Bughead Emperor

[gldgate]

This is where I got version 4.8 earlier:

 

https://onedrive.liv...E620F5D211D!105

[bogi]

gldgate, thank you very much for the link!

[bogi]

Only few pages of the manual are translated to English.

 

When I start it, it gives me to option to choose ASIO driver I want to use.

When I click on my Gustard XMOS driver, nothing happens (DAC is on). It is not accepted. It is a standard XMOS driver, nothing specific for Gustard.

When I click on foo_dsd_asio, it is accepted, but later I realized I could not get any sound.

When I started it, I selected Playlist 1 and loaded few FLAC tracks.

After pressing PLAY some initialization was running few seconds, but no playback started.

I could not find a way how to return from that Playlist 1 window to previous windows. ESC does not work. GUI contains no main menu, only playlist related buttons on the bottom.

 

I found in the manual: Disable intel HD Graphics

I am using i5 notebook with no addon graphics.

 

Until now, for me the player GUI is misleading and I didn't get any sound. Are any setup instructions available anywhere in English?

[gldgate]

bogi:

 

You may want to head over to Jplay forum. The bughead thread is a little more active there. I would also use Google Translate on the manual. It's not perfect but it should help fill in some blanks.

 

I should be able to get you started. I use the Infinity Blade engine. Bughead engine is different in that it incorporates a small amount of jitter.

 

Once you open Infinity Blade app the first screen is set-up. You should see a list of your Asio options. I've got 3. JPlay, JRiver and my DAC (XMOS). I run Infinity Blade thru JPLAY so I select that.

 

You should now be taken to second screen which has two columns. Left side says "Select Option" and Right Side says "Select Mode". Red color means that option is selected. Blue means it is turned off. I generally select option 1, 2 and 3, set selction 5 (Auto phase) to A (you can experiment). Option 6-8 is about memory. I have option 6 and 8 selected and set DIMM to 4 x 4. My understanding is the SW utilizes at least 2MB of memory so you should list slightly less memory than you actually have. If you have dual sided memory you should be able to click on that option. I have option 9 and 10 deactivated.

 

The next section is mode. This should be pretty self explanatory. For normal FLAC playback I usually start at "normal" setting and then experiment with the other settings including upsampling. After you are done with mode hit the start button (bottom right).

 

You should now be brought to the actual player. There are a boatload of options here but if you want to play a normal flac file you do not need to anything else other than bring in music. On the bottom of the screen select "file" and browse to your library (it may take a few seconds after you hit file for the player to react). Import the track and then make sure you have it selected/highlighted. Hit play and enjoy. I was told that this player does not support drag and drop playlist like HQ Player does.

 

Hopefully, this will get you started. You can spend hours experimenting with the different filters (which have colorful non technical names). Like most players I've used, I end up trying things out and eventually dialing into a default setting for most of my listening. Hope you can get things to work.

[bogi]

Hi gldgate, thank you for your explanation!

 

My main issue is that I cannot set ASIO driver of my DAC on the 1st screen. It is listed, but when I click on it, nothing happens - I cannot get to the next screen. When I click on any other ASIO driver (some I have installed but the device appears no more at home), it is accepted and the 2nd screen with settings is displayed. The same behavior applies to both Bughead Emperor and Infinity Blade. So that's my main trouble. My driver is OK, it is XMOS driver and I am using it with HQPlayer and Foobar.

 

Because of I cannot use my DAC's ASIO driver directly, I attempted to use foo_dsd_asio proxy instead and then to specify my DAC's ASIO driver in foo_dsd_asio. I could set foo_dsd_asio in Bughear Emperor, the settings screen was displayed, but I was unsuccessful to get any sound.

 

My 2nd issue with the player (although much less important) is, that I don't know how to return from the playlist window to the settings window. I found no global menu and I didn't find a hotkey like <ESC> for that.

 

I may ask also on the JPLAY forum, thanks for the suggestion.

[gldgate]

Hi gldgate, thank you for your explanation!

 

My main issue is that I cannot set ASIO driver of my DAC on the 1st screen. It is listed, but when I click on it, nothing happens - I cannot get to the next screen. When I click on any other ASIO driver (some I have installed but the device appears no more at home), it is accepted and the 2nd screen with settings is displayed. The same behavior applies to both Bughead Emperor and Infinity Blade. So that's my main trouble. My driver is OK, it is XMOS driver and I am using it with HQPlayer and Foobar.

 

Because of I cannot use my DAC's ASIO driver directly, I attempted to use foo_dsd_asio proxy instead and then to specify my DAC's ASIO driver in foo_dsd_asio. I could set foo_dsd_asio in Bughear Emperor, the settings screen was displayed, but I was unsuccessful to get any sound.

 

My 2nd issue with the player (although much less important) is, that I don't know how to return from the playlist window to the settings window. I found no global menu and I didn't find a hotkey like <ESC> for that.

 

I may ask also on the JPLAY forum, thanks for the suggestion.

 

I have yet to find an elegant way to move between playlist and settings as well. I have to close the player and reopen it. I'm sure there is a way but I have not yet stumbled on it yet. One of the JPLAY forum members probably knows...

[bogi]

I uninstalled all ASIO drivers of the previously borrowed DACs, which remained installed on my notebook and reinstalled also the XMOS driver of my Gustard DAC. Then my ASIO driver was successfully recognized by Bughead Emperor / Infinity Blade.

 

I tried PCM both 44.1k and upsampling to 352.8. Then I found the DoP support. All DSF64 tracks were played at 2x playback speed, so they were not listenable. It was almost like rewinding a cassette tape, maybe you remember. I tried to restart the DAC, restart the app, I tried to set other mode on the right pane of the settings window - but nothing helped.

 

My impression is, that HQPlayer is easy to use application in comparison with this one. The amount of HQPlayer settings is maybe 10 times smaller than Bugheads. I didn't compare sound yet seriously, with so much settings I really don't know where to start. And at first I would like to make DSD playback functional at normal playback speed.

[Hazard]

I uninstalled all ASIO drivers of the previously borrowed DACs, which remained installed on my notebook and reinstalled also the XMOS driver of my Gustard DAC. Then my ASIO driver was successfully recognized by Bughead Emperor / Infinity Blade.

 

I tried PCM both 44.1k and upsampling to 352.8. Then I found the DoP support. All DSF64 tracks were played at 2x playback speed, so they were not listenable. It was almost like rewinding a cassette tape, maybe you remember. I tried to restart the DAC, restart the app, I tried to set other mode on the right pane of the settings window - but nothing helped.

 

My impression is, that HQPlayer is easy to use application in comparison with this one. The amount of HQPlayer settings is maybe 10 times smaller than Bugheads. I didn't compare sound yet seriously, with so much settings I really don't know where to start. And at first I would like to make DSD playback functional at normal playback speed.

I installed BHE 4.67 a few weeks ago. Through my on board sound card (PCM only) it sounds better than FòoBar or JRiver. But my USB DAC is DSD only and playing DoP i got exactly the same problem you described - aĺl DSD tracks played at double speed. Whilst i feel for tou, I'm somewhat relieved that its not just me. Would love to know if anybody has fixed this.

 

Oh BTW my USB board is DIYINHK USBtoI2S. I take DSD output directly off the the card, no DAC so no PCM playback. So apart from fixing speed issue it would be nice if BHE included PCM to DSD conversion. There seems to have been lots of software development over last couple of years but i seem to keep coming back to Foobar. It may not be as sexy as HQPlayer etc but it does do everything and it does it for free.

[bogi]

I communicated with the author via Facebook messages. He responded promptly, but more times he answered something other than I was asking. Maybe language barrier.

 

His home page is not accessible outside of Japan, he confirmed it to me and wrote "I don't care ALL."

 

This is the answer to my report about 2x faster DSD playback:

 

Hello. Thanks. Please set Raw mode. and Please read Bug head Manual in Page 76 (4.60 infomation). and ASIO control panel adjust buffer size etc. DoP DSD64 is 176.4kHz DSD128 is 352.8kHz support PCM mode. Raw DSD64 is 2.8MHz DSD128 is 5.6MHz. Please check settings.

 

DoP and Pcm have problem in rarely dac. Stop music, and Play music on trouble x2 higher.

 

About PCM to DSD: I tried to use foo_dsd_asio with Bughead Emperor, but no success. It could be interesting free combo.

 

Could you please explain more "I take DSD output directly off the the card, no DAC so no PCM playback." ? Do you use DSD only DAC?

[Hazard]

I communicated with the author via Facebook messages. He responded promptly, but more times he answered something other than I was asking. Maybe language barrier.

 

His home page is not accessible outside of Japan, he confirmed it to me and wrote "I don't care ALL."

 

This is the answer to my report about 2x faster DSD playback:

 

 

 

About PCM to DSD: I tried to use foo_dsd_asio with Bughead Emperor, but no success. It could be interesting free combo.

 

For curiosity, could you please explain more "I take DSD output directly off the the card, no DAC so no PCM playback." ? How do you play DSD with no DAC? Did you make a low pass analog filter??

 

Thanks for the tip. Did you manage to get DSD working by following those instructions?

 

Regarding DSD playback with no DAC. Yes, done with LPF (LPF = Lundahl transformer LL1527XL). I started a thread on DIY Audio if you are interested. DSD (played on Pono Music World (aka JRiver 20) + USBtoI2S + LPF is the BEST digital I have heard. But I know BHE sounds better than JRiver on my EMU sound card, I would love to get BHE playing DSD through my USB No-DAC.

 

The Best DAC is no DAC - diyAudio

[Hazard]

Here is a circuit diagram. Sorry for getting off topic.

 

[4est]

Thanks for being off topic!

I noticed your thread on DIYaudio. I've some nice mic xfmers around, and have been meaning to try this. May I ask how the transformers are wired- parallel primary/series secondary? No i/v resistor, just the 54 ohm dc resistance of the primary coil? How much output have you got?

 

TIA

Here is a circuit diagram. Sorry for getting off topic.

 

[MINORISUKE]

.....

His home page is not accessible outside of Japan, he confirmed it to me and wrote "I don't care ALL."

.....

 

This is not true. I can view his home page in Germany. In terms of Bug Head/Infinity Blade, there is no more additional information in English than you find in the manual.

[Hazard]

Thanks for being off topic!

I noticed your thread on DIYaudio. I've some nice mic xfmers around, and have been meaning to try this. May I ask how the transformers are wired- parallel primary/series secondary? No i/v resistor, just the 54 ohm dc resistance of the primary coil? How much output have you got?

 

TIA

Lundahl transformers are wired 1+1:1+1 (series/ series). No i-v resistor, the circuit is exactly like that illustrated. Target output is 2Volts, but the output of the USB board seems a bit low. I've increased the power supply to the flip flop to 6V. I've got a bit more output but still a touch low for me. But more than loud enough for my wife so I guess I will leave it at that!

 

Mic xfmers are usually small AFAIK - i'm not sure if they are capable of 2volts output (about 8dBu - have you got any spec sheets for them?)

[bogi]

This is not true. I can view his home page in Germany. In terms of Bug Head/Infinity Blade, there is no more additional information in English than you find in the manual.

 

At home (Orange Fibernet) I am becoming 403 Forbidden

 

 

このページへのアクセスは禁止されています。以下の状況が考えられます。

 

• このページへのアクセス権がない
  
• index.htmなど、インデックスページのないディレクトリへアクセスしている
  

 

I asked the author on Facebook and he answered me

 

Processing distributed is the rental server. Different server in Japan and outside of Japan. Access from Japan is no problem.

 

But I tried it just now at work and from here I have access. But we are using company proxy from other country.

 

Other issue I observed is when I clicked to Bughead homepage link on the facebook page https://ja-jp.facebook.com/pages/Bug-head-technology/221354151338856 (link in the left panel). I am becoming this Facebook message:

 

Link Blocked

 

We believe the link you are trying to visit is malicious. For your safety, we have blocked it. Learn more about keeping your account secure. If you think this link should not be blocked, please let us know.

[bogi]

Thanks for the tip. Did you manage to get DSD working by following those instructions?

 

I didn't translate yet the manual page he referenced. I will try it and I will let you know if I succeeded.

 

I started a thread on DIY Audio if you are interested. DSD (played on Pono Music World (aka JRiver 20) + USBtoI2S + LPF is the BEST digital I have heard.

 

Very interesting. I know DSD signal in principle requires only analog LPF to become analog.

[Hazard]

I didn't translate yet the manual page he referenced. I will try it and I will let you know if I succeeded.

 

 

 

Very interesting. I know DSD signal in principle requires only analog LPF to become analog.

Not just in principle. It works in practice as well!! And it works very well. I am very happy with the sounds I am getting out of my "no-DAC DAC". Now I want the to get the best possible input. That's why I'm on this thread!!

 

BTW - I just installed BHE v4.80. Still wont play through my USB board. I won't get time to look at it again until the weekend. Good luck with your efforts.

[bogi]

'DSD DoP' worked for me:

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DSD DoP

JPLAY, ASIO4ALL へ対応しています。DSD64は176.4kHz、DSD128は352.8kHzに対応して

いなければなりません。確実な手順は以下の通りです。

1. Click ASIO control panel [left click ASIO and select ASIO control panel]

2. Play list ALL Clear [shortcut SHIFT+C]

3. Swich to DoP mode [Pcm click and select DoP]

4. Add DSD files

5. PLAY (Set volume is [Max], coz must BIT PERFECT!)

 

DSD Native

DSDをサポートする仕様により、DSDの関連費用を払う義務等は無いと知りました。音量調整は無効。

1. Click ASIO control panel [left click ASIO and select ASIO control panel]

2. Play list ALL Clear [shortcut SHIFT+C]

3. Swich to Raw mode [DoP click and select Raw]

4. Add DSD files

5. PLAY

 

DSD Pcm

1. Click ASIO control panel [left click ASIO and select ASIO control panel]

2. Play list ALL Clear [shortcut SHIFT+C]

3. Swich to Pcm mode [Raw click and select Covert to pcm]

4. Select output frequency [Pcm click and Output frequency - 88.2kHz]

5. Add DSD files

6. PLAY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It seems mixed playlists PCM/DSD at different bitrates are practically impossible and switching between formats may require special operation.

[MINORISUKE]

.....

It seems mixed playlists PCM/DSD at different bitrates are practically impossible and switching between formats may require special operation.

Yes, correct. Even for a playlist that contains only PCM files, the sampling frequency and the number of bits must be the same in a single playlist. This is a basic restriction of Bug Head/Infinity Blade.

[dean70]

Great player - like the sound. Such a shame it does not support aiff file format - don't know why you would exclude support for this format??

[JazzDoc]

I have managed to get BHE/Infinity Blade SQ to play PCM files at all resolutions up to 24/192. I can't get it to play DSD files. I have set DSD replay to convert to PCM but I can't change the output from 352kHz. As my DAC will only go up to 24/192 with my M2Tech HiFace Evo.

 

 

 

Can someone please tell me how to set up BHE to replay DSD files. My DAC is not DSD compliant so I need to convert to PCM.

 

 

 

Thanks

[JazzDoc]

I have managed to get BHE/Infinity Blade SQ to play PCM files at all resolutions up to 24/192. I can't get it to play DSD files. I have set DSD replay to convert to PCM but I can't change the output from 352kHz. As my DAC will only go up to 24/192 with my M2Tech HiFace Evo.

 

 

 

Can someone please tell me how to set up BHE to replay DSD files. My DAC is not DSD compliant so I need to convert to PCM.

 

 

 

Thanks

 

Sorted it. With Windows Server 2012 R2 (Core Mode)/BHE Infinity Blade SQ/Audiophile Optimizer 1.31 Beta 10/Fidelizer Pro 6.7, I found that setting Fidelizer Pro as the shell in Audiophile Optimizer Service Tool gives me full implementation of the program on boot. For some reason that other might understand, this got PCM converted DSD files playing.

[bogi]

For some reason that other might understand, this got PCM converted DSD files playing.

 

In which direction? Are you playing DSD files as PCM to your DAC? Or are you playing PCM files converted to DSD and played as DSD on DSD capable DAC? The 1st possibility seems to be part of the program, but I know nothing about the 2nd within Bughead Emperor / Infinity Blade.

[JazzDoc]

In which direction? Are you playing DSD files as PCM to your DAC? Or are you playing PCM files converted to DSD and played as DSD on DSD capable DAC? The 1st possibility seems to be part of the program, but I know nothing about the 2nd within Bughead Emperor / Infinity Blade.

 

The first one. The files on my drive are DSD. Bug Head Infinity Blade SQ is converting them to PCM. My DAC is not DSD compatible.

[4est]

Thank you for the clarifications. I am looking to build a HQPlayer DSC1, but may have to give this a go as well. FWIW, the xformers I was thinking about using are UTC HA100X. I am already using them as the I>V for a Sabre dac...

Lundahl transformers are wired 1+1:1+1 (series/ series). No i-v resistor, the circuit is exactly like that illustrated. Target output is 2Volts, but the output of the USB board seems a bit low. I've increased the power supply to the flip flop to 6V. I've got a bit more output but still a touch low for me. But more than loud enough for my wife so I guess I will leave it at that!

 

Mic xfmers are usually small AFAIK - i'm not sure if they are capable of 2volts output (about 8dBu - have you got any spec sheets for them?)