Jump to content
IGNORED

HQ Player


Recommended Posts

3 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Cheapest machines that can run HQPlayer upsampling to 16fs PCM cost around 150€...

 

There are some companies like Small Green Computer and Pink Faun building computers with HQPlayer preinstalled.

 

 

My DAC design is published only as proof-of-concept design. I don't have time or resources to manufacture hardware, I'm well busy enough working on software.

 

There are couple of commercial DACs built around similar implementation, like T+A DAC8 DSD, Holo Audio Spring / Cyan and Denafrips Terminator.

 

Thanks for your responses.

I may look into HQPlayer specifically as a DSD option if it turns out to outperform the way I play my DSD files currently which is via  Chord Qutest.

DSD sounds better than before in my system via Qutest, but still lags a bit  behind the best hi res PCM

to me.

Tone and timbre can be very seductive with well recorded DSD, but  often at the cost of  a certain softness at transient/ climaxes not there live or via PCM.

And then of course there is the dreaded DSD noise with anything recorded at DSD 64 , that has been postprocessed/mastered.

DSD64 raw can sound very nice, but there are hardly any commercial releases without postprocessing on the market except historical transfers.

PCM on the other hand can sometimes sound too hard/harsh and clinically cold compared to the real thing.

I would like "the best of two worlds" combined into one.

Would a Benchmark  DAC 2 DAC be a good option with your HQplayer in your opinion?

I am not at all interested in buying yet another DAC,only months after buying my Qutest,unless anyone here would throw a DAVE or dCs Vivaldi or similar at me at rock bottom price.

 

 

Link to comment
6 minutes ago, chrille said:

Thanks for your responses.

I may look into HQPlayer specifically as a DSD option if it turns out to outperform the way I play my DSD files currently which is via  Chord Qutest.

DSD sounds better than before in my system via Qutest, but still lags a bit  behind the best hi res PCM

to me.

Tone and timbre can be very seductive with well recorded DSD, but  often at the cost of  a certain softness at transient/ climaxes not there live or via PCM.

And then of course there is the dreaded DSD noise with anything recorded at DSD 64 , that has been postprocessed/mastered.

DSD64 raw can sound very nice, but there are hardly any commercial releases without postprocessing on the market except historical transfers.

PCM on the other hand can sometimes sound too hard/harsh and clinically cold compared to the real thing.

I would like "the best of two worlds" combined into one.

Would a Benchmark  DAC 2 DAC be a good option with your HQplayer in your opinion?

I am not at all interested in buying yet another DAC,only months after buying my Qutest,unless anyone here would throw a DAVE or dCs Vivaldi or similar at me at rock bottom price.

 

I'm not sure how Qutest handles DSD input, but if it is like Mojo (which leaks lot of DSD noise aliased down), then it is better to send it 705.6/768k PCM instead. HQPlayer can give you good DSD-to-PCM conversion. If you are worried about DSD noise, set "Noise filter" in DSDIFF/DSF Settings dialog to "low".

 

I have some hardware I have tested listed on my web page under "Recommended hardware".

 

Signalyst - Developer of HQPlayer

Pulse & Fidelity - Software Defined Amplifiers

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Miska said:

 

That is what HQPlayer Embedded is for. So essentially you can build similar upsampler box out of it like MScaler, but in addition it works as a Roon endpoint, UPnP Renderer, and generally a remote controlled HQPlayer in addition to being digital and analog input DSP processor. Output can go to local (USB etc) audio interfaces or to network attached ones to NAA.

 

 

I confess to having skipped this as the web site copy suggested that this is an OEM library and not something an end user can install on windows (some kind of signed driver I would expect). I am still confused though bec it says for Linux. 

 

Jusr to confirm:

Is Embedded ready to go for the windows end user?

 

Link to comment
2 hours ago, Miska said:

 

That is really great to hear! I hope @AMR/iFi audio will also provide updated driver that can do this! :)

 

 

I agree!  I have a ticket in with @AMR/iFi audio, and am still waiting for an updated driver for my xDSD.

 

I wasn't planning to name any names yet ... trying to give IFI audio a chance to deliver before mentioning here.  I also have a Topping NX4 DSD ... they give me the driver in less than 24 hours!  I was surprised to get a resolution that quickly.

Link to comment
6 hours ago, rayl1234 said:

I confess to having skipped this as the web site copy suggested that this is an OEM library and not something an end user can install on windows (some kind of signed driver I would expect). I am still confused though bec it says for Linux. 

 

Jusr to confirm:

Is Embedded ready to go for the windows end user?

 

Embedded is for Linux only. Windows and macOS are just not up to the task. But OTOH, I'm providing full bootable OS image with it.

 

MScaler is not running on Windows either? HQPlayer Embedded is "firmware" for multifunction device.

 

I have Mac Mini with macOS and Windows 8.1 connected to one of my HQPlayer Embedded servers using AES/EBU connection. And of course network, so for example A+ can be used to output to HQPlayer Embedded over network (UPnP).

 

Signalyst - Developer of HQPlayer

Pulse & Fidelity - Software Defined Amplifiers

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Miska said:

 

Embedded is for Linux only. Windows and macOS are just not up to the task. But OTOH, I'm providing full bootable OS image with it.

 

MScaler is not running on Windows either? HQPlayer Embedded is "firmware" for multifunction device.

 

I have Mac Mini with macOS and Windows 8.1 connected to one of my HQPlayer Embedded servers using AES/EBU connection. And of course network, so for example A+ can be used to output to HQPlayer Embedded over network (UPnP).

 

 

Then I think we are in 100% agreement one one premise, but perhaps we have a misunderstanding on another premise. I have no doubt that whatever MScaler does digitally can be done in software on a general purpose CPU -- the fact that it's a disclosed algorithm helps!  (Hardware analog noise would be another dimension, but just focusing on digital for my discussion.)  I've actually argued the same with some of the Blu2 folks elsewhere and have even provided performance stats on some pretty dumb implementations showing a proof-of-concept speed-wise (though I did concede that wattage-wise, there may be a factor of 5x difference after optimization).

 

Building a ahrdware box to pass thorugh the signal is not something I want to undertake.  (That's why I suggested if someone put out a USB audio in -> USB audio out, I would gladly try it.)

 

Where we had a bit of a misunderstanding is that I though the implication was that HQ today can already handle my needed data flows (WASAPI and Windows mixer) in a ready-to-go piece of software.  I guess I am now back to where I started -- was I willing to pay 10k USD last year to get it all packaged for what I heard? Yes.  So would I pay 5k USD today? Yes. Would I if a $500 software ready-to-go solution were available (or a $1000 mini Linux box with USB pass throughs?)  Probably not ...unless a comparison proves a disappointment due to analog issues.

 

But it doesn't appear that such an alternative solution is on offer.

Link to comment
1 hour ago, rayl1234 said:

Then I think we are in 100% agreement one one premise, but perhaps we have a misunderstanding on another premise. I have no doubt that whatever MScaler does digitally can be done in software on a general purpose CPU -- the fact that it's a disclosed algorithm helps!  (Hardware analog noise would be another dimension, but just focusing on digital for my discussion.)  I've actually argued the same with some of the Blu2 folks elsewhere and have even provided performance stats on some pretty dumb implementations showing a proof-of-concept speed-wise (though I did concede that wattage-wise, there may be a factor of 5x difference after optimization).

 

Building a ahrdware box to pass thorugh the signal is not something I want to undertake.  (That's why I suggested if someone put out a USB audio in -> USB audio out, I would gladly try it.)

 

Where we had a bit of a misunderstanding is that I though the implication was that HQ today can already handle my needed data flows (WASAPI and Windows mixer) in a ready-to-go piece of software.  I guess I am now back to where I started -- was I willing to pay 10k USD last year to get it all packaged for what I heard? Yes.  So would I pay 5k USD today? Yes. Would I if a $500 software ready-to-go solution were available (or a $1000 mini Linux box with USB pass throughs?)  Probably not ...unless a comparison proves a disappointment due to analog issues.

 

But it doesn't appear that such an alternative solution is on offer.

 

From my point of view, what MScaler lacks, is Ethernet connectivity, support for running digital room correction filters, advanced routing and mixing for 3D audio processing, etc.

 

For me, it is enough that I can use whatever software I like on Mac Mini (macOS or Windows) to do music playback, I can stream Spotify and Tidal straight from iOS and Android. And I can generally use UPnP Renderer functionality. And all with the upsampling and other aforementioned DSP capabilities. And all this also works for vinyl sources, running through ADC either at 768/32 PCM or DSD256.

 

And I don't need to spend $1000 to do that.

Signalyst - Developer of HQPlayer

Pulse & Fidelity - Software Defined Amplifiers

Link to comment
22 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

From my point of view, what MScaler lacks, is Ethernet connectivity, support for running digital room correction filters, advanced routing and mixing for 3D audio processing, etc.

 

For me, it is enough that I can use whatever software I like on Mac Mini (macOS or Windows) to do music playback, I can stream Spotify and Tidal straight from iOS and Android. And I can generally use UPnP Renderer functionality. And all with the upsampling and other aforementioned DSP capabilities. And all this also works for vinyl sources, running through ADC either at 768/32 PCM or DSD256.

 

And I don't need to spend $1000 to do that.

 

Sure... if the point is digital == software.... If I take a 6 month vacation, I can build a sinc upsampler that runs as a Windows driver like the way Dirac works and it would cost me nothing except maybe the cost of an EV code signing certificate to make my AV happy (though that runs $700 or so!)...   "It's just software" as we like to say in the office (when there's nothing secret or patented involved).

 

I don't think that changes the conclusion that some folks want something already packaged that works well and find value in that. Classic make vs buy.  Or as I stated early on "Yes, I am paying for packaging."

Link to comment
9 minutes ago, rayl1234 said:

Sure... if the point is digital == software.... If I take a 6 month vacation, I can build a sinc upsampler that runs as a Windows driver like the way Dirac works and it would cost me nothing except maybe the cost of an EV code signing certificate to make my AV happy (though that runs $700 or so!)...   "It's just software" as we like to say in the office (when there's nothing secret or patented involved).

 

OK, great! Just do it if you want a Windows driver! :)

 

Still, MScaler is not a a Windows driver.

 

So far, I've spent last 20 years working on this. There are sooo many ways you can design a "sinc upsampler". Have fun designing a good one, one that both measures and sounds good!

 

My favorite platform is anyway Linux. And there's no need for a Windows driver, there are better ways to do things.

 

Signalyst - Developer of HQPlayer

Pulse & Fidelity - Software Defined Amplifiers

Link to comment
4 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

OK, great! Just do it if you want a Windows driver! :)

 

Still, MScaler is not a a Windows driver.

 

So far, I've spent last 20 years working on this. There are sooo many ways you can design a "sinc upsampler". Have fun designing a good one, one that both measures and sounds good!

 

My favorite platform is anyway Linux. And there's no need for a Windows driver, there are better ways to do things.

 

 

Again, we seem to have no real disagreement.  Yea, fine tuning takes time, though there are at least tools to compute with arbitrary precision to get the coefficients calculation.

 

But that's why I bought a Blu2 MScaler....

 

Windows is my platform at home.  I don't want to build/configure/manage an extra Linux box.... so I paid for a package solution.

 

I had misread the suggestion that there is a way to get a software-only equivalent solution working w/in my existing Windows-based PC environments (like my Windows box in the office) and my curiosity was sparked.  I am by no means attacking HQP.  But having said that, I am by no means regretting the Chord purchase either.

Link to comment
6 minutes ago, rayl1234 said:

Again, we seem to have no real disagreement.  Yea, fine tuning takes time, though there are at least tools to compute with arbitrary precision to get the coefficients calculation.

 

I design the design algorithms and tools too, so I don't rely on third-party stuff for any of the DSP. How I come up with the coefficients is beef of my stuff, not running the coefficients which is just optimized business as usual.

 

9 minutes ago, rayl1234 said:

Windows is my platform at home.  I don't want to build/configure/manage an extra Linux box.... so I paid for a package solution.

 

That's fine, there are are companies providing packaged (hardware+software) solution with HQPlayer Embedded included. That doesn't include Windows, just like MScaler doesn't include Windows either. Shouldn't matter to you what OS a box runs, regardless if it is MScaler or HQPlayer Embedded. You can just compare the functionality and price and see which one you prefer - as usual.

 

Signalyst - Developer of HQPlayer

Pulse & Fidelity - Software Defined Amplifiers

Link to comment
4 hours ago, Miska said:

 

I design the design algorithms and tools too, so I don't rely on third-party stuff for any of the DSP. How I come up with the coefficients is beef of my stuff, not running the coefficients which is just optimized business as usual.

 

I have been enthusiastic to use HQPlayer Embedded built with your optimized Linux OS image as well. Unfortunately, it cannot work in my hardware setup, even though it can work separately with Audiolinux and Ubuntu Studio.

 

Link to comment
8 hours ago, simonklp said:

I have been enthusiastic to use HQPlayer Embedded built with your optimized Linux OS image as well. Unfortunately, it cannot work in my hardware setup, even though it can work separately with Audiolinux and Ubuntu Studio.

 

OK, I wonder what kind of hardware do you have and what part doesn't work?

Signalyst - Developer of HQPlayer

Pulse & Fidelity - Software Defined Amplifiers

Link to comment
2 hours ago, Miska said:

 

OK, I wonder what kind of hardware do you have and what part doesn't work?

 

Hi Miska, I had mentioned what didn't work and the related part of my hardware in the below link:

 

 

You had also given some comment earlier. I think you have forgotten about it.

 

Link to comment
36 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

Is my 3.2 GH Intel Core i5 Processor in my iMac a Multi Core Processor?

If so, should I check Multi Core in Prefs on the new version just out?

 

Every Mac made since 2006 (with the exception of a Mac Mini model in 2006) have at least 2 cores.  So yes, it's a multicore.

Link to comment
39 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

I use HQ on my iMac, usb or Firewire, no Streaming or Network Equipment, strictly Drag-and Drop.

Will Roon be of use in that set-up?

 

Roon can operate a "core" on your iMac and be able to feed a copy of HQPlayer on the same machine so you won't need to drag and drop files on HQPlayer anymore.

Link to comment
  • Due to the nature of the hard disk drive, we do not recommend you store data on the hard disk drive for a long period.

This from Sony.

Can someone explain what is meant?

Of course I'm going to store files for a long period!

Should the Drive be re-set from time to time?

Link to comment
12 minutes ago, jimdukey said:
  • Due to the nature of the hard disk drive, we do not recommend you store data on the hard disk drive for a long period.

This from Sony.

Can someone explain what is meant?

Of course I'm going to store files for a long period!

Should the Drive be re-set from time to time?

Maybe because all hard drives fail, they are saying that.  Of course, they could also say back up your hard drives (multiple times) or in the cloud, or with a neighbor.

Analog-VPIClas3,3DArm,LyraSkala+MiyajimaZeromono,Herron VTPH2APhono,2AmpexATR-102+MerrillTridentMaster TapePreamp

Dig Rip-Pyramix,IzotopeRX3Adv,MykerinosCard,PacificMicrosonicsModel2; Dig Play-Lampi Horizon, mch NADAC, Roon-HQPlayer,Oppo105

Electronics-DoshiPre,CJ MET1mchPre,Cary2A3monoamps; Speakers-AvantgardeDuosLR,3SolosC,LR,RR

Other-2x512EngineerMarutaniSymmetrical Power+Cables Music-1.8KR2Rtapes,1.5KCD's,500SACDs,50+TBripped files

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...