Upgraded Off Ramp Impressions

bhobba · « **on:** 22 Sep 2011, 03:38 am »

Hi Guys

My upgraded Off-Ramp has arrived (it has had the USB power upgrade done) and I have popped it into my system using the Metrum.

HOLEY CRAP - either my ears are on the blink or this thing is way above either the Stello or Audiophello. Some guys are coming on over Sunday to pick up the Stello that I have on-sold and hopefully they will confirm my findings - but I suspect it will be a lay down misere really.

Its accuracy and the detail it reveals is amazing.

Based on a comparison I have just done I would say the improvement the Off-Ramp over the Audiophello is about the same as the improvement of the Audiophello over the Stello. But the listening session on Sunday will undoubtedly shed more light.

The only thing I notice is a very slight bit of hardness in the treble compared to my PDX, but I am pretty sure that is a characteristic of the DAC and not the Off-Ramp since it occurs in both the Audiophello and Stello. I am really looking forward to being able to check it out via I2S into a PDX but the guys at Lenehan Audio are really busy right now so will have to wait a bit.

Thanks
Bill

audioengr · « **Reply #1 on:** 22 Sep 2011, 04:55 am »

Bill - if you use Mac and Amarra, you should definitely try the new version 2.31. Big improvement. It's still a bit buggy, but the SQ is amazing. Evidently they are putting out 2.32 soon to fix the bug.

Steve N.

bhobba · « **Reply #2 on:** 22 Sep 2011, 06:52 am »

Quote from: audioengr on 22 Sep 2011, 04:55 am

Bill - if you use Mac and Amarra, you should definitely try the new version 2.31. Big improvement. It's still a bit buggy, but the SQ is amazing. Evidently they are putting out 2.32 soon to fix the bug.

Hi Steve

Not an Amarra type guy - to me its way over priced. I use Fidelia, Bit Perfect, Audirvana, and Pure Music. To my ears Audirvana is the best on all DAC's but on most I find Pure Music just as good - but a little different.

Thanks
Bill

audioengr · « **Reply #3 on:** 22 Sep 2011, 05:37 pm »

Quote from: bhobba on 22 Sep 2011, 06:52 am

Hi Steve

Not an Amarra type guy - to me its way over priced. I use Fidelia, Bit Perfect, Audirvana, and Pure Music. To my ears Audirvana is the best on all DAC's but on most I find Pure Music just as good - but a little different.

Thanks
Bill

Seems to me I heard they were reducing the price. I compared it to PM. Not even close IMO. Anyway, even if it was the same, Amarra is worth it for the EQ functions. These will transform your system. I am using iPad with this audio analyzer to EQ the show system:

http://www.studiosixdigital.com/audiotools.html

Without EQ, I don't believe I could have gotten Best of Show last year from TAS.

Steve N.

morganc · « **Reply #4 on:** 22 Sep 2011, 06:08 pm »

Hi Steve,
Do the EQ Functions somehow integrate into Amarra? I have been looking for something like this to use on my IPad. How easy is it to get to learn it and use it?
Thanks,
Morgan

audioengr · « **Reply #5 on:** 22 Sep 2011, 07:30 pm »

Quote from: morganc on 22 Sep 2011, 06:08 pm

Hi Steve,
Do the EQ Functions somehow integrate into Amarra? I have been looking for something like this to use on my IPad. How easy is it to get to learn it and use it?
Thanks,
Morgan

Piece of cake. The EQ is a part of full Amarra. You can turn it off or on. You can fix 3 suckouts or humps at different frequencies. You enter amplitude, Q and frequency. Q is the spread or width. It is controlled from the Mac. The Analyzer is a spectrum analyzer that runs on your iPad. You can control Amarra on the Mac from the iPad easily using Splashtop:

http://www.splashtop.com

Steve N.

jtwrace · « **Reply #6 on:** 22 Sep 2011, 07:33 pm »

A reminder that eq should be avoided if possible. It's always better to fix the room first before going to eq.

audioengr · « **Reply #7 on:** 22 Sep 2011, 09:47 pm »

Quote from: jtwrace on 22 Sep 2011, 07:33 pm

A reminder that eq should be avoided if possible. It's always better to fix the room first before going to eq.

Certainly true, however one should not be afraid to use a few dB of this EQ to fix room and speaker bumps and suckouts. Works great, sounds great. Not like previous EQ hardware. Very transparent.

Steve N.

morganc · « **Reply #8 on:** 23 Sep 2011, 05:00 am »

Thanks Steve, that sounds right on target with what I am looking for. I don't want to remodel my apartment as I am hoping to buy in the next year and don't want to have huge bills to improve the room, then repair the room, only to have to do it all over again in my new home.....this seems like a an ideal compromise.

bhobba · « **Reply #9 on:** 24 Sep 2011, 02:48 am »

Quote from: audioengr on 22 Sep 2011, 05:37 pm

Seems to me I heard they were reducing the price. I compared it to PM. Not even close IMO.

Well based on that decided to check it out. Can't even find the price - all they say is contact a dealer for special pricing. Hate that sort of thing and its a big minus for any product IMHO. I mean why use dealers for a piece of software - simply sell it direct - all dealers do is take a margin. And as for support do I really want a program that requires support? It should work flawlessly - PM for example does - no problems - ever.

As for sound quality if every single person said it was better (or even if the vast majority said so) then yea I would get it but that is far from the case - some say it is better than PM - some say its worse and Audirvana is at least as good as PM IMHO - and on some DAC's is better - and it is totally free.

Sorry but I have never felt good about Amarra.

Thanks
Bill

bhobba · « **Reply #10 on:** 24 Sep 2011, 02:52 am »

Hi Guys

Yesterday I was with my mate from Toowomba and we checked out the Stello, Audiophello and Off-Ramp. That is the exact order as far as performance goes - the Off-Ramp is in a different class compared to the Audiophello, just like the Audioiphello is in a different class compared to the Stello. I have some others coming over Sunday and will check it out again, however I will be very surprised it they don't find exactly the same thing.

I will keep you posted.

Thanks
Bill

audioengr · « **Reply #11 on:** 24 Sep 2011, 04:39 am »

Quote from: bhobba on 24 Sep 2011, 02:48 am

Well based on that decided to check it out. Can't even find the price - all they say is contact a dealer for special pricing. Hate that sort of thing and its a big minus for any product IMHO. I mean why use dealers for a piece of software - simply sell it direct - all dealers do is take a margin. And as for support do I really want a program that requires support? It should work flawlessly - PM for example does - no problems - ever.

As for sound quality if every single person said it was better (or even if the vast majority said so) then yea I would get it but that is far from the case - some say it is better than PM - some say its worse and Audirvana is at least as good as PM IMHO - and on some DAC's is better - and it is totally free.

Sorry but I have never felt good about Amarra.

Thanks
Bill

I believe you can get a free trial of Amarra. Wait until they have 2.32. This has the great SQ and all the bug fixes.

Steve N.

bhobba · « **Reply #12 on:** 6 Oct 2011, 07:20 am »

Just had an email from a guy wanting to know whether to get an Audiophilleo or an Off-Ramp with his WFS DAC2. To help him out have been doing a bit of mucking around with the two into my WFS. The difference is shocking - it really is. With the Off-Ramp it has much more life and detail. The Off-Ramp is in a different class. To be fair that is not to slight the Audiophilleo - it is good its just if your finances can stretch to get the Off-Ramp it is what you should get. Oh - and both devices to remove my major objections to the WFS - thinness, coldness, and sibilance issues - the Off-Ramp is simply better at it.

Added Later:
Had another guy over yesterday checking these things out. Same result - the Off-Ramp simply blew the Audiophello away - no comparison really.

Thanks
Bill

bhobba · « **Reply #13 on:** 29 Nov 2011, 12:51 am »

Hi Guys

A guy sent me up his Berkeley Alpha to check out. Same result - the Off-Ramp blew it away. Considering the Berkeley you would have expected it to be close - it wasn't.

Thanks
Bill

srb · « **Reply #14 on:** 29 Nov 2011, 07:21 am »

Quote from: firedog on 29 Nov 2011, 07:12 am

The Off Ramp and what DAC blew away the Berkeley? Or are you saying the Berkeley was much better with the OR?

I assumed Bill was comparing the Empirical Off-Ramp interface to the Berkeley Alpha USB interface, not the Berkeley Alpha DAC.

Steve

joeling39 · « **Reply #15 on:** 29 Nov 2011, 08:06 am »

Thanks for that. Just saved me some money there.

Quote from: bhobba on 29 Nov 2011, 12:51 am

Hi Guys

A guy sent me up his Berkeley Alpha to check out. Same result - the Off-Ramp blew it away. Considering the Berkeley you would have expected it to be close - it wasn't.

Thanks
Bill

audioengr · « **Reply #16 on:** 29 Nov 2011, 07:10 pm »

Quote from: joeling39 on 29 Nov 2011, 08:06 am

Thanks for that. Just saved me some money there.

Joe, if you still have your OR4, it would probably be better to upgrade to Turboclock and USB Hynes than go to the OR5. This is a $1000 upgrade plus shipping.

That is unless you are needing the HDMI I2S output. I can accept the OR4 for trade-in on the OR5 if this is the case.

Steve N.

bhobba · « **Reply #17 on:** 11 Dec 2011, 02:21 am »

Just had a guy over yesterday checking out my DAC's. He was shocked at the difference the Off-Ramp made - how can it make such a big difference?

Thanks
Bill

audioengr · « **Reply #18 on:** 11 Dec 2011, 05:27 pm »

Quote from: bhobba on 11 Dec 2011, 02:21 am

Just had a guy over yesterday checking out my DAC's. He was shocked at the difference the Off-Ramp made - how can it make such a big difference?

Thanks
Bill

It's just low jitter and a good S/PDIF interface. Sounds easy, but it's not.

Steve N.

Audioexcels · « **Reply #19 on:** 11 Dec 2011, 08:06 pm »

Quote from: audioengr on 22 Sep 2011, 09:47 pm

Certainly true, however one should not be afraid to use a few dB of this EQ to fix room and speaker bumps and suckouts. Works great, sounds great. Not like previous EQ hardware. Very transparent.

Steve N.

Correct. Juice Hi Fi and others have been doing this for computers for a long long time now. Even some 3? years ago, a person that had essentially tried all the big buck and I mean big buck stuff out there was able to nail down this software with is system and the results were the greatest level of "anything" that he has ever heard. I do know "audiophiles" including the designer of the majority of my own electronics is entirely against this sort of stuff, but if done correctly, and using the proper people in the know, it does do wonders. My speakers use plate amps to drive the bass from 200hz on down and feature only a single band of parametric eq along with volume, and of course proper active integration into my mids/highs (coaxed and using a passive network), and this does a LOT in itself...so be it computer based or keeping things as modestly analog as possible, it REALLY helps to clean up the environment=terrible in most cases. IMHO, 90% of what we hear is the speakers and the acoustical environment the speakers are in...having the very best speakers to one's ears along with as precise an acoustical environment for them is quintessential to say the very least.

As a side note, I REALLY want to try the Off Ramp:)

! I've been trying to find my way around with what this, what that, etc. for my digital feed to my pre-dac, and I couldn't help myself when I was on your website yesterday. I find the pricing is becoming much more in line with the competition and I feel that's the point with "real" audio. I would have no problem putting my pre-dac against "anything" out there, just as I would likely find myself hard pressed to find much of anything to better the Off Ramp.

Cheers!

P.S. You're in OR??? I'm on the coast in Newport. Maybe I should bring my pre-dac out and have you give a listen with the Off-Ramp:)