HQ Player

[Miska]

2 minutes ago, Mops911 said:

If I want to search all music which belongs to e.g. "Liturgical", I can search that in "Album" view. But for some genres like "blues" or "pop" there might be false positives as more is found that just the genre tag. Any plans to refine search syntax e.g. +genre:liturgical +composer:bach

 

I can think about it. I had support for regular expressions in the search, but nobody was using it. But the search system understands "+" prefix though.

 

[Mops911]

3 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

I can think about it. I had support for regular expressions in the search, but nobody was using it. But the search system understands "+" prefix though.

 

super. And yes, I used + as example as I read the manual before this post ;-)

 

I also just saw the webview app which is cool but I prefer your app over browser based stuff for now. I like however that it puts some emphasis on genres....

 

but, this search syntax RFE is really the cherry on the pie......

 

And btw: very cool implementation of Qobuz!!

[ebrandon]

31 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

They are running stuff on environment and hardware that was built ground up for that particular purpose. Similar way like HQPlayer has been built to work as close to the hardware as possible and squeeze most out of it.

 

AWS and other generic cloud services are not designed for running such things... When HQPlayer looks into CPU core types and how they are organized on the hardware to make most out of it, what would it see on such cloud service? What kind of CPU core clocks do you find in the cloud environment to make sure critical tasks that cannot be parallelized are computed fast enough in realtime?

 

Good points!

 

So they have 6 core i7 Mac instances: https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/mac/

They have 3.5Mhz Intel Xeon processors with as many (virtual) cores as you want https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/c6i/

And they have the Intel Xeon processors with NVIDIA V100 GPUs https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/p3/

 

I don't know what HQplayer would "see" running on these.  Might be worth a try?

The big issue for me is I don't know which approach to the Virtual Private Cloud to use.

[luisma]

On 1/11/2022 at 7:28 PM, Miska said:

Yes, I finally figured out how to do it for each kind of CPU

@Miskathe i5-11600K, technically I should use the generic (non amd) image with it but when I do it only 2 cores are heavily utilized, following your previous comments I installed the amd_amd version and the core distribution with the Intel CPU is way way better. Is this is something that it is supposed to happen? I was under the impression the generic image of HQPe should be used with Intel?

Running on 20.04 with a jl kernel

 

 

[Miska]

45 minutes ago, ebrandon said:

So they have 6 core i7 Mac instances: https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/mac/

 

This is not very clear how they do it. Do you get dedicated machine, or virtual machine on one of those, shared with others?

 

45 minutes ago, ebrandon said:

They have 3.5Mhz Intel Xeon processors with as many (virtual) cores as you want https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/c6i/

 

Here at least it is clear that it is virtual cores, which makes it hard for HQPlayer to know how they are physically organized.

 

45 minutes ago, ebrandon said:

And they have the Intel Xeon processors with NVIDIA V100 GPUs https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/p3/

 

Those GPUs would be nice with CUDA.

 

45 minutes ago, ebrandon said:

I don't know what HQplayer would "see" running on these.  Might be worth a try?

 

You could certainly try and report here how it goes? For sure I'm curious.

 

[Miska]

8 minutes ago, luisma said:

@Miskathe i5-11600K, technically I should use the generic (non amd) image with it but when I do it only 2 cores are heavily utilized, following your previous comments I installed the amd_amd version and the core distribution with the Intel CPU is way way better. Is this is something that it is supposed to happen? I was under the impression the generic image of HQPe should be used with Intel?

 

Running on 20.04 with a jl kernel

 

Are you now talking about Ubuntu packages or HQPlayer OS images?

 

Both "amd" (aka "modern CPU") build and "generic" (aka "legacy CPU") build should work relatively well on Intel. On AMD you certainly need to "amd" build.

 

[AudioDoctor]

A heads up for anyone wanting to buy an NVIDIA GPU for CUDA and HQP, BH Photo & Video has some 3080Ti's in stock.

 

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1644573-REG/asus_tuf_rtx3080ti_o12g_gaming_geforce_rtx_3080_ti.html

 

I ordered one successfully for my upcoming build.

[luisma]

13 hours ago, Miska said:

Ubuntu packages or HQPlayer OS images

Thanks, I was referring to Ubuntu packages

13 hours ago, Miska said:

Both "amd" (aka "modern CPU") build and "generic" (aka "legacy CPU") build should work relatively well on Intel

In my specific case for the Intel i5-11600K this image

hqplayerd_4.28.3-107amd_amd64.deb 

Which I understand is the AMD one, works better than this one

hqplayerd_4.28.3-108_amd64.deb 

Which I believe it is the generic one and thought it was more oriented to Intel

Maybe it is an exception for that specific 11600K, in any case no big deal, just wanted to report the "oddity"

I guess there is not an Intel image per say just a modern and legacy ones

 

[luisma]

13 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

I ordered one successfully for my upcoming build

Thank you, that is some serious money for an HQPlayer PC, I know I know the card is great and thank you for the heads up

Wouldn't an RTX 3070 be sufficient? I'm aware these are not in stock

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, luisma said:

Wouldn't an RTX 3070 be sufficient?

 

This hobby is never about "sufficient." 🤣

[luisma]

21 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

his hobby is never about "sufficient."

I know right? 😂

 

[TJHUB]

I have to say, as a new user of HQPlayer, these threads are very intimidating and LONG!

 

I had been testing HQP desktop for a few weeks, and finally found settings for my DAC that show HQP's sonic qualities.  I purchased HQP last week. 

 

For background, I'm running HQP Desktop on a Windows machine:  Z390 motherboard with an i5-9400T processor direct to my DAC via USB.  I use HQPDcontrol on Android devices for control.  My DAC is an Eastern Electric Minimax DAC Junior (PCM 32-384k, DSD128).  

 

For now, I have PCM set to:  DAC Bits: Default, Sample rate: 192k.  This yields an output of 32-176 and 32-192 for PCM files and things sound better than ever.  When I play DSD files, the output is the same, 32-192.  I don't get DSD output to my DAC. 

 

I wanted to try upsampling PCM to DSD on my DAC, but it doesn't seem to work either.  If I change the Default Output Mode to SDM or (source), I get the same results; 32-176 or 32-192.  I have my SDM Defaults set to 44.1kx128.  I only get PCM mode during playback.  

 

As I don't think I'm doing anything incorrectly, could this be an ASIO driver issue?  I used to be a JPLAY user for many years.  I've always used kernel streaming, not ASIO for playback.  DSD files used to play just fine.  

 

Any thoughts?

[dericchan1]

3 minutes ago, luisma said:

I know right? 😂

 

I guess I will never get to the “musical paradise” with my “good enough/sufficient” approach!!! 😂 I am an accountant by the way!!!!

[AudioDoctor]

47 minutes ago, luisma said:

Thank you, that is some serious money for an HQPlayer PC, I know I know the card is great and thank you for the heads up

Wouldn't an RTX 3070 be sufficient? I'm aware these are not in stock

 

 

Sufficient isn't in my vocabulary, I drive my headphones with a Pass Labs XA30.8. ;)

 

edit: Also, this is the ONLY GPU that is available out of all the various alerts I have set up around the net.

[luisma]

7 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

Sufficient isn't in my vocabulary

Thank you for the link 👍

 

[Miska]

35 minutes ago, TJHUB said:

As I don't think I'm doing anything incorrectly, could this be an ASIO driver issue?  I used to be a JPLAY user for many years.  I've always used kernel streaming, not ASIO for playback.  DSD files used to play just fine.  

 

Possibly yes, if the driver doesn't report to support DSD.

 

Are you perhaps using Roon as front-end? Any other applications running that could be using ASIO driver?

 

[TJHUB]

6 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Possibly yes, if the driver doesn't report to support DSD.

 

Are you perhaps using Roon as front-end? Any other applications running that could be using ASIO driver?

 

 

Thank you for the quick response.  

 

I am not using Roon (tried it), just HQP on a dedicated audio PC doing nothing else except running HQP.  When running any of the tests, I was using the dedicated PC directly.  

[Miska]

23 minutes ago, TJHUB said:

I am not using Roon (tried it), just HQP on a dedicated audio PC doing nothing else except running HQP.  When running any of the tests, I was using the dedicated PC directly.  

 

If the driver doesn't support DSD, you can set "SDM Pack" to "DoP" to enable sending DSD packed into PCM samples.

 

[TJHUB]

1 minute ago, Miska said:

 

If the driver doesn't support DSD, you can set "SDM Pack" to "DoP" to enable sending DSD packed into PCM samples.

 

Done.  Thank you!

[ted_b]

1 minute ago, TJHUB said:

Done.  Thank you!

But, Terry, as per our emails this doesn't work either, right?  DoP or none both send PCM only, right?  I assumed that if ASIO driver can't handle DSD it would send noise, not just send perfectly fine PCM, as if it were ignoring your "default output mode is SDM" setting.

[TJHUB]

Another question I have is how I'm running HQP.  Currently I'm running HQP on a dedicated audio PC (i5-9400T no GPU) that is fanless and sits in my audio rack.  My DAC is currently connected directly via USB.  I'm not using a lot of processing power as my DAC clearly prefers 32-192 upsampling.  The sound is VERY good.

 

What I'm wondering about is if I chose to run HQP on my production PC (i5-10600k with a NVIDIA 3060 Ti) in my office?  If I purchased and setup a NAA of some sort instead of using my dedicated audio PC, would I possibly get better sound?  Even if I don't need the processing power, yet?

 

 

[TJHUB]

11 minutes ago, ted_b said:

But, Terry, as per our emails this doesn't work either, right?  DoP or none both send PCM only, right?  I assumed that if ASIO driver can't handle DSD it would send noise, not just send perfectly fine PCM, as if it were ignoring your "default output mode is SDM" setting.

What's interesting here is that HQP doesn't care what I set any of these settings to, it just outputs PCM.  So for now, my DSD files play fine output as PCM.  I can't do anything to affect it.  I don't even get the chance to get "noise."  I just get PCM at my set rate.  I just haven't yet really listened to the sound quality of DSD this way.  

[Miska]

17 minutes ago, TJHUB said:

What's interesting here is that HQP doesn't care what I set any of these settings to, it just outputs PCM.  So for now, my DSD files play fine output as PCM.  I can't do anything to affect it.  I don't even get the chance to get "noise."  I just get PCM at my set rate.  I just haven't yet really listened to the sound quality of DSD this way.  

 

If you use DoP, SDM output will work as long as output device supports at least 176.4k rate.

 

[TJHUB]

57 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

If you use DoP, SDM output will work as long as output device supports at least 176.4k rate.

 

I'm only posting this because I'm confused.  I have set SDM Pack to both DoP and none, and DSD files play normally to PCM 32-192.  The same is true whether I have the Default Output Mode to: PCM, SDM, or [source].

 

HQP shows Format: 5.6448M/1/2  -> 192k/32/2

 

I also found out that my filter selection of poly-sinc-guass-long will play DSD64 but not DSD128.  If I set the filter to poly-sinc-ext2, DSD128 will play.  I thought my sound preference was for poly-sinc-guass-xla for 1x, and poly-sinc-guass-long for Nx over poly-sinc-ext2 or ext3, but I will apparently have to revisit this.  Would you have another suggestion of a filter that doesn't require so much processing power I might try?

[ted_b]

8 minutes ago, TJHUB said:

I'm only posting this because I'm confused.  I have set SDM Pack to both DoP and none, and DSD files play normally to PCM 32-192.  The same is true whether I have the Default Output Mode to: PCM, SDM, or [source].

 

HQP shows Format: 5.6448M/1/2  -> 192k/32/2

 

I also found out that my filter selection of poly-sinc-guass-long will play DSD64 but not DSD128.  If I set the filter to poly-sinc-ext2, DSD128 will play.  I thought my sound preference was for poly-sinc-guass-xla for 1x, and poly-sinc-guass-long for Nx over poly-sinc-ext2 or ext3, but I will apparently have to revisit this.  Would you have another suggestion of a filter that doesn't require so much processing power I might try?

So DSD64 is indeed playing once you set correct PCM up converting filters??