats in the Streams tab, change them back to the originals before quitting HALLab, or unpleasant things can happen.

Keep in mind you are mucking with the innards of the audio system here. Accordingly, proceed with caution.

5. Quit HAllab and the hog mode will be automatically released, but remember to put streams back to normal before quitting.

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 19, 2011 at 11:25:36
roscoeiii
Audiophile

Posts: 561
Joined: April 28, 2009
 Hi Ted,

Dealing that deep into my Mac makes me nervous, but sounds like you have done this. Can you confirm whether or not the Weiss Minerva/DAC2 supports integer playback?

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 19, 2011 at 12:05:58
ted_b
Audiophile

Posts: 803
Joined: January 14, 2001
 I can confirm that it doesn't. Frankly, I'm not sure any firewire device will, but that's just speculation.

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 19, 2011 at 12:09:19
roscoeiii
Audiophile

Posts: 561
Joined: April 28, 2009
 Thanks Ted, as always.

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 19, 2011 at 12:12:04
Mercman
Audiophile

Posts: 6581
Location: So. CA
Joined: October 20, 2002
 This is a shame. The program has been pretty solid for me once I found I had something checked that I shouldn't have. We are really pushing the limit for OSX with Integer. Weiss and Apple will think we are crazy since the mixer is bit perfect.

But the sound improvement to Lucy's system is impressive and not subtle.

 

RE: Pure Music and Integer Playback, posted on February 22, 2011 at 19:26:08
hotbird
Audiophile

Posts: 345
Joined: April 11, 2007
 Is this enterprise version of Pure Music free for current users who have purchased the normal version, or is it another product that must be separately purchased? Also if it is a new product, besides just being able to provide integer playback, what other features would it have?
Am I correct to guess they are going to soon provide 2 new versions of Pure Music and market it like Amarra vs Amarra Mini?

 

No, not like Amarra!, posted on February 22, 2011 at 19:47:17
Mercman
Audiophile

Posts: 6581
Location: So. CA
Joined: October 20, 2002
 This will be an update for free in the near future for Pure Music owners.

It is Pure Music with an addtional feature. Everything remains the same in terms of features with the addtion to run integer.

 

Thanks for the good news...plus to check an issue, posted on February 22, 2011 at 19:56:01
hotbird
Audiophile

Posts: 345
Joined: April 11, 2007
 Wow, thanks for the good news for all Pure Music owners.
By the way, both myself and another friend who use Pure Music have problems playing 172/192 Hi-rez flac files purchased from HDTracks if we use gapless to playback (no issues with normal files). It will suddenly skip tracks or just become noisy after a while. No problem if we turn off gapless. We have 4GB of ram on our Mac, is it an issue of not enough RAM or is it something also experienced by other users who play hirez flac with gapless on Pure Music.

 

RE: Thanks for the good news...plus to check an issue, posted on February 22, 2011 at 20:00:03
Mercman
Audiophile

Posts: 6581
Location: So. CA
Joined: October 20, 2002
 I can't play 176.4/192 files yet until I get my dac upgraded. I think you will have to e-mail Rob about this hotbird.

 

RE: Thanks for the good news...plus to check an issue, posted on February 22, 2011 at 20:03:08
Mercman
Audiophile

Posts: 6581
Location: So. CA
Joined: October 20, 2002
 Be sure Preallocate is checked for gapless playback.

 

RE: Thanks for the good news...plus to check an issue, posted on February 22, 2011 at 20:11:03
hotbird
Audiophile

Posts: 345
Joined: April 11, 2007
 Pre-allocate is always checked for our 4G memory Macs, just want to be sure if others experiences are the same for playback of hirez flacs before emailing Rob.
Thanks

 

RE: and how would one know if their device supported integer playback? /nt, posted on February 23, 2011 at 14:59:12
Socrates7
Reviewer

Posts: 251
Location: DC Metro
Joined: February 28, 2010
 Any known devices that do?


Scot Hull
Publisher, Part-Time Audiophile

 

RE: Pure Music and Integer Playback, posted on April 14, 2011 at 19:40:19
hotbird
Audiophile

Posts: 345
Joined: April 11, 2007
 Any idea when will Enterprise version of Pure Music be released...it is already 2 months since your news of beta-testing... hope that it will be soon and not end of the year, Audionirvana is the first to have it, hope Pure Music will follow up soon

 

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