HQ Player

[tedwoods]

On 11/28/2017 at 7:59 PM, Miska said:

For NAA use, do NOT use STP cables or anything that has metal shield on the connector that could connect grounds of the NAA device and the switch. Generally, only use UTP cables unless you have a specific cable and careful design for using STP.

What about the Supra cat8?

http://www.jenving.com/products/view/cat-8-stp-patch-1001908589

[Miska]

10 minutes ago, tedwoods said:

What about the Supra cat8?

http://www.jenving.com/products/view/cat-8-stp-patch-1001908589

 

That is STP cable, not suitable for NAA use unless either end clearly doesn't connect the shield metal anywhere. Some devices like IIRC Apple Airport Extreme seem to have plastic connector, but sill have small metallic contact points for the shield inside the connector.

 

[jhwalker]

5 hours ago, Dr Tone said:

 

It's only with the closed-form filter every other filter is fine with normal amounts of headroom.

 

Xavier Rudd's latest studio album is the worst.  Dave Matthews albums will do it as well but not as bad.

 

Hm - doesn't do it for me even with the Xavier Rudd (I'm assuming you're talking about "Nanna").  Weird.

[Dr Tone]

2 minutes ago, jhwalker said:

 

Hm - doesn't do it for me even with the Xavier Rudd (I'm assuming you're talking about "Nanna").  Weird.

 

I'm on HQPlayer 3.19 and have Cuda enabled.  What's different in your environment?

 

NS5 384kHz max.  Probably doesn't matter it was doing it when I chose DSD128 as well.

[Miska]

6 hours ago, Dr Tone said:

I'm now disvovering more and more modern recordings that need >9db of head room with closed-form.

 

There has to be a point when data starts getting lossed with a too large amount of head room?  I really love how closed-form sounds but I'm not comfortable with 15db of headroom all the time as hqplayer is headless driven by Roon in my case.

 

Of course I could let those albums limit but that will always be in the back of my head when listening.

 

It mostly depends on the DAC. From digital domain perspective, 15 dB is still quite a little. You probably still have quite a bit of extra attenuation at the amp side. But maybe it is best to just switch the filter for such recordings. Either poly-sinc-xtr or poly-sinc-hb are closest to equivalent but different type.

 

As an example, if I use Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital's volume control and my Shure 1540 headphones, the volume setting in Pro-Ject varies between -30 and -26. And that is digital volume on the ESS DAC chip... Alternatively I can turn it up to 0 and do the same attenuation at HQPlayer side.

 

[Dr Tone]

1 minute ago, Miska said:

 

It mostly depends on the DAC. From digital domain perspective, 15 dB is still quite a little. You probably still have quite a bit of extra attenuation at the amp side. But maybe it is best to just switch the filter for such recordings. Either poly-sinc-xtr or poly-sinc-hb are closest to equivalent but different type.

 

 

 

Now @jhwalker indicates that he doesn't have the issue on the same album "Nanna" with closed-form.  So something funky is going on in my environment.

[tedwoods]

24 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

That is STP cable, not suitable for NAA use unless either end clearly doesn't connect the shield metal anywhere. Some devices like IIRC Apple Airport Extreme seem to have plastic connector, but sill have small metallic contact points for the shield inside the connector.

 

Thanks, any recommendations for UTP cables? 

[Miska]

9 minutes ago, Dr Tone said:

Now @jhwalker indicates that he doesn't have the issue on the same album "Nanna" with closed-form.  So something funky is going on in my environment.

 

Maybe you are having DirectSDM enabled?

 

Remember the volume knob disabled -> fixed volume.

[Miska]

Just now, tedwoods said:

Thanks, any recommendations for UTP cables? 

 

I use totally standard CAT6 ones, unnamed from local electronics store.

 

I also have quite a bit left of 100 m coil of bare CAT6 cable I used to pull in a new cable to one room through the cable tube. And I also have connectors and tools to make cables myself. But I'm lazy and rather buy new ones for 5€/piece.

 

[Dr Tone]

1 minute ago, Miska said:

 

Maybe you are having DirectSDM enabled?

 

Remember the volume knob disabled -> fixed volume.

 

I do but this is up-converting to PCM with HQPlayer set to Auto.  Any change to min and max to avoid clipping was was physically changing the output volume.

[Miska]

Just now, Dr Tone said:

I do but this is up-converting to PCM with HQPlayer set to Auto.  Any change to min and max to avoid clipping was was physically changing the output volume.

 

Ahh, OK! Then if the volume knob is active and you turn it then certainly works and you can also hear it.

 

[tedwoods]

6 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

I use totally standard CAT6 ones, unnamed from local electronics store.

 

I also have quite a bit left of 100 m coil of bare CAT6 cable I used to pull in a new cable to one room through the cable tube. And I also have connectors and tools to make cables myself. But I'm lazy and rather buy new ones for 5€/piece.

 

Great, I recently re-wired everything with Belkin CAT6, so I guess I'm good...

[Dr Tone]

2 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Ahh, OK! Then if the volume knob is active and you turn it then certainly works and you can also hear it.

 

 

I turned off "Auto Rate" as it's obviously redundant with closed-form and I also turned off Cuda and now I no longer have the clip indicator going off even at -4db headroom.  I have to assume turning off Cuda solved it, my 3770 didn't really need help anyway.

 

I have a 1080ti, latest nvidia drivers on the fall creators update.  I can provide you with the test files if you want @Miska

[Miska]

1 hour ago, Dr Tone said:

I turned off "Auto Rate" as it's obviously redundant with closed-form and I also turned off Cuda and now I no longer have the clip indicator going off even at -4db headroom.  I have to assume turning off Cuda solved it, my 3770 didn't really need help anyway.

 

I have a 1080ti, latest nvidia drivers on the fall creators update.  I can provide you with the test files if you want @Miska

 

OK, great to hear you solved the issue! Maybe there has been some strange side-effects after updating to CUDA 9. I will run some test signals through the CUDA code and see if I can reproduce the misbehavior. Both CPU and CUDA computations should produce same results.

 

[gdpr]

Hi Miska

 

Could you please ellaborate on the possible effects of 'double' filtering.

 

I I would use HQSignalist with e.g. the T+A 8 DSD :

a) what would be the recommended T+A 8 DSD filter setting be if I am using HQplayer to do filtering?

I suppose using a BEZIER filter after filtering in HQplayer would decrease signal quality?

 

b) When selecting DSD in the T+A 8 DSD , I assume there is no filtering (in the sense used for PCM) applied in the DAC.

I am correct to assume there is no interference between filtering in HQplayer and the DAC?

 

Dirk 

[Miska]

2 hours ago, ddetaey said:

a) what would be the recommended T+A 8 DSD filter setting be if I am using HQplayer to do filtering?

I suppose using a BEZIER filter after filtering in HQplayer would decrease signal quality?

 

When you send in at 352.8/384k PCM, there's no filter applied by the DAC anymore. So the filter selection at DAC side doesn't matter. Only for input rates between 44.1k and 192k.

 

2 hours ago, ddetaey said:

b) When selecting DSD in the T+A 8 DSD , I assume there is no filtering (in the sense used for PCM) applied in the DAC.

I am correct to assume there is no interference between filtering in HQplayer and the DAC?

 

That's correct, you can just select between two different analog filters (which also apply to PCM mode).

[Miska]

21 hours ago, Miska said:

OK, great to hear you solved the issue! Maybe there has been some strange side-effects after updating to CUDA 9.

 

OK, I think I found the problem. Not related to CUDA9, but related to processor structure of the 1080Ti. Only affects closed-form and only on GPU models that have certain core configuration. I cannot test the fix with my hardware (I have only 1060 and 1080), but I'm quite confident I know what the problem was. Fix will be included in next release.

[Dr Tone]

4 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

OK, I think I found the problem. Not related to CUDA9, but related to processor structure of the 1080Ti. Only affects closed-form and only on GPU models that have certain core configuration. I cannot test the fix with my hardware (I have only 1060 and 1080), but I'm quite confident I know what the problem was. Fix will be included in next release.

 

Cool, I'll flick the switch and let you know.

[bibo01]

As you probably know, the new HQP Desktop 3.19 has separated the original HQPlayer.xml file in library.xml and settings.xml.

I did not have a look inside my .xml file in quite some time. The last time I looked it had paths to all my albums, but not to their respective tracks. However, looking at the whole library in HQP Desktop, I would be able to see all tracks in each album.

 

I do not know when these changes were introduced - perhaps Miska can say that - but when I opened library.xml it now reports paths to tracks, not just albums. However, only a few albums have that "extra" track information. As I said, you cannot notice this in Library view, but only by opening library.xml.

 

My suggestion is to re-scan the whole library, even if it's going to take some time. In this way all albums will have tracks info as well.

This is particularly useful if you intend using HQPDcontrol, the Android app for controlling HQPlayer. 

[Miska]

13 hours ago, bibo01 said:

I do not know when these changes were introduced - perhaps Miska can say that - but when I opened library.xml it now reports paths to tracks, not just albums. However, only a few albums have that "extra" track information. As I said, you cannot notice this in Library view, but only by opening library.xml.

 

I think part of it was part of 3.18 series and 3.19 finalized those changes. This is to facilitate the new LibraryGet and LibraryPicture control API calls.

 

Configuration split on the other hand was done to allow loading different settings files without affecting library. For example I use this to load multichannel downmix matrix or headphone 3D processing matrix as necessary. Or different settings for different DACs. This is also available through the control API.

 

13 hours ago, bibo01 said:

My suggestion is to re-scan the whole library, even if it's going to take some time. In this way all albums will have tracks info as well.

This is particularly useful if you intend using HQPDcontrol, the Android app for controlling HQPlayer.

 

Yes, and no need to remove those items from library first. Just rescanning will amend missing information without losing possible edits in the library view. This can be also used to update cover image information in case there are changes on that front in the library. However, it won't update the extracted metadata, on purpose. To preserve possible edits (I have quite many myself).

 

[Quadman]

This is the strangest thing I have seen in HQP, I built this PC for some one else so it is not in my possession at this moment.  He is trying to get DSD512 to play and in the main HQP screen in box 4 under the volume knob it says SDM yet the filter selection in box 1 & 2 are PCM filters!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a shot of his HQP settings

 

 

 

What does not make sense to me and what I have never seen before is box 4 under volume says SDM but the filters in box 1 and 2 are clearly his PCM filters.  How is that possible?  This is HQP 3.18.2 version.  I have his PC set so audio Fidelizer opens HQP after it finishes it's optimizations just like I do on my personal PC and this is how it opens.  Does this make sense @Miska    BTW when music is playing the signal path in roon says HQP streaming, MinRingFir, NS9 and 352.8 PCM

[Miska]

1 minute ago, Quadman said:

This is the strangest thing I have seen in HQP, I built this PC for some one else so it is not in my possession at this moment.  He is trying to get DSD512 to play and in the main HQP screen in box 4 under the volume knob it says SDM yet the filter selection in box 1 & 2 are PCM filters!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a shot of his HQP settings

 

 

 

What does not make sense to me and what I have never seen before is box 4 under volume says SDM but the filters in box 1 and 2 are clearly his PCM filters.  How is that possible?  This is HQP 3.18.2 version.  I have his PC set so audio Fidelizer opens HQP after it finishes it's optimizations just like I do on my personal PC and this is how it opens.  Does this make sense @Miska

 

The GUI state is messed up for some reason. I have not seen this happening. If someone can tell how to reliably reproduce this issue I'd like to hear about it. Changing the mode once from the main window should bring it back to sanity.

 

[Quadman]

Thats what I suggested to him today, click box 4 and pick another option then click again and pick SDM.  Unfortunately he is driving out of town today and won't return until Monday evening.  If that does not fix I'll post an update then.  BTW it did not exhibit that behavior when i had the machine.

[ted_b]

I've reported this issue (display showing last PCM filter pick, not current SDM picks) many times, although always correct sample or bit rate.  I assumed it was just a display issue.

[Quadman]

When he hit play in roon with box 4 set at SDM, and filters at minringFir, NS9 as pictured above this is what Roons signal path shows.  BTW this PC has been rebooted 3 times and the same happens each time. (Main screen shows exactly as pictured above).  While I had the PC this behavior never occurred, all was correct.