HQ Player

[Miska]

21 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I can’t wait for someone to try the M1 Max chip and HQP. 

 

I will try to get one at some point, but it is too expensive for me right now...

 

[k6davis]

51 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I can’t wait for someone to try the M1 Max chip and HQP. 

I wish an M1 Max Mac Mini had also been announced.

 

It would have fewer thermal compromises and would likely be cheaper since it wouldn't need the expensive premium new screen. 

[StreamFidelity]

1 hour ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

I can’t wait for someone to try the M1 Max chip and HQP. 

 

I ordered one today. Delivery time in mid-November. I didn't buy the 16 "MacBook Pro for audio, but for my IT business. Of course I'll try the HQPlayer. 😉

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, StreamFidelity said:

 

I ordered one today. Delivery time in mid-November. I didn't buy the 16 "MacBook Pro for audio, but for my IT business. Of course I'll try the HQPlayer. 😉

Awesome!

[jimdukey]

I read that the 24" iMac with the new chip has noisy fans when it is pushed hard.

I have Never heard fan noise on my 2013 iMac.

Maybe the 27" will be better. 

[shum3s]

I have a quick question! I have a Dac that will only do 64 DSD and 192 PCM, which mode would give me the best benefit using HQPlayer? 

Thanks, Sam

[bogi]

2 hours ago, shum3s said:

I have a quick question! I have a Dac that will only do 64 DSD and 192 PCM, which mode would give me the best benefit using HQPlayer? 

Thanks, Sam

For DSD content DSD64 for sure. But for PCM I think it is hard to answer. DSD64 is too low rate to demonstrate the benefit of PCM to DSD conversion.

Currently I am playing into this one: https://www.amazon.com/Topping-E50-ES9068AS-PCM768kHz-Outputs/dp/B09F2BWQV2?th=1

It's $269 and it is amazing how it performs. I listened to many DACs in range < $1000, but this one surprised me much. Very neutral and detailed, but without any fatigue. Exceptional price/value ratio. You can find reviews and measurements on the web. Although no direct DSD path with Sabre based chip, with HQPlayer I clearly benefit from PCM to DSD conversion.

[shum3s]

1 hour ago, bogi said:

For DSD content DSD64 for sure. But for PCM I think it is hard to answer. DSD64 is too low rate to demonstrate the benefit of PCM to DSD conversion.

Currently I am playing into this one: https://www.amazon.com/Topping-E50-ES9068AS-PCM768kHz-Outputs/dp/B09F2BWQV2?th=1

It's $269 and it is amazing how it performs. I listened to many DACs in range < $1000, but this one surprised me much. Very neutral and detailed, but without any fatigue. Exceptional price/value ratio. You can find reviews and measurements on the web. Although no direct DSD path with Sabre based chip, with HQPlayer I clearly benefit from PCM to DSD conversion.

    In other words I will get better results staying with upsampling in HQ on the PCM side! 

[bogi]

18 hours ago, shum3s said:

    In other words I will get better results staying with upsampling in HQ on the PCM side! 

I would simply compare what sounds me better. With PCM upsampling you get lower processor load.

[sig8]

I am little new to music streaming services, and I am thoroughly enjoying Qobuz in the car, but I am trying to find out the best way to integrate Qobuz into my home system, which is a Denafrips T+ DAC, pre-amp, amp., etc.

 

I generally use Audiolinux with JRiver interface and HQPlayer as the player (I know not many people do that), and I might be open to use that, but for last several months, I am just using HQP Desktop in Windows environment.

 

My question is how to integrate Qobuz with HQPlayer in Audiolinux and Windows environment. I do have HQP Embedded license as well. Do I really need Roon for this (in AL and Windows)? Thank you.

[Luca72c]

2 hours ago, sig8 said:

My question is how to integrate Qobuz with HQPlayer in Audiolinux and Windows environment. I do have HQP Embedded license as well. Do I really need Roon for this (in AL and Windows)? Thank you.

 

No, you don't need Roon just for that purpose, you can do it for free.

In Windows, the easiest way is to use Qobuz desktop app, set a loopback virtual driver (the likes of the free Virtual Audio Cable) as Qobuz output device, set it as input in hqplayer and you're done, you just have to specify the right sample frequency in hqplayer, whenever it should change. All for free. The complex way is using Kodi as DLNA renderer thanks to the free Supersonic plugin from Geoffrey Armstrong and a free Qobuz-compatible DLNA player like BubbleUPnP on your cell/tablet. I tested both and both are working ok after right settings. There are other ways too, but they are not free.

In linux using Embedded it should be even simpler, thanks to its UPnP renderer functionality (you could even use LMS to control it, very good and free).

 

 

[sig8]

@Luca72c Thank you, but I will need little more explanation than that. This is what I see under Qobuz Desktop App, and I have not used any input device settings in HQP so for, but whatever I do I will play from my local storage also sometimes. Please give little more explanation. Thanks.

 

[Luca72c]

38 minutes ago, sig8 said:

@Luca72c Thank you, but I will need little more explanation than that. This is what I see under Qobuz Desktop App, and I have not used any input device settings in HQP so for, but whatever I do I will play from my local storage also sometimes. Please give little more explanation. Thanks.

 

Ok, you can find some free programs for windows that create two virtual audio devices: a virtual input device and a virtual output device (they are called "loopback device drivers"). The most known is Virtual Audio Cable, but there are others. You have to install the program, then it will act as a "loopback" audio device, i.e. you can select the audio device input part as output device in any multimedia program or in the OS (you can imagine it as a "microphone" from another app), then all you play to that device is output in the audio device output part (you can imagine it as "loudspeaker" towards another app, connected to the "microphone" above). That virtual audio device part you have to select as input in hqplayer, adjusting the settings and playing the flow as described in hqplayer documentation and in this thread.

In Qobuz, you'll find the input part as a hw audio device to select as output. In hqplayer you'll find the output part as an audio device to select as input. Much easier to do than to explain... 😅

The only drawback is that in hqplayer you have to specify the input frequency, so if you play just 44.1 flows in Qobuz you can go stopless, but if you play songs with different frequencies you'll have to stop hqplayer, specify the right frequency than play the new audio flow.

[bogi]

17 hours ago, sig8 said:

Thank you, but I will need little more explanation than that.

Here you can find an example configuration of Virtual Audio Cable on Windows with HQPlayer:
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/the-hqplayer-thread.11376/#post-358014

[NoNaim]

@Miska Quick question about Convolution files.

 

I've created a set of files for different frequencies in REW and wanted to know whether you can load them all at the same time. I've been able to select them all at once but just wanted too know whether that was the correct way or, whether I should just load one file and let HQPlayer scale from it? Cheers

[Miska]

1 hour ago, NoNaim said:

@Miska Quick question about Convolution files.

 

I've created a set of files for different frequencies in REW and wanted to know whether you can load them all at the same time. I've been able to select them all at once but just wanted too know whether that was the correct way or, whether I should just load one file and let HQPlayer scale from it? Cheers

 

You should use just one file. HQPlayer can use multiple convolution filters at once, meaning that they are all applied simultaneously to the input signal.

 

In addition, if you are using REW, you should just export the parametric EQ filter spec as .txt file and load that to the pipeline matrix instead of using convolution. This way REW doesn't need to convert parametric EQs to convolution filter and also makes the correction filters sampling rate agnostic.

 

[NoNaim]

26 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

You should use just one file. HQPlayer can use multiple convolution filters at once, meaning that they are all applied simultaneously to the input signal.

 

In addition, if you are using REW, you should just export the parametric EQ filter spec as .txt file and load that to the pipeline matrix instead of using convolution. This way REW doesn't need to convert parametric EQs to convolution filter and also makes the correction filters sampling rate agnostic.

 

 

Excellent, thanks again.

 

I've loaded the file that appears in source channel 1 and an entry below also appears with Bauer cross feed. I'm presuming these can be enabled independently given the button options. 

 

Also, as you mentioned, no need to worry about different frequencies and if I want to add a different EQ for different headphone pads, headphones etc, I just delete the current one and add the new text file and that's it? 

[Miska]

6 minutes ago, NoNaim said:

I've loaded the file that appears in source channel 1 and an entry below also appears with Bauer cross feed. I'm presuming these can be enabled independently given the button options. 

 

Yes, load the file for all relevant channels. And yes, cross-feed is independent and processed on the "output bus".

 

6 minutes ago, NoNaim said:

Also, as you mentioned, no need to worry about different frequencies and if I want to add a different EQ for different headphone pads, headphones etc, I just delete the current one and add the new text file and that's it? 

 

Yes, that's the way. To make things easier, you can create profiles and then easily switch these for different situations.

 

[NoNaim]

2 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Yes, load the file for all relevant channels. And yes, cross-feed is independent and processed on the "output bus".

 

 

Yes, that's the way. To make things easier, you can create profiles and then easily switch these for different situations.

 

 

Thanks, I'll look into the setting up of profiles I think.

 

When you say relevant channels are you referring to left and right (speaker channels). i.e. loading the text file into channels  1 & 2 or do I need to just load it into channel 1?

[Miska]

8 minutes ago, NoNaim said:

When you say relevant channels are you referring to left and right (speaker channels). i.e. loading the text file into channels  1 & 2 or do I need to just load it into channel 1?

 

You need to load it for all channels you want to correct. So if you want to correct stereo output, then for channels 1 and 2. Correction may be same or different depending on the intention. For example for loudspeakers the corrections may be different for left and right channels.

 

You can also create empty default profile. And then for comparisons switch between the profiles on fly using for example HQPlayer Client.

 

[NoNaim]

1 minute ago, Miska said:

 

You need to load it for all channels you want to correct. So if you want to correct stereo output, then for channels 1 and 2. Correction may be same or different depending on the intention. For example for loudspeakers the corrections may be different for left and right channels.

 

 

Ok, I had the file loaded into channel 1 & 2 so I've got that right.

 

And for EQ adjustments, I don't need to alter the Mix Channel if it's not Cross feed changes?

[Miska]

52 minutes ago, NoNaim said:

And for EQ adjustments, I don't need to alter the Mix Channel if it's not Cross feed changes?

 

No need to change mix channels. Or gains, except if you have boosts (positive gain EQs) in your correction set. If your highest EQ boost is let's say +6 dB, then you should use -6 dB as compensation in the mix gain. It is easy to check what is the highest EQ gain.

 

[NoNaim]

22 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

No need to change mix channels. Or gains, except if you have boosts (positive gain EQs) in your correction set. If your highest EQ boost is let's say +6 dB, then you should use -6 dB as compensation in the mix gain. It is easy to check what is the highest EQ gain.

 

 

When I first bought HQPlayer it was purely for the upscaling for my main system but it's turned into so much more. It has it's own M1 Mac mini at home, it acts as a mobile upscaler on my laptop when I'm away, as well as music library. It has it's own NAA so I can stream to different places in the house from the server. And now EQing my headphones plus terrific support! 

 

Thanks for the help again.

[ericuco]

3 hours ago, NoNaim said:

 

When I first bought HQPlayer it was purely for the upscaling for my main system but it's turned into so much more. It has it's own M1 Mac mini at home, it acts as a mobile upscaler on my laptop when I'm away, as well as music library. It has it's own NAA so I can stream to different places in the house from the server. And now EQing my headphones plus terrific support! 

 

Thanks for the help again.

Using HQP to control volume works very well too!

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

I just discovered on my (very old by now) exasound e28 multi-channel DAC, I can get 705.6/768 output by selecting 2 channels with the "Dual wire" option checked.

 

Multi-channel capable dacs are still relatively rare. This is a great feature though, which I guess should be supported by all multi-channel DACs.