HQ Player

[Ernie]

1 hour ago, Bob Stern said:

Since several of you are having problems with Roon, does Roon install updates automatically without alerting you?  If so, a Roon update may have changed the way Roon streams to HQP.

Not sure if you are referring to the clicking issue, but that problem only occurs when using HQP 4 and employing the EC modulators.  No issue with version 3. So it would have to be specific to some Roon-HQP 4 interaction.

[luisma]

2 hours ago, luisma said:

Just replaced the allo Bridge by my Celeron Audiolinux NAA and it is back to normal. So something in the allo which runs networkaudiod is making roon / HQPE to play at that accelerated rate, huh go figure that wasn't happening 1 month ago with same server dac etc. Still curious as of what could that be 

 

Answering my own post and putting it to rest, the DAC chip was replaced, old amanero by new thesyconn, allo probably doesn't interface properly with it threwing off the entire chain. 

[Miska]

16 hours ago, Ernie said:

Nope....the click is still there even when moving through a series of track all of which are 44.1. Very brief...just before a track starts

 

From HQPlayer's perspective the stream from Roon should be a continuous in such case and HQPlayer shouldn't notice at all when the track changes. Unless Roon is cutting the track or having a delivery delay at that point.

 

[Miska]

10 hours ago, Ernie said:

Not sure if you are referring to the clicking issue, but that problem only occurs when using HQP 4 and employing the EC modulators.  No issue with version 3. So it would have to be specific to some Roon-HQP 4 interaction.

 

I've noticed that playback easily stutters with Tidal + Roon while this doesn't happen when Roon is playing from local storage. I reported it to Roon, but so far there has been no progress on this front.

 

Problem is that when CPU processing speed is really close to playback speed (very high CPU load), sensitivity to delivery delays increases because CPU cannot catch up after delay as quickly as with higher processing speeds.

 

Roon will probably only look into this more closely if enough many users report it.

 

[Miska]

16 hours ago, sledwards said:

Correct. If I am listening to a playlist, there is no click between tracks. Only if I manually select a new track and hit play.

 

That will cut the stream, stop playback and start playback again.

 

Please check that you are using latest HQPlayer version because I also made some changes on this front.

 

[sledwards]

1 hour ago, Miska said:

 

Please check that you are using latest HQPlayer version because I also made some changes on this front.

 

 

I am running the latest versions of embedded and desktop. Were these changes you speak of made in 4.x, or are we talking 3.x to 4.x? The latter is where the click began. It has been there in all versions of 4.x.

 

Steve

[Ernie]

Is there a way to play tidal direct to HQP using the new real time input function. I seem to remember a comment about using chromecast audio to input to HQP. How would I feed the optical out of chromecast into my imac so that HQP could upsample and play to my dac?

[Ernie]

Nevermind.  Apparently the 2011 imac I have still has the mini jack optical audio in port.  I will try that.  Sorry

[Le Concombre Masqué]

wHEN using Loopback with Desktop and watching Youtube video : how to manage the lag between image and sound ?

[Miska]

4 hours ago, sledwards said:

I am running the latest versions of embedded and desktop. Were these changes you speak of made in 4.x, or are we talking 3.x to 4.x? The latter is where the click began. It has been there in all versions of 4.x.

 

No, I mean changes in Desktop 4.1.0 and Embedded 4.11.1.

 

[sledwards]

16 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

No, I mean changes in Desktop 4.1.0 and Embedded 4.11.1.

 

Got it. Those are the versions I am running. Do you think this issue is related to the 50 ms pre/post DSD delay? I have heard the click with two different DACs.

[Miska]

40 minutes ago, sledwards said:

Got it. Those are the versions I am running. Do you think this issue is related to the 50 ms pre/post DSD delay? I have heard the click with two different DACs.

 

DACs should mute for the first and last 50 ms of DSD. If they don't, you'll likely get some clicks. Some DACs lack this and always click more or less when starting/stopping.

 

It can also happen with some NAAs that have too old buggy Linux kernel.

 

[sledwards]

16 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

It can also happen with some NAAs that have too old buggy Linux kernel.

 

I think you are on to something there. Both of my NAAs (SoTM sMs-200 Ultra and Sparky Allo USBridge) are ARMv7 based running Arch linux...old kernels I bet.

[Luca72c]

On 7/31/2019 at 1:09 PM, LowOrbit said:

Hi

 

As per my  post from a couple days ago - I have experimented extensively with Ryzen 3700X on X570 mobo. It seems it doesn't improve on your 2700X as far as running EC modulators. I can almost get 44.1 x 256 SDM running, but never totally smoothly. Always quite brief glitches. I can run any filter with ASDM7EC at DSD128, and that seems the sweet spot for reproduction. Sounds terrific.

 

Looks like the AMD chips just don't boost to high enough core speeds for a stable period of time to deliver the DSD256 experience we crave with the current HQP code. 

 

Going back to Intel may be the only way right now. Good to hear that the 9700K can hit the target, even if it needs some GPU assistance for the heavier filter loads.

 

Did you try disabling SMT on 3700X?

Were your test conducted using Miska's multicore optimised EC modulators version or first, non-optimised version?

More, nobody tried 3900X with hqplayer yet?

[Le Concombre Masqué]

@Miska: Issues with Library

 

* An album that played just fine once D&Ded and then controllable via Client , would not appear in Client after being added to Library. Even stranger : only CD1 and 2 of a 4 box set appeared (all played fine as well once D&Ded). To be thorough, those albums were added to a special folder where I dump recent rips before I dispatch albums where they belong. So that folder has had "Scan" performed on it several times. Maybe I have had missing albums (in Client) before but could not tell after the Scan of my Pink Floyd or Miles Davis folders since they have been madly populated over decades...

* seems only covers with cover as name make it ; at first thought it looks easier if HQP would take *.jpg, pdf etc in the main folder rather than renaming

*I don't really care, it's very marginal use here and mostly at invitees' demand, but if there's a way to sync audio and sound with Youtube without downloads that would be nice to know it

 

[LowOrbit]

11 hours ago, Luca72c said:

 

Did you try disabling SMT on 3700X?

Were your test conducted using Miska's multicore optimised EC modulators version or first, non-optimised version?

More, nobody tried 3900X with hqplayer yet?

Yes, most of my testing was with SMT off. Tried Creator Mode, Game Mode and set up manual OC. Nothing got me to DSD256 with ASDM7EC without stuttering. All other Modulators - fine. All Filter variants fine (at least at redbook source rates).

 

I am using Desktop 4.1.0.1.

 

I sold on the AMD setup and sunk my pennies into an i7 9700K on an Asus Tuf Z390 mobo. I can run DSD256 ASDM7EC, with all filter options except Closed Form-16M (I don't generally use the non-apodizing filters, just an experiment). 

 

CPU runs cooler than the AMD chip, no need to faff about with bios setting, just assemble and play. In reality I don't hear a real difference stepping up from DSD128 rates with the ESS Sabre9038Pro dac, but mine is not a typical setup and already performed at a very high SQ anyway.

[Rune]

1 hour ago, LowOrbit said:

Yes, most of my testing was with SMT off. Tried Creator Mode, Game Mode and set up manual OC. Nothing got me to DSD256 with ASDM7EC without stuttering. All other Modulators - fine. All Filter variants fine (at least at redbook source rates).

 

Did you get over the critical 4Ghz with your manual overclock of the 3700X?

[asdf1000]

1 hour ago, LowOrbit said:

I sold on the AMD setup and sunk my pennies into an i7 9700K on an Asus Tuf Z390 mobo. I can run DSD256 ASDM7EC, with all filter options except Closed Form-16M (I don't generally use the non-apodizing filters, just an experiment). 

 

No GPU (CUDA offloading)?

[LowOrbit]

1 hour ago, Rune said:

Did you get over the critical 4Ghz with your manual overclock of the 3700X?

My 3700X was stable upto 4.5ghz - made no difference. I suspect the early bios is not giving the chip full rein, but I wasn't going to wait around for AGESA to catch up.

 

Intel delivered out of the box. 

[LowOrbit]

48 minutes ago, asdf1000 said:

 

No GPU (CUDA offloading)?

Not bought a GPU yet. Probably no need to for HQP.

[asdf1000]

33 minutes ago, LowOrbit said:

Not bought a GPU yet. Probably no need to for HQP.

 

When using HQP, is the machine using any other programs at the same time? Or only HQP?

[Xoverman]

dos the NAA Client have a small buffer of its own ?

Maybe it can be used to fill small gaps ?

[Luca72c]

3 hours ago, LowOrbit said:

Yes, most of my testing was with SMT off. Tried Creator Mode, Game Mode and set up manual OC. Nothing got me to DSD256 with ASDM7EC without stuttering. All other Modulators - fine. All Filter variants fine (at least at redbook source rates).

I am using Desktop 4.1.0.1.

 

Very strange, as another user reported being able to play DSD256 with EC modulators on a 4 Ghz overclocked Ryzen 5 2400GE (and RTX2080 CUDA offload, that should not affect EC modulators)...

Something in your system was not running at full potential, i think. Maybe a too early AGESA version is to blame, as you suggest

[LowOrbit]

1 hour ago, asdf1000 said:

 

When using HQP, is the machine using any other programs at the same time? Or only HQP?

Just HQP. It's set to autostart and I use HQPD Control on a Sony android tablet to control playpack. Music library is local on a multi-SSD Storage Space under W10 (1903). 

 

CPU Utilisation is never over 75% (averaged over all cores). Temps peak around 65c. 9700K is watercooled with a CoolerMaster 240. 16GB DDR3200 ram.

 

NAA on Beaglebone (Botic kernel).

[luisma]

Thank you @LowOrbit for posting your results. There are some problems with Ryzen in regards to full performance on every core

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-ryzen-3000-turbo-boost-frequency-analysis,6253-4.html

 

IMO that should not prevent the CPU to deliver some good processing, Turbo for the intel is 4.9 vs 4.4 for the 3700X, Miska have said before and we know the speed per core have more influence that the actual number of cores although for the new modulators it seems the most cores the merrier.

 

I haven't been able to test, I'm in the process of getting a new Ryzen and the practical results of LowOrbit got me a little discouraged.

 

You are using Windows 10 correct @LowOrbit?