HQplayer 4 and Mac-mini M1

[proulxarts]

I was dismayed that recent version of HQP would not work on my old i7. After reading this thread I tried it on my wife’s new Mac Mini M1. Using settings some  have recommended here (PCM 44.1 to DSD256, Polysinc-gauss-xla, ASDM5ECv2)

I am totally blown away! I’ve not heard such an improvement in my system in years.

The sense of space is astounding. I was surprised too because the MMM1 is WiFi only.

 

DAC = Twisted Pear Buffalo Pro ESS3089

NAA = Beaglebone Black running Gentooplayer

 

Have been a Roon User three years suffering through their painful upgrades which finally broke my Roonbridge on BBB for good. So glad I found HQplayer!

 

[proulxarts]

I’ve been planning on buying a Mac Studio to run HQPlayer and Roon. But two Mac Mini M1’s could be purchased for less than what the Studio would cost. Maybe one could be dedicated to HQPlayer and the other to Roon. Can anyone here advise me of the pros and cons of each approach.

Thanks Much

[proulxarts]

Thanks for your comments. Yes, I am using a Beaglebone Black running NAA attached to a Twisted Pear Buffalo Dac. Currently running Roon on an old Linux box. I’ve got HQPlayer running on my wife’s Mac Mini M1 and it works quite well converting PCM to DSD256. She doesn’t like me glomming on to her computer so I need to get my own. 
Would like to get rid of the old Linux box. I run both Roon and HQPlayer and don’t think the Mac Mini can handle both. The Mac studio would surely do it but so expensive. Micro center is selling the Mac Minis now for $550. So maybe two of them?
 

 

 

[proulxarts]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I will indeed wait to see if Apple introduces an M2 Mini. In any case it looks like the MMM1 will do the trick. 

[proulxarts]

3 hours ago, MikePid said:

YMMV, however I noticed a very significant improvement when I upgraded the built-in MMM1 power supply with an inexpensive Chinese LPS module and 12V LPS.  So much so that I replaced the stock fuse in the LPS with an Orange fuse (yeah I put in a fuse that costs about as much as the LPS 😆), which bumped up the sound quality further.  I verified by (non-blind) A/B/A/B testing with each (including figuring out which direction was better for the fuse.  The switch back to the built-in power supply (or back to the stock fuse) was very noticeable, with reduction of sound stage and dynamics.  I have no idea why, because aren't bits just bits, especially so far upstream?  😉  I guess as others have said "everything matters".  And yes, I have an ultraRendu NAA (powered by a Paul Hynes SR4T LPS with Blue fuse), and also an EtherRegen (powered by a Sonore LPS with Blue fuse).  With the old mac mini, Uptone sold a lot of LPS upgrade kits for that.

 

Some people recommend not to run Roon on the same machine as HQPlayer, but when CPU usage of HQP dropped a few releases ago, I tried moving Roon over to the MMM1 and found a small uptick in sound quality (probably due to not needing to run across an Ethernet connection and/or powering the Roon core with an LPS) so I left Roon on the MMM1.

 

Of course, a lot of things are system dependent.  I was a power cord skeptic too, but now a convert.

Against my better judgment, I can’t help responding to this. I’ve been around the block with this, admitting to have paid thousands on cables and other such. I’ve conducted multiple blind, double blinds. What I have realized is that the ear and brain work as one. What you believe is what you hear. Do not underestimate the power of the mind.