HQ Player

[tboooe]

16 minutes ago, Outlaw said:

See on main page for HQPlayer there is update for 3.25.1.Go to we’re todownload still says 3.25.0.Tried refreshing browser over and over.

I downloaded the file and it says 3251.

[Miska]

15 minutes ago, Outlaw said:

See on main page for HQPlayer there is update for 3.25.1.Go to we’re todownload still says 3.25.0.Tried refreshing browser over and over.

 

Whoops, forgot to update that header. Now it is updated. But links to the packages have been correct, so just the header was wrong.

 

[Outlaw]

Thanks

[fgribas]

On 10/19/2018 at 12:04 PM, Miska said:

 

RME ADI-2 DAC, warm recommendation from my side. Up to 768/32 PCM and DSD256 (including 48k x256) on any platform.

 

Just remember to turn on DSD Direct mode to disable PCM conversion. This means that it doesn't have volume control (because it is digital). Which also means forgetting about using it's headphone output with DSD Direct (not supported due to lack of volume control).

 

 

I've been reading about this DAC and it's quite interesting! How do you compare it to Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital? I have one, also based on your recommendation.

[Le Concombre Masqué]

18 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Whoops, forgot to update that header. Now it is updated. But links to the packages have been correct, so just the header was wrong.

 

works flawlessly. 

As of SQ... woke up, listened to In a Silent Way (MFSL SACD ), had breakfast, checked what's going on in the world, found out about and installed 25.1, listened to In a Silent Way...

before breakfast I was puzzled by tape noise being right panned, with 25.1 it was centred.

Maybe rather the result of eating an apple (jaw exercise>Eustachian trump... ) ; nobody else reports ?

[MemoryPlayer]

What happened by here?

Two days and no posts...

[jimdukey]

Too busy enjoying 25.1.

[Miska]

On 10/25/2018 at 5:21 PM, fgribas said:

I've been reading about this DAC and it's quite interesting! How do you compare it to Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital? I have one, also based on your recommendation.

 

Technically both perform very well. The RME is somewhat higher grade, has balanced outputs, but also costs twice as much. And uses different DAC chip. RME uses AKM chips and exposes the DSD Direct mode of the AKM chips and also allows to select 50 / 150 kHz output stage configuration (like TEAC too). Both are certainly very good value for the money and perform better than many more expensive competitors.

 

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.

 

[fgribas]

11 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Technically both perform very well. The RME is somewhat higher grade, has balanced outputs, but also costs twice as much. And uses different DAC chip. RME uses AKM chips and exposes the DSD Direct mode of the AKM chips and also allows to select 50 / 150 kHz output stage configuration (like TEAC too). Both are certainly very good value for the money and perform better than many more expensive competitors.

 

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.

 

 

Thanks. For me, the lack of volume control and Headphone outputs on Direct DSD mode is a show stopper. My main use is with IEMs and I don't plan to add an additional amp only for that.

[Miska]

3 hours ago, fgribas said:

Thanks. For me, the lack of volume control and Headphone outputs on Direct DSD mode is a show stopper. My main use is with IEMs and I don't plan to add an additional amp only for that.

 

On my desktop stack, I use Schiit Jotunheim as headphone amp and ADI-2 Pro is connected to it using balanced cables. I've been also recently considering Benchmark HPA4. I also have Holo Audio Cyan DSD connected through unbalanced to the Jotunheim. Jotunheim's internal AK4490 DAC is used for things like YouTube where quality is not important. My idea is also to get active near field monitors and connect those to the Jotunheim's balanced outputs. This way it also works as a preamp.

 

Cyan is also similar, it's headphone output is disabled with the DSD DAC module. So I handle headphone output of two DACs in a similar way.

 

[fgribas]

1 hour ago, Miska said:

 

On my desktop stack, I use Schiit Jotunheim as headphone amp and ADI-2 Pro is connected to it using balanced cables. I've been also recently considering Benchmark HPA4. I also have Holo Audio Cyan DSD connected through unbalanced to the Jotunheim. Jotunheim's internal AK4490 DAC is used for things like YouTube where quality is not important. My idea is also to get active near field monitors and connect those to the Jotunheim's balanced outputs. This way it also works as a preamp.

 

Cyan is also similar, it's headphone output is disabled with the DSD DAC module. So I handle headphone output of two DACs in a similar way.

 

I've always been curious/intrigued about AKM sound. All my DACs are ESS. I tend not to add an external amp so it doesn't color the DAC sound. But thinking about Direct DSD, that's something to consider.

 

So how ESS DACs handle volume with Pure DSD? Not so pure? Pro-ject S2D has the same volume control with PCM and SDM content.

 

There's always the option to control master volume with HQP, but it's quite dangerous. I've seen (and heard) nasty accidents with software volume control ?

[Miska]

6 hours ago, fgribas said:

I've always been curious/intrigued about AKM sound. All my DACs are ESS. I tend not to add an external amp so it doesn't color the DAC sound. But thinking about Direct DSD, that's something to consider.

 

So how ESS DACs handle volume with Pure DSD? Not so pure? Pro-ject S2D has the same volume control with PCM and SDM content.

 

There's always the option to control master volume with HQP, but it's quite dangerous. I've seen (and heard) nasty accidents with software volume control ?

 

ESS uses digital volume control at original DSD rate. One option would be to use HQPlayer to do that instead along with other processing, and HQPlayer has maximum volume limit setting. But it still doesn't rule out possibility of misconfiguration or some other application blasting out at full volume. With something like IEM's, I would certainly play safe and make sure maximum possible volume is within safe area.

 

On Jotunheim, to my HD800's, I use the lower gain setting, so it's volume control is always around noon and thus optimal. If a headphone amp has suitably low maximum gain setting, then it is viable for software use too.

 

Some DACs have analog volume control instead of using the on-chip digital one. Mytek (ESS chip) has configuration option to choose which one to use. TEAC UD-503/NT-503 uses AKM chip, but analog volume control.

[AnotherSpin]

Miska, If I use both HQPlayer digital volume control and iFI iDSD volume knob simultaneously with PCM – what is the best position of digital? For example, is it good to keep digital at –20, for example, and adjust volume with iDSD knob? When digital is at –6, I could use iDSD knob in a very small range before it makes very loud sound.

[Miska]

6 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

Miska, If I use both HQPlayer digital volume control and iFI iDSD volume knob simultaneously with PCM – what is the best position of digital? For example, is it good to keep digital at –20, for example, and adjust volume with iDSD knob? When digital is at –6, I could use iDSD knob in a very small range before it makes very loud sound.

 

If you want to combine, set analog volume on iDSD to loudest you'd ever listen to and then adjust volume from HQPlayer. Since there is no point in first attenuating and then amplifying a lot, if you can get gain low enough using IEMatch switch on iDSD (Gain on Pro iDSD), even better. Analog potentiometers have worst channel balance at lowest volume settings. So if you want to operate the iDSD volume, it is at best from halfway to max. This way you also get lowest analog noise.

 

[AnotherSpin]

53 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

If you want to combine, set analog volume on iDSD to loudest you'd ever listen to and then adjust volume from HQPlayer. Since there is no point in first attenuating and then amplifying a lot, if you can get gain low enough using IEMatch switch on iDSD (Gain on Pro iDSD), even better. Analog potentiometers have worst channel balance at lowest volume settings. So if you want to operate the iDSD volume, it is at best from halfway to max. This way you also get lowest analog noise.

 

 

Great! IEMatch should be in "off", "high sensitivity" or "ultra sensitivity"?

[Miska]

1 hour ago, AnotherSpin said:

Great! IEMatch should be in "off", "high sensitivity" or "ultra sensitivity"?

 

OK, overall I'm assuming you are using the headphone output and not the line output?

 

You need to just try which one gives most suitable volume adjustment. There are two settings which are not very well documented. I checked some of the settings by measuring, but that's so long ago that I have already forgotten. I always used line out set to fixed with external headphone amp, so didn't pay much attention to the headphone output.

 

My recommendation is to first set the power mode and keep IEMatch off. Start with "Eco" and check if it gives enough gain. Eco is 0 dB gain, Normal is about 6 dB and Turbo is about 12 dB. If you don't get enough volume out with this, then increase it to "Normal" or "Turbo" as necessary. Then in second step, check the same with IEMatch going to "high sensitivity" or "ultra sensitivity" if necessary.

 

[AnotherSpin]

4 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

OK, overall I'm assuming you are using the headphone output and not the line output?

 

You need to just try which one gives most suitable volume adjustment. There are two settings which are not very well documented. I checked some of the settings by measuring, but that's so long ago that I have already forgotten. I always used line out set to fixed with external headphone amp, so didn't pay much attention to the headphone output.

 

My recommendation is to first set the power mode and keep IEMatch off. Start with "Eco" and check if it gives enough gain. Eco is 0 dB gain, Normal is about 6 dB and Turbo is about 12 dB. If you don't get enough volume out with this, then increase it to "Normal" or "Turbo" as necessary. Then in second step, check the same with IEMatch going to "high sensitivity" or "ultra sensitivity" if necessary.

 

 

I use line out to active speakers. Eco mode.

[Miska]

17 minutes ago, AnotherSpin said:

I use line out to active speakers. Eco mode.

 

OK, then you cannot do much more about it, other than setting the iDSD volume such that it is as loud as you'd ever listen and then control it from HQPlayer. This is the most optimal safe setting for that case.

[AnotherSpin]

6 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

OK, then you cannot do much more about it, other than setting the iDSD volume such that it is as loud as you'd ever listen and then control it from HQPlayer. This is the most optimal safe setting for that case.

 

I already did and I think I like the sound!

[Outlaw]

Just built a new Windows PC for HQPlayer.How do you change my Windows license from old pc to new ?

[Miska]

4 hours ago, Outlaw said:

Just built a new Windows PC for HQPlayer.How do you change my Windows license from old pc to new ?

 

You just install the license key on new one. Newest HQPlayer Desktop has options in Help-menu to clean up things from old machine before uninstalling the program files. I recommend that you first install the new one and only then clean up the old (unless you want to keep the old as backup one).

 

[Volodymyr]

Folks, anyone tried HQPlayer on Centos OS? Compatible, any issues?  

I have some issues with my DAC on debian, and producer cinfirmed that they tested that DAC on Centos without any problems. So, going to try.

[HumanMedia]

On 6/22/2017 at 12:21 AM, bibo01 said:

There is a possibility that in the next few months a friend of mine will develop a plug-in for LMS to talk to HQPlayer

Very light server, good remote client interface, all streaming services available,... 

 

 

Any progress on this?

 

is there any way of integrating HQPlayer with an LMS Server and player as you can with Roon? Even it’s a manual setup to achieve it?

 

This would be so good...

[bibo01]

3 hours ago, HumanMedia said:

Any progress on this?

Not yet, perhaps its development has been put on hold.. 

Hover, it is already possible to do LMS->HQPE.

[HumanMedia]

7 hours ago, bibo01 said:

Not yet, perhaps its development has been put on hold.. 

Hover, it is already possible to do LMS->HQPE.

 

And through to an LMS player? Please, how? I’ve searched this thread and nothing jumped out as being relevant. Can you point me in the right direction to figure out how?