Hqplayer: best NAA with best sound quality

[AnotherSpin]

On 6/21/2019 at 7:20 PM, latenz said:

@miska 

Hi

There are so many possibilities and I would like to break  it down to some recommendations?

 

when the server is ideal ( will never happen)- what is the preferred hardware for great sound quality. What is the recommended solution for an NAA endpoint. you make a bootable image for low power systems...or sms200neo or a beefy pink faun server...

 

thanks for helping

 

While waiting for Miska's answers (and I believe he would suggest rather simple solutions) - there is a thread "A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio streaming". Wide range of different recommendations and descriptions of practical experience of using different hardware for NAA. The thread is very long, though.

[AnotherSpin]

Some people on the forum believe that hardware implementation for NAA must be fast and powerful enough. After following such advice I ended up with NUC7i7DNBE in a fanless Akasa Plato box powered with a Paul Hynes LPSU. I am very satisfied with the result. By some reason more powerful computing correlates with better - more natural and organic sound. 

 

In this DIY scenario, I also had an opportunity to try different NAA software solution what would be impossible with closed NAA box. Compared three different versions of the NAA endpoint image. Free, designed by Miska, as well as purchased from Euphony and Audiolinux. For this time settled on Miska's NAA image. For one reason or another, it gives the best sound, probably because it paired with HQPlayer desktop server on mac mini.

[AnotherSpin]

9 hours ago, sledwards said:

I am trying to install naa-411-x64 on my NUC6i5SYH. First question: Does this image work with an i5?  I try to boot from a bootable USB stick and no OS is found.  Please advise.

 

Steve

 

You can also try hqplayer-embedded-4.16.0-x64.img - it has the latest NAA image and it may sound different to your ears. The routine is the same, you burn the image to USB stick.

[AnotherSpin]

44 minutes ago, sledwards said:

If I already run embedded on another machine, how does booting this image know not to run NAA and not embedded?

 

In my case both standalone NAA and NAA contained in embedded image works ok with HQP desktop on other machine. I believe the sound differs slightly (even though NAA is identical, according to Miska), at least one could compare and decide easily. When only NAA used from embedded image, it is free. And, embedded image updated more often than standalone NAA. 

[AnotherSpin]

On 4/22/2020 at 2:04 AM, Miska said:

 

Yes it should work just fine on your NUC. Please make sure your BIOS is largely at default settings, IOW it is trying to boot using EFI and not legacy. And that USB storage is enabled as a boot device with priority over internal storage.

 

@Miska's advice on keeping BIOS at default settings may have even more sense than what may seem. After many experiments with different BIOS settings for NUC (power, performance, devices, etc.) I found out that default BIOS settings can have very beneficial effect on sound quality. Finally, I only changed a single security setting, which gives the ability to boot from NAA usb image without altering anything else (hyperthreading, turbo, power mode, etc). 

 

A few years ago, many people experimented with scripts (such as CAD) that interfered with the operating system to reduce the number of processes, etc. Miska was quite definitely against using such scripts then. It seems that keeping BIOS settings at default settings is just as important.

[AnotherSpin]

32 minutes ago, DancingSea said:

Went to the HQPlayer website and looked in the NAA section.  What is it I’d download to my Mac? Is it the Network Audio Daemon 4.1.1?

 

x64.7z from /bins/naa/images/ directory on Miska's site. Image should be downloaded to your mac mini and it is pretty easy to put it on a usb stick with Etcher. Before you get dedicated NAA endpoint as Up PC you can try how NAA solution works for you with any other computer after booting mac mini or other computer from NAA usb. Both your mac mini and other computer (once I was trying this with macbook air) should be connected to one network with ethernet or wi-fi. This is not the best solution, and wi-fi may be not sufficient for dropless replay, but, it will give a glimpse to possible sound improvement at least. Mac mini -> ethernet -> router -> ethernet -> NAA -> DAC. For experiment mac mini and NAA would be connected with ethernet cable directly.

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, DancingSea said:

I’m unable to find this page.  Could you please provide a direct link?

 

Also, how does this $200 Atom setup compare to the astonishingly inexpensive Rasberry Pi?

 

Thanks

 

www.signalyst.eu/bins/naa/images/

 

Never tried both Atom and Raspberry, can not tell the difference, I guess I would trust Miska's advice here. I use much more expensive custom NUC in fanless case with LPSU... Some people believe that using more powerful computers as NAA endpoints gives better sound. I decided to go down this path, and I don't regret it. 

[AnotherSpin]

32 minutes ago, ambre said:

But I am now asked for NAA login and password?

 

Just leave it as it is. There is nothing to do there. You need to choose NAA in HQPlayer settings on server side now and listen to the music.

[AnotherSpin]

6 hours ago, ambre said:

Thanks for support. Running now.

 

Clue: I have installed my Mini PC W8 Pro Intel x5-Z8350 HD Graphics Fanless Mini Desktop Wireless etc. with many updates etc.

 

I did not know resp could not find that this NAA-image only support wired Ethernet and not Wireless.

 

I like HQPlayer a lot but sometimes the learning curve is  real steep. At those very moments I try to swear a little bit in Finnish. Sorry Jussy🤯.

 

Sorry for inconvenience. Thanks all helped / attended in this post.

 

Best regards, Andreas

 

You can try also HQP Embedded image from here: www.signalyst.eu/bins/hqplayerd/images/ 

 

Procedure is the same, flash to USB with Etcher and boot NAA endpoint from it. It contains the same (according to Miska) NAA image as part of the package. You may or may not hear some differences in sound, check and decide for yourself.

[AnotherSpin]

7 hours ago, Randomrunner said:

[..] Also, I know people don't believe it, but I have one of those audiophile Cat6 LAN cables, and it works best paired this machine, i.e., the last PC in the signal chain right before the DAC.[...]

 

Also, try your CAT6 in both directions. My Meicord CAT cables do not sound the same after changing direction.