HQ Player

[lmitche]

3 minutes ago, zorntel said:

Larry's question is for 2-channel.

Yes, thanks professor!

[Hazard]

I dont get the concerns with library function.  All my music is stored in folders exactly the way I want it.  Then its as simple as drag and drop.  Metadata is irrelevant.

[ChuckT]

Does anyone know where to download the latest 3.16 user manual. The new setting and filters are fairly confusing for me without a detail description.

I am using a NUC with i5-5250U dual core. I set to multicore and I see the cpu loading went up to 50% from 30% with dsd 128  conversion.

[ChuckT]

On 4/13/2017 at 4:36 AM, Miska said:

 

Because that's the defined standard set of Vorbis comments used on FLAC:

https://xiph.org/vorbis/doc/v-comment.html

 

ID3v2 used on AIFF/DSF is mapped to fit that set. ID3v2 in itself doesn't really have clear "Composer" or "Artist", it is more complex and the mapping is done in most sensible way to from the ID3 spec set, depending on what kind of combination of the ID3 tags the file uses.

 

Here's the ID3v2.4 set:

4.2.2.   Involved persons frames

  TPE1
   The 'Lead artist/Lead performer/Soloist/Performing group' is
   used for the main artist.

  TPE2
   The 'Band/Orchestra/Accompaniment' frame is used for additional
   information about the performers in the recording.

  TPE3
   The 'Conductor' frame is used for the name of the conductor.

  TPE4
   The 'Interpreted, remixed, or otherwise modified by' frame contains
   more information about the people behind a remix and similar
   interpretations of another existing piece.

  TOPE
   The 'Original artist/performer' frame is intended for the performer
   of the original recording, if for example the music in the file
   should be a cover of a previously released song.

  TEXT
   The 'Lyricist/Text writer' frame is intended for the writer of the
   text or lyrics in the recording.

  TOLY
   The 'Original lyricist/text writer' frame is intended for the
   text writer of the original recording, if for example the music in
   the file should be a cover of a previously released song.

  TCOM
   The 'Composer' frame is intended for the name of the composer.

  TMCL
   The 'Musician credits list' is intended as a mapping between
   instruments and the musician that played it. Every odd field is an
   instrument and every even is an artist or a comma delimited list of
   artists.

  TIPL
   The 'Involved people list' is very similar to the musician credits
   list, but maps between functions, like producer, and names.

  TENC
   The 'Encoded by' frame contains the name of the person or
   organisation that encoded the audio file. This field may contain a
   copyright message, if the audio file also is copyrighted by the
   encoder.

 

 

 

Does HQplayer have a folder version that just follow the way the PC directory is structured? I seem to lose some folder and files after scanning in library.

 

[zorntel]

2 hours ago, lmitche said:

Jussi, can you successfully upsample to dsd512 with polysinc-xtr and adsdm7+512 fs on your nvidia 1060 gpu and 6700k?

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

I can get dsd 256 with polysinc-xtr with my Larry Special 6700k (windows 10 optimized) without a gpu...but can't get dsd512.  On my system (IFI Black Label with Adnaco fiber isolation and LPS-1 power) and to my ears with a bunch of different test tracks the regular polysinc-xtr sounds better than the polysinc-xtr-2s at dsd256, but the xtr-2s sounds better at 512 than the xtr at 256...but I'd sure like to be able to hear the regular xtr at 512!  I'm now pretty convinced that the poly-sinc-xtr family of filters has slayed my old favorite poly-sinc short mp.

 

Robert

[brother love]

Need some trouble-shooting help …

 

I have a i5-4670k PC w/ Ubuntu 16.04 LTS installed. Connecting directly to Gustard X20u DAC resulted in HQ Player Desktop 3.16 DSD256 upsampling w/ -xtr-2s filter & DSD7 256+fs, SDM: None, buffer: 100 ms

 

Initially connected a Mac Mini as a NAA utilizing network audio daemon 3.15 resulted in DSD128 SDM: DoP

 

Connected new Win10 Intel Atom mini PC as a NAA utilizing network audio daemon 3.15.1 (x64) resulted in max DSD128 SDM: DoP; SDM: None max is PCM384 ???

 

In order to achieve DSD256 w/ Gustard DAC, an XMOS 3.34 driver is required (thru i2s DSD256 max vs usb DSD128 max). I installed this driver on Win10 mini PC & it is properly recognized in audio devices, checked in sound playback, & recognized by HQ Player @ server PC.

 

So why can’t I achieve DSD256, SDM: None with my current PC server/ mini PC NAA set-up ???

 

[Dr Tone]

HQPlayer 3.16.1 seems to have fixed my issue with HQPlayer hanging when changing tracks when doing Native DSD256 to my McIntosh C47.

 

@Miska

If HQPlayer could somehow alleviate the popping caused by crappy Windows drivers that would be sweet!  If I pause the track before changing to another track it isn't an issue.  Stopping completely causes it.  Roon direct also pops when completely stopping.  That last part might not be avoidable.

[Solstice380]

11 minutes ago, Dr Tone said:

 

@Miska

If HQPlayer could somehow alleviate the popping caused by crappy Windows drivers that would be sweet!  If I pause the track before changing to another track it isn't an issue.  Stopping completely causes it.  Roon direct also pops when completely stopping.  That last part might not be avoidable.

 

McIntosh tried a few times to fix it for the D150 and never completely succeeded.  Now, cuts that start with a strong intro are missing the start and there is a small tick after a a playlist is done or stopping a track.  We've raked them over a lot about it but no final fix!

[Miska]

14 hours ago, ChuckT said:

Does HQplayer have a folder version that just follow the way the PC directory is structured? I seem to lose some folder and files after scanning in library.

 

When you import content in the Library-dialog, you can check the "Structure only" check box and then the embedded metadata is ignore and the folder structure is used as metadata instead.

 

Note that if something has been imported already, it won't be touched/duplicated, so check first if the content is already in the library. Sort the library view by directory structure by clicking the corresponding column header in Library dialog and check if it the content is known already. You can edit the information stored by HQPlayer by double-clicking the cells, just like you would do in a spreadsheet application.

 

[Miska]

13 hours ago, zorntel said:

I can get dsd 256 with polysinc-xtr with my Larry Special 6700k (windows 10 optimized) without a gpu...but can't get dsd512.  On my system (IFI Black Label with Adnaco fiber isolation and LPS-1 power) and to my ears with a bunch of different test tracks the regular polysinc-xtr sounds better than the polysinc-xtr-2s at dsd256, but the xtr-2s sounds better at 512 than the xtr at 256...but I'd sure like to be able to hear the regular xtr at 512!  I'm now pretty convinced that the poly-sinc-xtr family of filters has slayed my old favorite poly-sinc short mp.

 

It is heavy, my i7-6950X with very fast RAM just manages to do that. GTX1080 is not enough, so it will just slow down, but the 6950X alone can do it for stereo.

[zorntel]

25 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

It is heavy, my i7-6950X with very fast RAM just manages to do that. GTX1080 is not enough, so it will just slow down, but the 6950X alone can do it for stereo.

Fantastic Jussi...just what we wanted to know...contemplating switching chips but didn't know whether it would make a big enough difference. So whose RAM are you using with the 6950X?  Are you using a z170M motherboard?

 

Robert

[zorntel]

3 minutes ago, zorntel said:

Fantastic Jussi...just what we wanted to know...contemplating switching chips but didn't know whether it would make a big enough difference. So whose RAM are you using with the 6950X?  Are you using a z170M motherboard?

 

Robert

Any idea whether a i7-7700K will do it?  I'm guessing not because of the lack of cores and cache...but I just realized that the chip you are using won't run on my motherboard...and it is 4x the cost :-)

 

Robert

 

[ted_b]

Jussi, are ASIO driver/dac combos that much different that one would allow for more tolerance/performance from HQ than another?  What I mean is:  I own a HQP server built on a Gigabyte Z170X-UD5 mobo, with I7-6700k, GTX 960 and 32GB RAM.  By using a Windows (Caps Carbon w/JCAT USB card) NAA with my Holo Audio ASIO driver I can easily do DSD512 with poly-sinc-xtr, AMSDM7 512+fs yet I read where others who are using different dacs are needing more horsepower to do that, if ever. 

 

Also, does a Windows NAA improve that aspect of performance (i.e would I expect to get same DSD512 hiccup-less performnce if going direct)?  This is not an sq question, just a performance question.

[Miska]

15 hours ago, ChuckT said:

Does anyone know where to download the latest 3.16 user manual. The new setting and filters are fairly confusing for me without a detail description.

I am using a NUC with i5-5250U dual core. I set to multicore and I see the cpu loading went up to 50% from 30% with dsd 128  conversion.

 

Multicore functionality always has certain amount of overhead. But generally I recommend leaving it at "auto" setting - the check box grayed. This way HQPlayer makes the choice how to arrange the work. Dual core is not really "multicore" from this perspective, so you can leave the option disabled altogether.

[Miska]

16 minutes ago, ted_b said:

Jussi, are ASIO driver/dac combos that much different that one would allow for more tolerance/performance from HQ than another?  What I mean is:  I own a HQP server built on a Gigabyte Z170X-UD5 mobo, with I7-6700k, GTX 960 and 32GB RAM.  By using a Windows (Caps Carbon w/JCAT USB card) NAA with my Holo Audio ASIO driver I can easily do DSD512 with poly-sinc-xtr, AMSDM7 512+fs yet I read where others who are using different dacs are needing more horsepower to do that, if ever. 

 

I have not done exhaustive research on this front. But I find it unlikely to make much difference. More likely are differences in network infrastructure.

 

Quote

Also, does a Windows NAA improve that aspect of performance (i.e would I expect to get same DSD512 hiccup-less performnce if going direct)?  This is not an sq question, just a performance question.

 

Usually local playback without NAA is a bit less load and a bit more reliable, just because the network part is missing. That of course has it's potential implications on the USB noise. For local connections I've been recently using the Gigabyte motherboard versions that have a DAC-UP USB port that is supposed to have lower noise, plus has BIOS feature to disable the +5V line.

[Dr Tone]

2 hours ago, Solstice380 said:

 

McIntosh tried a few times to fix it for the D150 and never completely succeeded.  Now, cuts that start with a strong intro are missing the start and there is a small tick after a a playlist is done or stopping a track.  We've raked them over a lot about it but no final fix!

 

I'm going to demonstrate the issue to my dealer next week and get them to start working McIntosh over.  It ridiculous really that they don't put more effort into this stuff.

 

I'm trying to track down a used microRendu as it's suppose to work nicely.  My sMS-200 doesn't work with the C47 Native DSD.

[lmitche]

6 hours ago, ted_b said:

Jussi, are ASIO driver/dac combos that much different that one would allow for more tolerance/performance from HQ than another?  What I mean is:  I own a HQP server built on a Gigabyte Z170X-UD5 mobo, with I7-6700k, GTX 960 and 32GB RAM.  By using a Windows (Caps Carbon w/JCAT USB card) NAA with my Holo Audio ASIO driver I can easily do DSD512 with poly-sinc-xtr, AMSDM7 512+fs yet I read where others who are using different dacs are needing more horsepower to do that, if ever. 

 

Also, does a Windows NAA improve that aspect of performance (i.e would I expect to get same DSD512 hiccup-less performnce if going direct)?  This is not an sq question, just a performance question.

Ted, two of us spent the day trying to duplicate your success with polysinc-xtr and asdm7-512 at dsd512.  We are using i7-6700 and GTX 970 and GTX 1070 gpus.  Dsd upsamples fine but PCM stutters. The last and largest difference between your system and ours is the use of an naa. I think we are out of options and this point and  may revisit when appropriate naa configs are available in our locations.

[ted_b]

18 minutes ago, lmitche said:

Ted, two of us spent the day trying to duplicate your success with polysinc-xtr and asdm7-512 at dsd512.  We are using i7-6700 and GTX 970 and GTX 1070 gpus.  Dsd upsamples fine but PCM stutters. The last and largest difference between your system and ours is the use of an naa. I think we are out of options and this point and  may revisit when appropriate naa configs are available in our locations.

I do not upsample PCM to DSD.  My Holo has a PCM side to it, and does a great job with PCM.  However, I will try right now and report back.

 

Edit:  The -2s variant (i.e poly-sinc-xtr-2s) is all that is required to do redbook to DSD512.  But I find the result less musical than upsampling PCM to 352/384.  All my DSD goes to DSD512 (as per my settings I sent you, I do "auto" for everything).

[simonklp]

29 minutes ago, lmitche said:

Ted, two of us spent the day trying to duplicate your success with polysinc-xtr and asdm7-512 at dsd512.  We are using i7-6700 and GTX 970 and GTX 1070 gpus.  Dsd upsamples fine but PCM stutters. The last and largest difference between your system and ours is the use of an naa. I think we are out of options and this point and  may revisit when appropriate naa configs are available in our locations.

 

Hi Imitche, I have the same finding with you, i.e. DSD upsamples fine but PCM to DSD512 stutters with the poly-sinc-xtr, although I am using i7-6700K and GTX 1060 with NAA. Based on Miska's advice that his i7-6950X can just managed to do that, I don't think the problem related to NAA in this case. It's more a CPU processing power issue.

[simonklp]

8 hours ago, Miska said:

 

It is heavy, my i7-6950X with very fast RAM just manages to do that. GTX1080 is not enough, so it will just slow down, but the 6950X alone can do it for stereo.

 

Thanks Miska. You have answered my query why my i7-6700K with GTX-1060 stutters for PCM to DSD512 with poly-sinc-xtr.

[zorntel]

3 minutes ago, simonklp said:

 

Hi Imitche, I have the same finding with you, i.e. DSD upsamples fine but PCM to DSD512 stutters with the poly-sinc-xtr, although I am using i7-6700K and GTX 1060 with NAA. Based on Miska's advice that his i7-6950X can just managed to do that, I don't think the problem related to NAA in this case. It's more a CPU processing power issue.

Can you hear a difference between the 2s and non-2s XTR filter at DSD512 with the DSD files?  I can't.  I can hear the difference at DSD128 and 256, but not at 512.  Either filter sounds unbelievable at 512 through...so I'm guessing that we might not be missing anything with not being able to get the non-2s filter to work on PCM at 512.

[simonklp]

1 minute ago, zorntel said:

Can you hear a difference between the 2s and non-2s XTR filter at DSD512 with the DSD files?  I can't.  I can hear the difference at DSD128 and 256, but not at 512.  Either filter sounds unbelievable at 512 through...so I'm guessing that we might not be missing anything with not being able to get the non-2s filter to work on PCM at 512.

 

Hi Zorntel, I haven't tried between 2s and non-2s xtr filter because I have an impression that non-2s is always better. Instead, I don't feel much difference between poly-sinc and poly-sinc-xtr filter. That's the reason why I keep using the poly-sinc filter.

 

May be I need to do some more intensive comparison between these filters including the 2s one. Thanks.

[tboooe]

37 minutes ago, simonklp said:

 

Hi Imitche, I have the same finding with you, i.e. DSD upsamples fine but PCM to DSD512 stutters with the poly-sinc-xtr, although I am using i7-6700K and GTX 1060 with NAA. Based on Miska's advice that his i7-6950X can just managed to do that, I don't think the problem related to NAA in this case. It's more a CPU processing power issue.

Sorry to get off topic.  In my system when i convert DSD64 or 128 to DSD256 my cpu utilization jumps to 80% but when converting pcm to DSD256 my cpu reaches about 30%.  Is this normal?  It seems from this post that your cpu handles dsd to dsd conversion more easily than pcm to dsd.

[zorntel]

17 minutes ago, simonklp said:

 

Hi Zorntel, I haven't tried between 2s and non-2s xtr filter because I have an impression that non-2s is always better. Instead, I don't feel much difference between poly-sinc and poly-sinc-xtr filter. That's the reason why I keep using the poly-sinc filter.

 

May be I need to do some more intensive comparison between these filters including the 2s one. Thanks.

To my ears on my system, the xtr filters are more analog like than the straight polysinc which feels more digital to me.  Before switching to the xtr I was using polysinc short mp which is also more analog like for me...but a little softer than the xtr which seems to just hit the sweet spot.   I wish the non-2s would work with PCM files but I'm not going to break the bank trying to get there.  The machines Larry and I built to do this stuff are about the same cost as just Jussi's processor that will do the non-2s. The sound I'm getting with the xtr-2s and DSD512 is the best sound I've ever heard on my system...I don't want to stop listening...which in the end if the point of all of this!

[zorntel]

7 minutes ago, tboooe said:

Sorry to get off topic.  In my system when i convert DSD64 or 128 to DSD256 my cpu utilization jumps to 80% but when converting pcm to DSD256 my cpu reaches about 30%.  Is this normal?  It seems from this post that your cpu handles dsd to dsd conversion more easily than pcm to dsd.

Jussi is obviously the end all on this...but the math to do DSD to DSD is much easier than the math to do PCM to DSD from what I understand.

 

Robert