HQ Player

[jimdukey]

Thank you so much for the screen shot!

I'll try it today.

Jim

[vmanuelgm]

You are welcome.

 

We are here to help each other...

[KCJay]

Latency and buffer are different in my control panel:

 

 

 

I am using 3.0.0 driver for M2tech Young DSD (xmos hardware), instead of own Eastern 2.19... With m2tech driver, I can change depth (16, 24 or 32 bits), latency and buffer...

 

Is your dac xmos based???

 

No, mine of USB 2.0 based - Marantz ASIO driver

[KCJay]

With ASIO drivers I recommend setting buffer size primarily from the driver when possible. So launch the ASIO control panel from HQPlayer menu and set the buffer size there and leave buffer time setting in HQPlayer to "Default" to use the size proposed by the driver.

 

If the ASIO driver doesn't have control panel, or buffer size setting there, then you can try to set the buffer time from HQPlayer settings. Some drivers allow it and some drivers don't.

 

Thanks, Miska. Did as you suggested, but still stuttering. Problem either somewhere in OS, in ASIO driver, or version of HQ Player - is there somewhere I could get 3.71 driver to see if that works better? My buffer goes up to 3840...also see that it hasn't been updated since 2012.

 

I was playing fine, using these same drivers, with same OS, until I updated to 3.82 - may be something in update that doesn't like my Marantz, or, more likely, my ASIO driver.

 

Is there a better ASIO driver out there for Marantz HD-DAC1 (USB)?

[vmanuelgm]

Thanks, Miska. Did as you suggested, but still stuttering. Problem either somewhere in OS, in ASIO driver, or version of HQ Player - is there somewhere I could get 3.71 driver to see if that works better? My buffer goes up to 3840...also see that it hasn't been updated since 2012.

 

I was playing fine, using these same drivers, with same OS, until I updated to 3.82 - may be something in update that doesn't like my Marantz, or, more likely, my ASIO driver.

 

Is there a better ASIO driver out there for Marantz HD-DAC1 (USB)?

 

 

The official page for your DAC publishes a 10/10/2014 usb driver (click on downloads):

 

Marantz ES | HD-DAC1

 

Try it.

 

Have you checked the settings in HQPlayer, including the bit depth??? Try forcing 24 bit, the máximum for your device according to data sheet, instead of default or whatever you have selected...

 

[KCJay]

The official page for your DAC publishes a 10/10/2014 usb driver (click on downloads):

 

Marantz ES | HD-DAC1

 

Try it.

 

Have you checked the settings in HQPlayer, including the bit depth??? Try forcing 24 bit, the máximum for your device according to data sheet, instead of default or whatever you have selected...

 

\

 

Thanks for the updated driver (don't know why it isn't on American page), but it didn't make any difference - still have the stuttering. When I did HQ Player setup, I did set DAC bit depth to 24bit.

[Miska]

Thanks, Miska. Did as you suggested, but still stuttering. Problem either somewhere in OS, in ASIO driver, or version of HQ Player - is there somewhere I could get 3.71 driver to see if that works better? My buffer goes up to 3840...also see that it hasn't been updated since 2012.

 

I was playing fine, using these same drivers, with same OS, until I updated to 3.82 - may be something in update that doesn't like my Marantz, or, more likely, my ASIO driver.

 

Is there a better ASIO driver out there for Marantz HD-DAC1 (USB)?

 

I've never used the Marantz on Windows, only on Linux....

 

Some bugfixes and improvements in HQPlayer may increase CPU load. How does your per-core CPU load look like in the Windows Resource Monitor? Using -2s filter variants may help keeping the load low.

[vmanuelgm]

\

 

Thanks for the updated driver (don't know why it isn't on American page), but it didn't make any difference - still have the stuttering. When I did HQ Player setup, I did set DAC bit depth to 24bit.

 

 

Upload a screenshot with your hqplayer settings, and dac1 control panel, please...

 

As Miska said, which cpu are you using???

 

The pops, clicks, stuttering... are very often and have multiple causes...

 

Sometimes is a bad configuration, especially with asio, others a hardware fault. Could be usb connection too, when ground loop appears...

 

Finally could be the own hqplayer version, especially when you had no trouble with a previous one...

[KCJay]

I've never used the Marantz on Windows, only on Linux....

 

Some bugfixes and improvements in HQPlayer may increase CPU load. How does your per-core CPU load look like in the Windows Resource Monitor? Using -2s filter variants may help keeping the load low.

 

I am using the -2s filter, all set according to your guide. Windows resource CPU load doesn't go past 24%. Oh - and the stuttering goes on for a few seconds, then audio stops.

[KCJay]

I am using the -2s filter, all set according to your guide. Windows resource CPU load doesn't go past 24%. Oh - and the stuttering goes on for a few seconds, then audio stops.

 

When audio stops, HQ Player shows "Not responding" and I have to quit out of it.

[Miska]

I am using the -2s filter, all set according to your guide. Windows resource CPU load doesn't go past 24%. Oh - and the stuttering goes on for a few seconds, then audio stops.

 

Strange... What kind of storage device is used for the content? Maybe log file could shed some light on what is going wrong, you could send it to me over email.

[vmanuelgm]

Miska, I have experimented slowness in playback after starting other media player like Foobar or Jriver at the same time HQPlayer is opened. After closing them, HQ plays files very slowly, as if I had chosen 0,5x speed or less, needing a restart.

[Miska]

Miska, I have experimented slowness in playback after starting other media player like Foobar or Jriver at the same time HQPlayer is opened. After closing them, HQ plays files very slowly, as if I had chosen 0,5x speed or less, needing a restart.

 

Never do something like that. ASIO drivers can be used only by single application at the time. And same goes for WASAPI Exclusive mode. This also applies to CoreAudio on Mac OS X and ALSA on Linux. WASAPI and ALSA block other applications out, but some ASIO drivers don't remember to do it and CoreAudio generally is not clever enough to do it.

 

It is enough to start another application that opens the audio device to screw up the driver state, even if nothing is played.

[vmanuelgm]

Never do something like that. ASIO drivers can be used only by single application at the time. And same goes for WASAPI Exclusive mode. This also applies to CoreAudio on Mac OS X and ALSA on Linux. WASAPI and ALSA block other applications out, but some ASIO drivers don't remember to do it and CoreAudio generally is not clever enough to do it.

 

It is enough to start another application that opens the audio device to screw up the driver state, even if nothing is played.

 

 

Ok, thanks!!!

[edbk]

This is dither, but what is the filter setting?

 

 

 

Please try changing it to poly-sinc-2s, the setup time is faster if the source sampling rate changes.

 

 

 

Is it WASAPI or ASIO backend?

 

 

 

Do you get pops between all tracks from the same PCM album?

 

ASIO, the pcm settings shouldnt matter right? Im upsampling everything to dsd128. Polysinc, asdm7. For completeness sake pcm is set tp tdpf/polysinc. Not always but often, on some albums its less then others (independant of sample rate). The dac requires dop. I'll try -2s to see if it goes away but im not gonna go -2s permanently, cant live with that anymore

[Chodi]

I am using the -2s filter, all set according to your guide. Windows resource CPU load doesn't go past 24%. Oh - and the stuttering goes on for a few seconds, then audio stops.

 

If the stuttering goes for a few seconds then stops you have another process hogging the cpu at startup. Can be a totally unrelated process. I sugest you go into services and disable everything not necessary to run your computer and see if that solves it. Then you can inspect those services for the one that is causing the problem. Also try running the free trial version of Fidelizer and uncheck the core optimization (HQPlayer doesn't like that setting). That will automatically disable a lot of services on a temporary bases just to see if it solves your problem. Easier than going into task manager and doing them one by one. You may still have another service that Fidelizer doesn't catch that is causing the problem. You are getting high cpu load on start up of HQPlayer. Often not the fault of HQPlayer itself.

 

If your cpu load is as high as 24% try running HQPlayer in pcm 352.8k DXD mode and see if that drops the cpu to more like 10% or less with no stutter. Bet it does.

[KCJay]

Strange... What kind of storage device is used for the content? Maybe log file could shed some light on what is going wrong, you could send it to me over email.

 

Will try to send the log file later. I am using a Drobo Raid, USB 3.0 - like I said, it ran perfectly and played DSD great - that is why I purchased HQ Player after a brief trial. Just to make sure it was not the Drobo and/or USB 3.0, I transferred a playlist over to my main SSD and had the same stuttering.

[KCJay]

If the stuttering goes for a few seconds then stops you have another process hogging the cpu at startup. Can be a totally unrelated process. I sugest you go into services and disable everything not necessary to run your computer and see if that solves it. Then you can inspect those services for the one that is causing the problem. Also try running the free trial version of Fidelizer and uncheck the core optimization (HQPlayer doesn't like that setting). That will automatically disable a lot of services on a temporary bases just to see if it solves your problem. Easier than going into task manager and doing them one by one. You may still have another service that Fidelizer doesn't catch that is causing the problem. You are getting high cpu load on start up of HQPlayer. Often not the fault of HQPlayer itself.

 

If your cpu load is as high as 24% try running HQPlayer in pcm 352.8k DXD mode and see if that drops the cpu to more like 10% or less with no stutter. Bet it does.

 

Okay, this is what I did: Went into taskmanager and eliminated all startups. This did nothing to stop the stuttering. So, I went ahead and downloaded Fidelizer. It also did not work UNTIL I used the extreme setting - then I could play HQ Player without stuttering. So, I will probably get Fidelizer, but still don't understand what happened - especially when HQ Player worked fine in 3.71. Glad it wasn't my Marantz, which is what I was starting to worry about. So, should I get the pro version of Fidelizer?

[KCJay]

Okay, this is what I did: Went into taskmanager and eliminated all startups. This did nothing to stop the stuttering. So, I went ahead and downloaded Fidelizer. It also did not work UNTIL I used the extreme setting - then I could play HQ Player without stuttering. So, I will probably get Fidelizer, but still don't understand what happened - especially when HQ Player worked fine in 3.71. Glad it wasn't my Marantz, which is what I was starting to worry about. So, should I get the pro version of Fidelizer?

 

Well, it may WELL be my Marantz. Rebooted my PC to ensure that Fidelizer was the fix - nope. Even with the extreme optimization, it stuttered. Along with that, I noticed a clicking noise coming from the Marantz that went along with the stuttering. Before, I thought that the clicking was coming from the sound system, but it was coming from the Marantz.

[KCJay]

Well, it may WELL be my Marantz. Rebooted my PC to ensure that Fidelizer was the fix - nope. Even with the extreme optimization, it stuttered. Along with that, I noticed a clicking noise coming from the Marantz that went along with the stuttering. Before, I thought that the clicking was coming from the sound system, but it was coming from the Marantz.

 

Miska,

 

Okay - I was lucky enough to locate the 3.7.1 setup. Guess what? The problem disappeared - no stuttering, no clicking. The problem is with 3.8.2. I suggest you fix it. I spent a lot of time and agony looking into this and the problem appears to be on your end. I paid for this product and didn't expect that I would be the main one troubleshooting the issue. I do thank the other responders who attempted to help. I am not a happy customer right now - even though I am playing my files again - I should not have had to go through this.

[Chodi]

Miska,

 

Okay - I was lucky enough to locate the 3.7.1 setup. Guess what? The problem disappeared - no stuttering, no clicking. The problem is with 3.8.2. I suggest you fix it. I spent a lot of time and agony looking into this and the problem appears to be on your end. I paid for this product and didn't expect that I would be the main one troubleshooting the issue. I do thank the other responders who attempted to help. I am not a happy customer right now - even though I am playing my files again - I should not have had to go through this.

 

I seem to remember seeing that Miska had done some changes to core assignment in the latest version. That might explain this problem.

[Miska]

Okay - I was lucky enough to locate the 3.7.1 setup. Guess what? The problem disappeared - no stuttering, no clicking. The problem is with 3.8.2. I suggest you fix it.

 

I cannot fix something I cannot reproduce because it is impossible to find where the problem is...

 

There's huge amount of changes between 3.7 and 3.8...

[Miska]

ASIO, the pcm settings shouldnt matter right? Im upsampling everything to dsd128. Polysinc, asdm7. For completeness sake pcm is set tp tdpf/polysinc. Not always but often, on some albums its less then others (independant of sample rate). The dac requires dop. I'll try -2s to see if it goes away but im not gonna go -2s permanently, cant live with that anymore

 

PCM settings don't matter if you are upsampling to DSD, except if PCM default filter has been set to "none". That's why I asked...

[KCJay]

I cannot fix something I cannot reproduce because it is impossible to find where the problem is...

 

There's huge amount of changes between 3.7 and 3.8...

 

Then am I supposed to live with 3.7.1. for who knows how long? What am I supposed to do? I am not a programmer who can figure this out. I paid for a program that is supposed to work for me - and it did, until 3.8.2 came along. I paid you to provide me a working copy of HQ Player 3.xxxx, not just 3.7.1. Does this seem fair to me?

[Chodi]

Then am I supposed to live with 3.7.1. for who knows how long? What am I supposed to do? I am not a programmer who can figure this out. I paid for a program that is supposed to work for me - and it did, until 3.8.2 came along. I paid you to provide me a working copy of HQ Player 3.xxxx, not just 3.7.1. Does this seem fair to me?

 

A simple suggestion worth trying; you can try disabling your antivirus program. Some of these programs analyse every new startup for a few seconds. Just a thought since this has effected other people.I still believe there is a program or process on your computer causing this problem.