HQ Player

[asdf1000]

Hi @Miska

 

I probably shouldn't clog the Pro-Ject S2 Pre Digital DAC thread with too much HQ Player talk so better I come here.

 

When using poly-sinc-xtr-mp-2s (on sonicTransporter i7 running sonicOrbiter OS) are there differences in CPU loads between these 3 modulators or not much?

 

ASDM5

ASDM7

AMSDM7 512+fs

 

 

[asdf1000]

Hi @Miska

 

What are your thoughts running your x86-64 NAA image on a LattePanda, with DSD512?

 

https://www.lattepanda.com/products/1.html

 

Intel Cherry Trail Z8350 Quad Core 1.8GHz, 2gb RAM, 32gb on-board memory, 5Vdc power input.

 

Would I need to burn your NAA image to the EMMC card or burn your NAA image to a USB flash drive?

 

And would the USB flash drive need to stay in the LattePanda even after the first boot/install, could the USB flash drive be removed after the first boot?

 

Thanks

[asdf1000]

14 hours ago, tboooe said:

Oh wow...this could be wait I'm looking for to run my Windows based NAA on Server 2016 and Audiophile Optimizer.  

 

This is double the price of the LattePanda DIY option - but still relatively cheap, fully assembled, still fanless and still 5Vdc power input.

 

https://www.zotac.com/us/product/mini_pcs/pi332

 

[asdf1000]

On 10/27/2017 at 7:07 PM, Miska said:

Here's a starting point for iFi micro iDSD (BL):

 

Set the DAC filter to "Standard"

 

Hi Jussi, I've always been confused by the iDSD's filter settings, for DSD, even when iFi have posted about it. Attached below is from the manual.

 

Does the 'standard' setting filter the most ultrasonic noise, i.e. lowest cutoff/corner frequency for the low pass analogue filter?

 

And the bit-perfect setting ('extreme' for DSD) has the highest cutoff frequency?

 

Do you have the actual cutoff frequencies (approx.) for each setting, i.e.

 

1 standard (standard for DSD?)

2 min-phase (extended for DSD?)

3 bit-perfect (extreme for DSD?)

 

I know those words not in brackets apply to the PCM filters but that's how the physical buttons are labelled on the DAC itself.

 

Cheers in advance

 

 

 

[asdf1000]

1 minute ago, lmitche said:

FWIW, I use #1 standard for playback here as it just sounds best at DSD512.

 

Thanks lmitche

 

Standard is also the loudest of the 3 (easily heard with using the headphone output, less obvious if using the iDSD as a preamp with RCA output).

 

So I'm also curious how & why the different analogue filters affect overall volume also.

 

 

[asdf1000]

16 minutes ago, Miska said:

I have also my wide band measurement plots of the different filters, I'll post those later. I'm not sure how those exactly map to the iFi settings, but probably something like:

Bit-perfect: AFIR 1

Standard: AFIR 3 or 4

 

 

Thanks Jussi, that looks right looking at the loudness/gain plots.

 

The 'standard' toggle switch is loudest and the 'bit-perfect' toggle switch is lowest volume, so that matches with the gain plots you mention.

 

Yes your own measurement plots would be the icing on the cake. We can have this clarification solved once and for all, without iFi's help ?

 

[asdf1000]

15 minutes ago, Narcissus said:

Please have a look at my settings, I'm not enjoying the sound. I'm quite sure the sound can be improved upon, what am I doing wrong? 

Jussi recommends a maximum volume of -3dB. 

 

Minor thing, but I would change DAC bits from 24 to default.

 

Everything else looks fine.

 

Try poly-sinc-short-mp-2s also, something different to your current filter.

[asdf1000]

1 hour ago, manishex said:

What's wrong with max volume 0dB? 

It should add nor take anything away? 

 

Jussi: "And I recommend my users to use max -3 dB volume setting when upsampling to avoid limiter kicking in at inter-sample overs."

 

 

 

[asdf1000]

9 minutes ago, Miska said:

For a computer connecting to a DAC this is not about something affecting the data. This about something affecting the D/A step inside the DAC. This is analog process

 

Bingo

[asdf1000]

On 7/4/2017 at 5:28 AM, Miska said:

Yes, so I thought better approach would be to move the processing out-of-box and make it totally source agnostic. That's what I implemented in HQPlayer Embedded. It can work like for example dCS upsamplers (but with more features like convolution engine, speaker/matrix -processing, etc). What ever device pushes out audio to the processing box which in turn pushes it out to the DAC.

 

 

Hi Jussi

 

With the dCS DACs, if using HQP Embedded instead of their own upsampling box, is it better to feed their DACs PCM or DSD from HQP Embedded?

 

What is happening inside the dCS DACs? Conversion to DSD rates? Or more like the Chord approach (except DAVE) where DSD is decimated?

 

[asdf1000]

Hi @Miska

 

I saw this pic on your FB page. How are you playing from the Tidal desktop app to NAA here?

 

[asdf1000]

23 minutes ago, Miska said:

Tidal desktop application is running on my Mac Mini (running macOS), which in turn is connected to the HQPE machine using AES/EBU. So sound output from any application, like Tidal or Spotify goes to the HQPE for upsampling.

 

I also have Google's Chromecast Audio dongle connected using Toslink to optical input of the same card, allowing me to play Tidal, Spotify, etc directly from my phone or tablet to the HQPE machine using Chromecast support.

 

 

That's cool !

 

With Chromecast Audio you can basically cast from the native mobile/tablet apps of ALL (except Apple Music) streaming services.

 

I just revisited the thread about the sonicTransporter as an 'audio hub' with HQPe.

 

Does that only work with the sonicTransporter hardware? Or can I buy the same miniDSP USBStreamer (TOSlink-to-USB converter) to use with my own HQPe hardware build?

 

[asdf1000]

6 minutes ago, Miska said:

You can also use the USBStreamer (I use it with another Chromecast dongle), but then you don't get automatic input rate switching at the moment since USB Audio Class has a stupid way to handle sampling rates. So you will need to manually change the input sampling rate from HQPe side. This is less of a problem if you play something like Spotify or similar that always uses single sampling rate.

 

 

That would be ok. 99% of the audio that ever comes out of my Mac will be 44kHz

 

The only stuff 48khz and higher for me is via Roon, which is via USBridge NAA anyway.

 

 

 

[asdf1000]

20 minutes ago, Miska said:

but then you don't get automatic input rate switching at the moment since USB Audio Class has a stupid way to handle sampling rates.

 

When you say 'at the moment', do you anticipate you'll be able to update it in the near future?

 

So what's the instructions with the miniDSP USBStreamer - just update to latest firmware and plug and play after that?

 

I saw for sonicTransporter, there is some command line stuff required.

 

But with my own HQPe hardware build, no command line required?

 

[asdf1000]

19 minutes ago, shadowlight said:

 

You should be able to make it work with SonicTransporter and USBStreamer.  Information on the configuration steps listed in the embedded thread page. 33.  Having a hard time quoting the exact post here.

 

Thanks! I am aware of this but had reservations adding TOslink into the chain, that right now is entirely ethernet and just USB at the endpoint.

 

Jussi explained things though, so I may revisit this idea.

 

[asdf1000]

On 6/20/2018 at 5:56 PM, Miska said:

In listening room and office, I have two mains filters, both connected to the same power feed. In listening room, one used for all equipment with SMPSU's and the other one for the ones with LPSU's (few DACs plus amps). In the office, one used for computers (UPS) and one for audio equipment (DACs, headphone amps, etc).

 

Quoting an old post here, but just going through this thread. Which mains filters do you use?

 

[asdf1000]

1 hour ago, soares said:

So despite the fact that the DSP option is on and the Roon upsampling to DSD256 is checked, there's no upsampling with MQA files. It's really very strange. 

 

Hi soares

 

Actually this observation here is normal. You can't have MQA rendering/decoding working together with Roon DSD-sampling.

 

If you change your device settings to 'No MQA support' in Roon, then you can have the 1st unfold up-sampled by either Roon or HQPlayer.

 

Can you give that a try and report back?

 

 

[asdf1000]

I chuckled when it ended with "We must make clear that GTO is not directly related to filter types used by MQA, it is not “MQA through the backdoor” because that's exactly what I was thinking it was, throughout the entire read.

 

Love my iFi DAC by the way - I just prefer Jussi's digital filters with the DAC in bit perfect mode.

 

[asdf1000]

4 minutes ago, soares said:

Yes I tried but now I don't have MQAStudio.

 

Yes that's normal. You can't have MQA Studio as well as DSD512 up-sampling at the same time. The 1st unfold (up to 96KHz) by Roon/Audirvana can be DSD up-sampled.

 

4 minutes ago, soares said:

Additionally there's static mixed with the music. At least this static has been recognised by Oppo or Roon ( I don't remember any more)

 

Yes I've seen your posts here and on Roon forum. Hope you get a resolution. Must be very frustrating.

 

[asdf1000]

3 minutes ago, soares said:

Jussi says not to count too much on it ?...

 

As usual, he is right. I have seen these issues  pop up randomly before when I had Mojo and Hugo2 at PCM705/768kHz.

 

4 minutes ago, soares said:

But what make me still more frustrated is the I do not know who is responsible for coming back with a solution...

 

I know you've asked the forums, but have you reported it directly to both Oppo and Roon Tech Support? They might reply to you that they are aware and a fix is being worked on.

 

[asdf1000]

12 minutes ago, soares said:

Unfortunately Jesus don't accept message through his CA contact.

 

JR's email address is here:

https://www.sonore.us/contact.html

 

This is (or was) Oppo USA's support email, you can try it:

[email protected] 

 

39 minutes ago, soares said:

By the way Em2016, what DAC are you using?

 

Now I'm using the iFi Pro iDSD - HQP with native DSD512.

 

With NAA (Jussi's NAA image) and ALSA mode (direct USB connected to HQP Embedded) I can play Native DSD512.

 

With the Rendu's there is static with native DSD mode. JR and Andrew are aware of this and the cause and they are aware of Jussi's kernel updates which fixes this, so they'll test and roll out the update in due course. Jussi's images obviously already incorporate his kernel updates.

 

I completely understand why Sonore want to test out Jussi's linux kernel updates properly before they roll out the updates, because they have a lot of Rendu's in the field. This might or might not be related to your issues but if it is, just give them some time.

 

[asdf1000]

2 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Then nothing else, AFAIK, at the moment for Desktop...

 

 

Don't forget Audirvana can play direct to HQP Embedded. Supports both Qobuz and Tidal @giordy60

 

Edit: my apologies, looks like this was about HQP Desktop edition

[asdf1000]

6 hours ago, copy_of_a said:

Audirvana can play to HQPDesktop?

I wasn't aware of this... how do I have to setup everything to make this work?

Thanks in advance!

 

Hi, sadly no, as mentioned above, Audirvana can play direct to HQP Embedded.

 

[asdf1000]

On 10/29/2018 at 8:19 PM, Miska said:

AKM chips allow more direct DSD conversion in DSD Direct mode than what is available from ESS. This is similar to conversion by Cirrus' CS4398 in Direct DSD mode, or TI chips.

 

Hi Jussi

 

Would you put the Burr Brown DSD1793 (which iFi uses in their iDSD models) in the same class as AKM , i.e the DSD1793 allows direct DSD conversion ?

 

 

 

[asdf1000]

4 minutes ago, jamesg11 said:

Where is the best place - or a sufficient one - to see a discussion which teases out what is involved in “direct DSD conversion”?

 

Not so much a discussion but a good article (with input from Jussi):

 

http://blog.nativedsd.com/the-nativity-of-native/