HQPlayer combined with JPLAY

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

​HQPlayer is definitely my preferred player on all systems I've used it with. Yesterday though I ran into a problem when trying to stream music from my remote Subsonic server to a system using the Oppo 105D as a DAC. I just couldn't get reliable playback.

 

I had been using Qobuz in this set-up with no problem at all; but my Subsonic server obviously falls short of the resources Qobuz has and with not such a great internet connection, I just couldn't get subsonic to work without sound break-up.

 

No amount of playing around with buffer sizes and latency settings in the Oppo ASIO control panel under Windows 8.1 could solve the problem.

 

Then I hit on the idea of sending the output of HQPlayer via Kernal Streaming using JPLAY. Et voila, problem solved!

 

In HQPlayer I selected ASIO and JPLAY driver as my output device.

 

JPLAY can accept DSD over DoP.

 

My settings in HQPlayer are poly-sinc with the DSD7 Modulator converting the 44.1khz 16bit stream to DSD128.

 

Settings in JPLAY are UltraStream, Direct Link in all three options (no buffers), Throttle on, Native Bitstream, no Vol control.

 

Output is to the Oppo 105D via Kernel Streaming as mentioned above.

 

I haven't actually compared this on sound quality yet to listen for any advantage/disadvantage going via JPLAY may have. It was sounding fine though and I was pleased to get reliable playback from my remote Subsonic server.

 

HQPlayer doesn't provide a KS option, Miska's preference being ASIO. JPLAY on the other hand prefers KS output and acts as an ASIO driver which can be used to send the stream DSP'd by HQPlayer to the audio device via Kernel Streaming.

 

Think of it as adding Kernel Streaming capability to HQPlayer.

 

I have no real idea why this worked out to be better in this situation than going directly to the Oppo via ASIO from HQPlayer, except that somehow KS must be more efficient than Oppo's ASIO driver.

 

I'll be interested if anyone else combines HQPlayer with JPLAY and, if so, what they think of the result.

 

geoff

[JazzDoc]

I can't offer any useful feedback to you Geoffrey but I will follow your thread with interest. I have recently changed my media player from JRiver Media Center 20 to foobar2000. As you are probably aware, JRiver removed their support for JPLAY. I use JPLAY and Audiophile Optimizer 1.30. My OS is Windows 2012 Server R2.

 

I have heard positive feedback about HQ Player so I contacted the company. Their advice was to simply install HQ Player on a PC with Windows 8 or 8.1. They did not recommend the use of JPLAY or Audiophile Optimizer.

 

It will be interesting to see how this thread develops

[Geoffrey Armstrong]

I can't offer any useful feedback to you Geoffrey but I will follow your thread with interest. I have recently changed my media player from JRiver Media Center 20 to foobar2000. As you are probably aware, JRiver removed their support for JPLAY. I use JPLAY and Audiophile Optimizer 1.30. My OS is Windows 2012 Server R2.

 

I have heard positive feedback about HQ Player so I contacted the company. Their advice was to simply install HQ Player on a PC with Windows 8 or 8.1. They did not recommend the use of JPLAY or Audiophile Optimizer.

 

It will be interesting to see how this thread develops

 

I feel that HQPlayer is all you would need as the ultimate software player, unless you run into the problems that I described.

 

JPLAY effectively adds kernel streaming support to HQPlayer when you use the two together. If you have a DAC with a custom ASIO driver, that works perfectly well with HQPlayer then I wouldn't bother with JPLAY.

 

If you have JPLAY already I would try HQPlayer with it and see how you get along. This will be very dependant on the DAC you're using though.

[EuroDriver]

This is a breakthrough, especial coming at a time when J River is blocking working with JPlay !

[Knuck]

Geoffrey makes an excellent point. One thing JRiver and all of the Jplay critics fail to acknowledge is that JPlay has benefits other than debatable SQ improvements such as KS output. Personally I find JPlay convenient as it allows me to control my system through a static IP connection from my music server to my audio PCs. That is why I am so disappointed with JRiver. Regardless of their opinion of its sound quality, the company has unilaterally decided to deny its paying customers use of JPlay for any purpose the customer so desires. I have not read a single explanation/justification of why JRiver refuses to allow its customers the ability to use JPlay for whatever purpose they see fit. I am a PAID customer of JRiver and for them to deny me the ability, for no justified reason, to operate my system the way I want to is unconscionable.

[Miska]

Another, simpler way to get KS capability is to use ASIO4ALL.

[BobSherman]

​HQPlayer is definitely my preferred player on all systems I've used it with. Yesterday though I ran into a problem when trying to stream music from my remote Subsonic server to a system using the Oppo 105D as a DAC. I just couldn't get reliable playback.

 

I had been using Qobuz in this set-up with no problem at all; but my Subsonic server obviously falls short of the resources Qobuz has and with not such a great internet connection, I just couldn't get subsonic to work without sound break-up.

 

No amount of playing around with buffer sizes and latency settings in the Oppo ASIO control panel under Windows 8.1 could solve the problem.

 

Then I hit on the idea of sending the output of HQPlayer via Kernal Streaming using JPLAY. Et voila, problem solved!

 

In HQPlayer I selected ASIO and JPLAY driver as my output device.

 

JPLAY can accept DSD over DoP.

 

My settings in HQPlayer are poly-sinc with the DSD7 Modulator converting the 44.1khz 16bit stream to DSD128.

 

Settings in JPLAY are UltraStream, Direct Link in all three options (no buffers), Throttle on, Native Bitstream, no Vol control.

 

Output is to the Oppo 105D via Kernel Streaming as mentioned above.

 

I haven't actually compared this on sound quality yet to listen for any advantage/disadvantage going via JPLAY may have. It was sounding fine though and I was pleased to get reliable playback from my remote Subsonic server.

 

HQPlayer doesn't provide a KS option, Miska's preference being ASIO. JPLAY on the other hand prefers KS output and acts as an ASIO driver which can be used to send the stream DSP'd by HQPlayer to the audio device via Kernel Streaming.

 

Think of it as adding Kernel Streaming capability to HQPlayer.

 

I have no real idea why this worked out to be better in this situation than going directly to the Oppo via ASIO from HQPlayer, except that somehow KS must be more efficient than Oppo's ASIO driver.

 

I'll be interested if anyone else combines HQPlayer with JPLAY and, if so, what they think of the result.

 

geoff

 

I have done that also. In AO core mode HQplayer ASIO to JPlay KS to my MiniMax Plus dac. Works fine.

[BobSherman]

Another, simpler way to get KS capability is to use ASIO4ALL.

 

 

Hi Miska,

 

But not the same sonically.

[gueyestan]

I have recently changed my media player from JRiver Media Center 20 to foobar2000.

[JazzDoc]

I have recently changed my media player from JRiver Media Center 20 to foobar2000.

 

So have I, through necessity rather than choice! Let's remember to wish Jim Hillegass a happy Christmas and thank him for the grief that his decision has caused us. Best wishes for 2015 Jim!