HQ Player

[Miska]

3 hours ago, Geoffrey Armstrong said:

Thanks. Do you see any reason at all for using different filters for higher-rez material?

 

Yes, it is sometimes useful, as one could want to use slower roll-off filters for hires. Since there is less high frequency content on 2x and especially 4x rates. So for example poly-sinc-mqa or poly-sinc-short, even if some steeper like poly-sinc-ext2 is used for 1x rates.

 

This feature is already in HQPlayer Embedded where you can select different filters for "1x" and "Nx" rates.

 

[craighartley]

37 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

This feature is already in HQPlayer Embedded where you can select different filters for "1x" and "Nx" rates.

 

Miska,

Will you be bringing this feature to HQPlayer Desktop, as that would be wonderful?

[Miska]

Just now, craighartley said:

Will you be bringing this feature to HQPlayer Desktop, as that would be wonderful?

 

Yes, eventually it will land there too...

 

[craighartley]

1 minute ago, Miska said:

 

Yes, eventually it will land there too...

 

Thank you!

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

1 hour ago, Miska said:

 

Yes, it is sometimes useful, as one could want to use slower roll-off filters for hires. Since there is less high frequency content on 2x and especially 4x rates. So for example poly-sinc-mqa or poly-sinc-short, even if some steeper like poly-sinc-ext2 is used for 1x rates.

 

This feature is already in HQPlayer Embedded where you can select different filters for "1x" and "Nx" rates.

 

Thanks again, that’s useful to know!

[Hensema]

2 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Yes, it is sometimes useful, as one could want to use slower roll-off filters for hires. Since there is less high frequency content on 2x and especially 4x rates. So for example poly-sinc-mqa or poly-sinc-short, even if some steeper like poly-sinc-ext2 is used for 1x rates.

Poly-sinc-mqa-mp has the most timbre and warmth on high res recordings. I suspect this is due to the slow roll-off. Not as impressive as for example sinc-m which has lots of detail, but it’s a more natural sound to me.

[paboccardi]

8 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Hard to say, you could also check HQPlayer side logs for errors.

 

I don't have a Denafrips to test with, but based on what I know about it's construction, you should be fine at DSD256 from ASDM7 modulator and filter of your choice.

 

I @Miska this is log file from Hqplayer windows version. Thak you

[Miska]

27 minutes ago, paboccardi said:

I @Miska this is log file from Hqplayer windows version.

 

OK, so the connection was just lost. Seems to remain a sort of mystery why this happens.

 

[paboccardi]

31 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

OK, so the connection was just lost. Seems to remain a sort of mystery why this happens.

 

The log says that "Network QoS functionality not available". Is it an important functionality?

[paboccardi]

@Miskain the last half hour I have reinstalled Gentooplayer on raspberry and played a lot of file. Now the music  never stopped completely but randomly but often he stops for a second and then resumes.

I am attaching the log of Hqplayer

[Miska]

9 hours ago, paboccardi said:

The log says that "Network QoS functionality not available". Is it an important functionality?

 

HQPlayer on Windows or NAA or Linux? Something is wrong with the OS configuration then... On stock Windows 10 it should work fine and also always on Linux. It deals with traffic priority so that the OS and network infra manages the stream as realtime audio instead of putting it in the same generic bucket as generic web browsing traffic.

 

9 hours ago, paboccardi said:

in the last half hour I have reinstalled Gentooplayer on raspberry and played a lot of file. Now the music  never stopped completely but randomly but often he stops for a second and then resumes.

 

Sounds like a network issue. What kind of network infra do you have? Such things may happen if for example 802.3x is not obeyed.

 

[craighartley]

15 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Yes, it is sometimes useful, as one could want to use slower roll-off filters for hires. Since there is less high frequency content on 2x and especially 4x rates. So for example poly-sinc-mqa or poly-sinc-short, even if some steeper like poly-sinc-ext2 is used for 1x rates.

 

This feature is already in HQPlayer Embedded where you can select different filters for "1x" and "Nx" rates.

 

Miska,

Can I just check the definition of hi-res that we are using in this discussion is purely about sampling rates, and not the number of bits? So 24 x 44.1 and 24 x 48 recordings are not high resolution in terms of choice of filters?

Thanks.

 

[Miska]

3 hours ago, craighartley said:

Can I just check the definition of hi-res that we are using in this discussion is purely about sampling rates, and not the number of bits? So 24 x 44.1 and 24 x 48 recordings are not high resolution in terms of choice of filters?

 

Yes, exactly.

 

I don't even count those as real hires...

[craighartley]

17 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Yes, exactly.

 

I don't even count those as real hires...

Thanks. 

 

I’ve just been trying the mqa filter with hires files for the first time. Very nice. I’d resisted trying it earlier through prejudice against anything with the mqa label! You wouldn’t consider renaming it would you?  

[Miska]

1 hour ago, craighartley said:

I’ve just been trying the mqa filter with hires files for the first time. Very nice. I’d resisted trying it earlier through prejudice against anything with the mqa label! You wouldn’t consider renaming it would you?  

 

Yes I have considered renaming it, but haven't figured out suitable name for it yet. It is originally designed for playback of folded and unfolded MQA content, but it works pretty nicely with proper hires material as well.

 

[paboccardi]

10 hours ago, Miska said:

Sounds like a network issue. What kind of network infra do you have? Such things may happen if for example 802.3x is not obeyed.

A wired network: the rasoberry and server ar connected through fiber optical router, media converter and cable. The fiber router is connected to other 'normal' router connected to modem. 

[Miska]

Just now, paboccardi said:

A wired network: the rasoberry and server ar connected through fiber optical router, media converter and cable. The fiber router is connected to other 'normal' router connected to modem. 

 

Is there a "smart switch" somewhere between HQPlayer machine and the NAA?

 

[paboccardi]

A 10gtek media converter and a smart switch router

 

[Miska]

2 hours ago, paboccardi said:

A 10gtek media converter and a smart switch router

 

Please check that you have 802.3x (Ethernet flow control) enabled in the configuration. And if there are any other smart switches on the way, same thing. All components on the data path need to support 802.3x.

 

[paboccardi]

35 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Please check that you have 802.3x (Ethernet flow control) enabled in the configuration. And if there are any other smart switches on the way, same thing. All components on the data path need to support 802.3x.

 

I founded the solution: the problem is the Kernel RT used (in general all the RT that I tested) . I switched to a minimal Kernel No real time and now It works well. Thank you for the support. 

[craighartley]

17 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Yes I have considered renaming it, but haven't figured out suitable name for it yet. It is originally designed for playback of folded and unfolded MQA content, but it works pretty nicely with proper hires material as well.

 

Disregarding MQA material 😊, how would you describe the difference between the polysinc mqa and the plain polysinc filter (which is what I used for everything for a long time)?

[itguy61]

I need some advice regarding cut outs and my system.   I like to play my music using upsampling to dsd 256.   I listen to Tidal, Alac and Flac files and they all do this.  I get a cut out in sound that is about a second long about every 4-5 minutes.  I have tried different filtering,  2s versions still cut out.   I tried listening at 128 dsd setting and do not get the cut outs.   I am using an iMac and what perplexes me is that even running dsd 256 system monitor does not show the processor at running anywhere near 100% utilization.   I am using the following system-

iMac late 2013 with 3.1 GHz Core i7 (I7-4770S) processor.   It has 16gb of memory and an SSD drive.   My Dac is an ifi Micro idsd.    The operating system is Mojave.

 

I really like the sound at 256 dsd upsampling and the cut outs are really bothering me.   I am wondering if this processor is just too old to run this level?   Not sure if Dac is the issue.   I am wondering if upgrading this to the latest Mac mini with the 6 core i7 processor would solve this issue?  Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

TC.

[Miska]

3 hours ago, itguy61 said:

I need some advice regarding cut outs and my system.   I like to play my music using upsampling to dsd 256.   I listen to Tidal, Alac and Flac files and they all do this.  I get a cut out in sound that is about a second long about every 4-5 minutes.  I have tried different filtering,  2s versions still cut out.   I tried listening at 128 dsd setting and do not get the cut outs.   I am using an iMac and what perplexes me is that even running dsd 256 system monitor does not show the processor at running anywhere near 100% utilization.   I am using the following system-

iMac late 2013 with 3.1 GHz Core i7 (I7-4770S) processor.   It has 16gb of memory and an SSD drive.   My Dac is an ifi Micro idsd.    The operating system is Mojave.

 

I really like the sound at 256 dsd upsampling and the cut outs are really bothering me.   I am wondering if this processor is just too old to run this level?   Not sure if Dac is the issue.   I am wondering if upgrading this to the latest Mac mini with the 6 core i7 processor would solve this issue?  Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

Sounds like there is some periodic activity in the computer that causes this. Have you tried playing FLAC files with standalone HQPlayer without Roon running? It is not the load alone as such because hiccups would be more frequent and shorter.

 

Your machine is similar to mine, Late 2013 27" iMac with 3.2 GHz Core i5 and I get reliable DSD256 out of it with -2s filters. You can open per-core graph display from Activity Monitor that gives better idea how the CPU cores are loaded:

 

Since you have a Core i7 with HyperThreading, half of the cores are virtual and thus HQPlayer doesn't try to put load on those. This also skews the total load percentage by 50% (so real total load is twice higher than shown). The per-process load is correct though.

 

From the monitor and graph you can try to check if there's anything notable like very active process or change in core load when the cut happens.

 

[itguy61]

That makes sense, I will check it out.   I am removing any software not used on this computer and making sure no unneeded services and utilities are running. 

 

Thanks,

Tim

[Miska]

22 hours ago, craighartley said:

Disregarding MQA material 😊, how would you describe the difference between the polysinc mqa and the plain polysinc filter (which is what I used for everything for a long time)?

 

It is closer to poly-sinc-short, while being even shorter. It begins to roll-off a bit earlier on purpose and also trades some stop-band attenuation for even shorter impulse response while maintaining reasonably fast roll-off.