HQ Player

[jimdukey]

You need to select something in SDM Pack.

DOP for Mac users.

[MemoryPlayer]

2 hours ago, OzarkMtn said:

@MemoryPlayerWhat about the iFi Diablo that made you decide to replace the Oppo Sonica DAC? I have the Oppo Sonica DAC and quite happy with it.

I use both, Diablo more for headphones and it is battery transportable...

BTW the Diablo has sweeter sound than Sonica, 5 years are a lot in DAC design.

[Luca72c]

Miska, maybe i am amongst the few that do so, but i really like you HQP client app, much better than Roon for me. But i miss one functionality - maybe i simply wasn't able to find how to do it: how can we save the playlists we arranged in the transport view?

Not that playing by playlist is a frequent thing i do, but sometimes it can be useful...

[LoryWiv]

On 3/26/2021 at 9:32 AM, asiufy said:

@MemoryPlayerI believe you need to select DoP under "SDM Pack", in the Device section (NOT in Input Device, like it is now).

 

Is there any sonic disadvantage to DoP versus native DSD playback?

[MemoryPlayer]

1 hour ago, LoryWiv said:

Is there any sonic disadvantage to DoP versus native DSD playback?

I think not.

[Miska]

4 hours ago, Luca72c said:

Miska, maybe i am amongst the few that do so, but i really like you HQP client app, much better than Roon for me. But i miss one functionality - maybe i simply wasn't able to find how to do it: how can we save the playlists we arranged in the transport view?

Not that playing by playlist is a frequent thing i do, but sometimes it can be useful...

 

It is not supported yet, because I have not yet decided if it should be stored at the server side or at the client side. Both approaches have their own challenges.

 

[Jean Paul D]

On 3/25/2021 at 11:33 PM, jimdukey said:

FIR/Wide for me!

IIR3/WIDE based upon my bill Evans à Montreux SHM SACD rip. 

[Pogballistics]

On 7/22/2020 at 12:46 AM, Miska said:

 

No... But you can turn up volume on your amp by that 2 dB to get same output level as you'd get for 0 dBFS setting (at the beginning). So same as for dynamic range compression in source material, remember to make sure that you don't end up with "louder sounds better".

 

 

Yes, but it will trigger soft knee limiter every time output level exceeds 0 dBFS. From "Limited" counter you can see how many times it has been triggered. You would want it to stay at 0 all the way from beginning instead of being enforced during listening.

 

 

 

Based on this discussion,

 

I wanted to check what is the optimum setting for an integrated amplifier?

 

1) to set the volume at full and reduce HQPlayer volume setting by -30db

 

2) to set the volume at low and set the HQPlayer volume setting at -5db

 

 

<<Also, what is the optimum volume setting for HQPlayer?>>

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[Luca72c]

9 hours ago, Miska said:

 

It is not supported yet, because I have not yet decided if it should be stored at the server side or at the client side. Both approaches have their own challenges.

 

Maybe we can ask users what they would prefer... For me, server side would be more useful

[ted_b]

10 hours ago, Pogballistics said:

I wanted to check what is the optimum setting for an integrated amplifier?

<<Also, what is the optimum volume setting for HQPlayer?>>

 

Set HQPlayer volume to -3 min and -3 max.  That fixes the volume and allows for 3db headroom, to keep down any limiter.  Then use the integrated amp's volume as needed.

[Miska]

10 hours ago, Pogballistics said:

Based on this discussion,

 

I wanted to check what is the optimum setting for an integrated amplifier?

 

1) to set the volume at full and reduce HQPlayer volume setting by -30db

 

2) to set the volume at low and set the HQPlayer volume setting at -5db

 

 

<<Also, what is the optimum volume setting for HQPlayer?>>

 

If you don't want to use HQPlayer's volume control, set it to -3 dBFS.

 

If you'd like to use combined optimized volume, set HQPlayer first to -3 dBFS and then turn up the amplifier volume as high up as you'd ever listen on some not very loud track. Then turn down the HQPlayer volume to the wanted listening level.

 

[OzarkMtn]

21 hours ago, MemoryPlayer said:

I use both, Diablo more for headphones and it is battery transportable...

BTW the Diablo has sweeter sound than Sonica, 5 years are a lot in DAC design.

You're right, I keep avoiding looking at current offerings, afraid of what I might find and feel that I "need"...

The Sonica may have been a little before its time and unfortunately Oppo's demise thwarted any future updates to bring it to it's full potential via firmware or a revised model through future development of the product line.

[ted_b]

16 minutes ago, OzarkMtn said:

The Sonica may have been a little before its time and unfortunately Oppo's demise thwarted any future updates to bring it to it's full potential via firmware or a revised model through future development of the product line.

I heard Dan Wright's wonderful mod of this dac (Modwright Sonica) in my former home, and it was a thing to behold with its sq.  A real undervalued dac.

[cesio]

My PC can get DSD 512 / ASDM7 and DSD 128 / ASDM7EC, but not DSD 256/ASDM7EC.  With T+A DAC8 DSD.  Theoretically what should give me better quality?

[MemoryPlayer]

2 hours ago, OzarkMtn said:

You're right, I keep avoiding looking at current offerings, afraid of what I might find and feel that I "need"...

The Sonica may have been a little before its time and unfortunately Oppo's demise thwarted any future updates to bring it to it's full potential via firmware or a revised model through future development of the product line.

Sonica uses ESS Sabre ES9038Pro and Diablo Burr-Brown BB1793 DAC chipsets.

I want try also an around $1,000 AKM4499 and a R-2R ladder DAC.

[Miska]

3 hours ago, cesio said:

My PC can get DSD 512 / ASDM7 and DSD 128 / ASDM7EC, but not DSD 256/ASDM7EC.  With T+A DAC8 DSD.  Theoretically what should give me better quality?

 

I'd just stick to DSD512. DSD128 is on the edge if it's good enough even with EC modulators. But you can try and decide which one you think gives you better results.

 

If you decide to go with DSD128, use the "clean" analog filter option (not the "wide" setting).

 

[jimdukey]

I'm on 4.7.2 until I upgrade my computer.

I listen to everything in DSD 128, with EC Modulators.

What is the "Clean " Setting?

Is that for later versions?

[Luca72c]

1 hour ago, MemoryPlayer said:

Sonica uses ESS Sabre ES9038Pro and Diablo Burr-Brown BB1793 DAC chipsets.

I want try also an around $1,000 AKM4499 and a R-2R ladder DAC.

I think you can find wider differences in dacs SQ depending on the implementations than on the chipset used... Not all 9038pro dacs sound the same, just like not all multibit or R-2R dacs do.

You can't judge a dac chip after listening to one or two implementations, expecially if they are from the lowish-end of the market: that would just MAYBE tell you something about how easy and cheap a decent implementation of that chipset can be in that price level - but in many cases it wouldn't tell that either.

And obviously you can't compare a 1000 (or below) usd dac to a 2000 or 3000 usd dac, crediting the chipset for the difference.

[OzarkMtn]

10 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

I'm on 4.7.2 until I upgrade my computer.

I listen to everything in DSD 128, with EC Modulators.

What is the "Clean " Setting?

Is that for later versions?

I'm going to venture a guess, a setting on the T+A DAC8?

[Miska]

35 minutes ago, jimdukey said:

What is the "Clean " Setting?

 

On the DAC8 DSD front panel there's a button "WIDE MODE". When you press it, it says either "WIDE" or "CLEAN". Choose "CLEAN".

 

[jimdukey]

I should live so long....!

Thanks Miska!

[all300b]

Hello,

 

Sorry for seemingly dumb questions here. Just downloaded HQ player trial to assess what the software is like - running on a 2016 MacBook.

1. Can only load a single album at a time into the main window - when pointed to full music directory (about 600 albums) it returns an error.

2.  For testing out the sound, do you have to keep going back and forth to the preferences to change the filters? 

3. Is upsampling information displayed when track is playing?

4. Recognize I can't do any fancy DSD conversion with laptop, but any basic ones worth trying?

 

Thanks very much.
 

 

[Miska]

14 minutes ago, all300b said:

1. Can only load a single album at a time into the main window - when pointed to full music directory (about 600 albums) it returns an error.

 

In playlist mode you can have as many tracks as you like. In album mode you load an album at a time.

 

15 minutes ago, all300b said:

2.  For testing out the sound, do you have to keep going back and forth to the preferences to change the filters?

 

Of course, from capable front-ends like HQPlayer Client, HQPDcontrol or similar. The server GUI is not supposed to be used to actual playback control unless you want really minimal drag-and-drop experience.

 

16 minutes ago, all300b said:

3. Is upsampling information displayed when track is playing?

 

Yes, on both server and client.

 

17 minutes ago, all300b said:

4. Recognize I can't do any fancy DSD conversion with laptop, but any basic ones worth trying?

 

Depends on your DAC, but at least you can likely do poly-sinc-ext2 filter and ASDM5 or ASDM7 modulator.

 

[LoryWiv]

2 hours ago, Miska said:

I'd just stick to DSD512. DSD128 is on the edge if it's good enough even with EC modulators. But you can try and decide which one you think gives you better results.

 

If you decide to go with DSD128, use the "clean" analog filter option (not the "wide" setting).

 

What are the advantages of this setting rather than "wide"...?

[Miska]

9 minutes ago, LoryWiv said:

What are the advantages of this setting rather than "wide"...?

 

It controls the analog reconstruction filter corner frequency. If you have the noise shaping noise closer in, or steeper, you should choose "clean". If you run let's say DSD512, then you can also choose "wide".