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John
Audirvana — the ‘Plus’ is no more but a refreshed interface, first seen in the Windows variant (review here), finally comes to MacOS users with version 3.5. Price? €65.
What is Audirvana? A music player that improves the audible quality of any PC or Mac’s USB output by lowering system resource usage during playback. This, in turn, reduces the amount of electrical noise spilling from the PC/Mac’s USB port and into the noise-sensitive DAC.
Audirvana’s sound engine has reportedly been completely reworked for MacOS v3.5 and existing users only need the 30-day trial to decide for themselves if the delta is worth the extra moolah:
- Upgrade for owners of Version 1 : €45.50
- Upgrade for owners of Version 2 : €39
- Upgrade for owners of Version 3 : FREE
Integrating both, Audirvana can also improve the sound of Qobuz and Tidal. Those wanting a taste of MQA without an MQA DAC can make use of Audirvana’s ‘first unfold’ capabilities. Version 3.5 adds support for Germany’s HighResAudio streaming service. Other new features include reworked search and a mini-player.
Audirvana will also push digital audio to UPnP/DLNA devices on the same network. Per the screenshot below, the app has auto-discovered the Volumio Primo network streamer that sits on my office desk and the NAD C 338 streaming amplifier recently installed to my listening room downstairs.
The thing I like most about Audirvana is that its 30-day trial is one of the easiest ways for anyone to hear (or not) digital audio’s differences — for themselves and for free. If bits are ‘just bits’ then Audirvana will sound identical to iTunes (or any other Windows/MacOS music player).
Have you taken the Audirvana challenge?
Further information: Audirvana
