Audirvana Origin Playback Software | REVIEW

Audirvana Origin is one of two recent upgrades to the audiophile music playback software Audirvana. It was created by the French developer Damien Plisson, who was disappointed with the audiophile playback solutions available. Convincing himself he could do better, he set out to create the ultimate audio software. In 2011, Audirvana was first released.

Words and Photos by Alex Smolinski

Using a computer as an audiophile listening source such as Audirvana can be challenging. In 2012, I decided to dedicate a Mac Mini to music playback. I had been using the first generation AppleTV because it had internal storage. It synced up with my iTunes folder on my Mac desktop and could add/delete music and movies as I wished. However, I learned that it was limited to 16bit 48k, and converting all my music on-the-fly. Not good. If I wanted to hear music unaltered, I knew I’d be ditching the AppleTV. Why not get a Mac Mini?

Small, nice aesthetics, and 24bit 192k digital output over USB. While I liked the iTunes interface, the sound was indistinct. It lacked foundation. I had to look into software to make the Mac sound better.

There were a few options to consider, JRiver and Roon among them, but when I demoed Audirvana, I purchased it immediately. I swapped the spinning hard disk drive for a solid-state model and maxed out the RAM at 16G. This got rid of vibration and noise within the unit. Then I purchased a USB cable that had two connectors on the source side – one for power and one for data. This is said to reduce power supply noise from the Mac. Once a “handshake” is completed, I unplug the power leg of the USB so that only the data is connected.

Inside Audirvana Origin

I’ve been using Audirvana since 2014. Back then, it was Audirvana V2. As a lifelong Mac/iTunes user, I was very happy to see a way to improve upon the sound of iTunes. With Audirvana V3, I started using Qobuz for streaming Hi-Res. I quickly realized that although I liked not having to purchase everything I wanted to hear, the albums on Qobuz were often the latest “loud and compressed” masterings which brought on fatigue quickly. When Audirvana Origin was released in 2022 without the ability to use streaming services (see Audirvana Studio), I upgraded. My previous version 3.5 remains installed and is available for Qobuz duties when I’m in the mood. While only a modest sonic upgrade over V3.5, in my opinion, I trust that there will be ongoing development and support for many years to come.

From the very beginning, Audirvana’s whole purpose was to create a direct path of audio out of the computer. Here’s a short paragraph from their website:

“Audirvāna transmits intact data to the audio device (bit-perfect) following the shortest
possible path. To do this it has direct and exclusive access to the device that bypasses
the internal audio mixer, thus avoiding sound events from other apps and unwanted
alterations to the audio format of your music.”

All I can say is that the difference is very obvious, even going back to Audirvana V2. The digital sheen disappears and things come into focus. Effectively, it makes your computer playback sound more analog and nicer in every way. A lot is going on under the hood, and somewhat endless opportunities for tweaking. Audirvana Origin’s menus and dropdowns will likely cause some to glaze over. One setting I’ve grown to prefer in Audirvana Origin (and all previous versions) is “Exclusive Access/Integer Mode.”

Listening Sessions and Sound

Playing Jeff Buckley’s “The Last Goodbye” off his incredible album Grace reveals a slightly resonant bass drum that tightens up a bit as soon as I switch to Exclusive Access/Integer Mode. There are seemingly endless options for upsampling in Audirvana Origin, which adds a new algorithm, r8brain, as an option alongside SOX.

I’ve messed around with SOX in the past, but when I found a DAC that I liked that had great linearity and dynamic range with the ESS 9038Q2M chip, I decided to not mess with upsampling and let the DAC handle everything. I may have been quick to dismiss upsampling with Audirvana, but it was because I frequently stream to an Airport Express in the kitchen, which is limited to 16bit/44k.

Software called Airfoil receives audio from Audirvana and sends it out to various locations in the house. As I knew it was ending up as 16/44 when I enabled Airfoil, I did not bother to upsample. I let things pass bit-perfect to the DAC in native resolution (16bit/44k up to 24bit/192k). Also of note – Airfoil does not transmit audio to other rooms when using Exclusive Access/Integer Mode, so that setting is reserved for listening room-only sessions. Confused yet? Let’s dive DEEPER…

While I never gave the new upsampling algorithm a fair shake, I decided to try r8brain for this review. My DAC will accept up to 32bit/768kHz PCM and DSD256. I first tried upsampling to DSD and liked what I heard. The sound was very muscular. Solid. As I went through songs from Rock, Pop, and finally Jazz, I settled on thinking it was sounding a little hard and flat. Kind of dynamically compressed? Very cohesive, but not seductive.

I then tried the PCM upsample setting to “Device Maximum Frequency.” This was an improvement over DSD. The sound was more organic and musical. More air and less like a choke-hold, with more harmonic content coming through. This prompted me to look specifically at the DAC chip in my unit. The ESS 9038Q2M is said to convert a one-bit DSD stream into 5 or 6-bit before conversion. If there is indeed a remodulation of some kind, it would explain a little quality loss and a more processed sound when upsampling to DSD. So, for me, if I ultimately choose to upsample with Audirvana Origin, I will do so to the highest PCM sample rate. I urge everyone to research the specifics of their DAC to help with choosing the best setting.

I tend to use Audirvana Origin in what they now refer to as iTunes Integrated Mode (legacy). I browse music through iTunes, which is where I import CDs and lossless files. Audirvana Origin accesses files through the iTunes database and controls playback. However, going further for this review, I ran Audirvana Origin without iTunes open, simply pointing it to my iTunes database. I did not notice a sound difference, and I was happy to see that my playlists were available to me as well. I play “Through A Dog’s Ear” for my German Shepherd, Tomi, along with other classical and ambient music.

I quit iTunes altogether and explored Audirvana’s interface more. I have no complaints here. Select how you want to view the library – Albums, Artists, Tracks, Genre, Recently Added, and further refine the sorting by the dropdown in the top/middle of the window to choose Album, Composer, Added Date, etc. When you click the “Show Settings” icon in the upper right corner of the window (looks like a graphic eq) you can access all the options we’ve talked about thus far, and one I’ve never used called “Audio Scan.” While a track is playing, click on it and a window will open showing the tracks’ waveform and a graph on the right. Click “Start” and Audirvana Origin will analyze the file to tell you the true bit depth and resolution:

This was a little addictive for me. Semi Hi-Res? Now I have to know this? Just enjoy the music, Alex!

Audirvana Origin Conclusions

I’m so glad to review this software I’ve loved for years. In addition to learning to navigate the interface better, I learned a lot about DSD vs PCM and the current DAC in my system. And to top it off, the Audio Scan tool is something I’ll use a lot.

Audirvana Origin is simply a must-try if you listen to music on a computer. I believe it’s essential.
Origin is the subscription-free, local library solution priced at $119.99. If streaming integration is something you need, Audirvana Studio offers the same great sound and is priced at $6.99/month, $69.99 annually.

We welcome Alex Smolinski to the Part-Time Audiophile team! Born and raised in Syracuse NY, Alex’s interest in music began at age 9, studying drums and percussion. Fascinated by rock ‘n’ roll, he joined a band of high school seniors at age 14 and played his first gig at a local rock club. After high school, Alex attended The Crane School Of Music and went on to work full-time as a drummer, audio engineer, and music producer for over a decade. Stints on Universal Records and Sony Music allowed him to tour and travel worldwide for several years. When he was offered a post-production opportunity on Food Network’s “Chopped” as a sound editor/re-recording mixer, Alex sought to move further into creative sound for picture.

In 2010 he co-founded Wonder Wonder Sound in Milwaukee WI, and held the position of VP and Principal until 2022. He has worked with some of the most recognized names in music, film, advertising, and television. He currently serves as Post Production Sound Supervisor at Big Chair, leading sound from concept to design, and editing to final mix.

In addition to writing for Part-Time Audiophile, you can find him at smotown.com, where he offers insight into his work, and informs and recommends products to all those interested in audio.