Need Help with HQPlayer - Steep learning curve!

[FlashingBlade]

Okay, so I've just started to use HQPlayer via Roon and more than a little overwhelmed with the amount of settings and variables. I have it up and running but, if I'm being honest, have no idea if I have it optimized for my DAC (Matrix Sabre X Pro, non-MQA). 

 

I know there are a lot of experienced users on here so was hoping someone could help ensure that I have 'the basics' correct. I appreciate specific filters will largely be down to personal taste. 

[AnotherSpin]

24 minutes ago, FlashingBlade said:

Okay, so I've just started to use HQPlayer via Roon and more than a little overwhelmed with the amount of settings and variables. I have it up and running but, if I'm being honest, have no idea if I have it optimized for my DAC (Matrix Sabre X Pro, non-MQA). 

 

I know there are a lot of experienced users on here so was hoping someone could help ensure that I have 'the basics' correct. I appreciate specific filters will largely be down to personal taste. 

 

It related directly not only to personal preferences, but depends on your DAC features. You may want to ask Miska about settings recommended for your particular DAC in HQP thread. And, I am pretty sure some people already asked this - try to search in the thread :-)

[davide256]

43 minutes ago, FlashingBlade said:

Okay, so I've just started to use HQPlayer via Roon and more than a little overwhelmed with the amount of settings and variables. I have it up and running but, if I'm being honest, have no idea if I have it optimized for my DAC (Matrix Sabre X Pro, non-MQA). 

 

I know there are a lot of experienced users on here so was hoping someone could help ensure that I have 'the basics' correct. I appreciate specific filters will largely be down to personal taste. 

I'm quite happy using HQPlayer embedded with either Stylus or Roon at the defaults for DSD up conversion. It's definitely superior to their up conversion. Just up-sample to a DSD rate where the conversion delay doesn't cause unacceptable annoyance. At some point ill try the next step of creating and using convolution filters. For right now I'm happy with the way HQPlayer DSD up-sampling helps tame aysnch USB transmission problems.

 

[FlashingBlade]

14 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

It related directly not only to personal preferences, but depends on your DAC features. You may want to ask Miska about settings recommended for your particular DAC in HQP thread. And, I am pretty sure some people already asked this - try to search in the thread :-)

 

I have tried looking in the thread but its over 700 pages long. Even trying to find specifics when searching for Matrix Sabre is like trying to piece a jigsaw together.

 

I've attached how I've currently got it setup. 

[AnotherSpin]

1 hour ago, FlashingBlade said:

 

I have tried looking in the thread but its over 700 pages long. Even trying to find specifics when searching for Matrix Sabre is like trying to piece a jigsaw together.

 

I've attached how I've currently got it setup. 

 

Hi, I searched the HQP thread with your DAC name. You may want to look on 19 Jan posts :-) Or, you may ask Miska in PM, he would answer you with more specifics. In any case, I would suggest you to direct your questions to dedicated HQP thread, there are many people who may help. My DAC is very different, it operates in PCM domain, my settings would be of no interest in your case. HQP is a great player, I am sure you will have lot of good experiences with it.

[barrows]

Your DAC uses an ESS chip.  I would recommend oversampling to DSD 256, and if you have enough computer power, run the EC modulator, 7th order version.  I am pretty sure the Matrix is still going to use the ESS' built in ASRC, but to be sure, we would need to know what the rate of the clock is in that DAC, if you can determine the clock rate at the DAC chip in your Matrix I might be able to give more specific recommendations.  I prefer the ESS chips running in synchronous mode, but very few DACs with those chips allow for that (Ayre does, for example).

[FlashingBlade]

Thanks. I run out of grunt on the EC, I'm only running a 9th gen i5.  I dont know the clock rate but will try and find out. 

 

The DAC can be run in either Async or Sync, never tried it in sync. 

[Armsan]

You may also want to try HQPLAYER alone, without Roon or any order media server. Here, is the best SQ achieved. No upsampling, just playing files as native. Control it with HQPDCONTROL on any tablet or smartphone.

You loose Roon’s best media server quality but you gain live sense of the music.

Just my experience.

[ted_b]

I disagree with Armsan about using HQPlayer as a native sample rate player (i.e no upsampling).  Jussi designed the program to do the best upsampling short of professional tools (and by the way, many pros use these same tools he developed).  Why use it vanilla?  If you want bit perfect, stay with foobar or something else. 

[barrows]

4 hours ago, FlashingBlade said:

Thanks. I run out of grunt on the EC, I'm only running a 9th gen i5.  I dont know the clock rate but will try and find out. 

 

The DAC can be run in either Async or Sync, never tried it in sync. 

If thr Matrix truly allows for sync mode of the DAC chip, you should certainly try it.  In sync mode, the ESS chips's asynchronous sample rate converter is disabled, this reduces the processing used by the chip, and the artifacts produced by the ASRC.  I find the sound of the ESS chips is quite a bit better in sync mode, more natural, with more realistic timbres.  The potential "drawback" is that sync mode eliminates the chip's "jitter reduction" feature; this means the jitter will be dependent on whatever the incoming jitter is from the input receiver in the DAC-if the DAC has a well done asynchronous USB input interface, with good clocks, then there will be no significant input jitter anyway, so this is not an "issue".

I find everytime one reduces the amount of processing done by the ESS chips (such as by inputting a high sample rate oversampled in software) one is rewarded with better sound quality from the chip.

[FlashingBlade]

The Matrix also has a jitter reduction option in the menu settings that can be operated in sync mode. I'm feeding it from a Matrix Element H card which, whilst not the best in the world, is better than the motherboard USB option. 

 

I've try it out in sync for a while and see what it sounds like. 

[ted_b]

Barrows, I couldn’t agree more. The upside of removing the chip processing is likely way more beneficial than the downside of jitter potential. Ears will tell the tale.