HQplayer 4 and Mac-mini M1

[oldfirm]

On 7/20/2022 at 4:49 PM, Miska said:

 

When there are shields, they are connected at both ends, and thus are all subject to ground current and noise problems. This is negative side of such cables.

 

CAT6a is good up to 10 Gbps ethernet. CAT7 is pretty useless, since it is not better than 6a. Then CAT8 is needed for 40 Gbps and faster, and always employs shields connected at both ends and thus is not suitable for these audio applications.

 

I am using a Supra Cat 8 RJ45 cable between my network switch and my laptop - via a  RJ45 to USB -C connector.

The Ends of the Supra Cat 8 are indeed connected by the cable shielding  , but continuity  of the shielding ends  at the third party connector -So it is effectively not grounded to my laptop.

[Schafheide]

For playback of PCM files to 352.8/384, I used to use Shaper/Dither LNS15. Since swapping to Shaper/Dither NS5, I notice that the 4 Mac Mini M1 Performance Cores show no activity!

Which Shaper should I be using?

[Schafheide]

I only just noticed.  (I normally playback to DSD512.  I am just trying PCM playback.)

The cores only get used for DSD playback - make sense?

[Account Closed]

23 minutes ago, Schafheide said:

I only just noticed.  (I normally playback to DSD512.  I am just trying PCM playback.)

The cores only get used for DSD playback - make sense?

Core loading in PCM is much lighter than in DSD/SDM. In PCM the filter used and the rate are the most important for core loading. The dither won't matter much. At 352/384 it might be difficult to see much activity as it is pretty light. At 1.536Mhz PCM you would see a much higher core loading. The filters will usually go to the efficiency cores. Sinc L would show high activity even in PCM but any 2s filter would show much less. I would stick with LNS 15 and a DAC bits setting of no more than 20 and use the highest rate you can make work, I would consider 768 PCM the minimum for decent performance. I tried every combo I could think of but nothing beat DSD 256 for me on my Spring 2 DAC.

[Schafheide]

My reason to try PCM was due to you alerting me to the 6dB loss when playing DSD.

Playing DSD, with HQP set to -6dBM and EQ requiring -6.4dB, my poor amp volume control was (for some classical files) was at the max!

So now, playing PCM, it is several clicks back!

For me (without EQ enabled) my May KTE @ DSD512 is fab.

Unfortunately my DDC is limited to 384/DSD512.

[AudioDoctor]

45 minutes ago, Schafheide said:

My reason to try PCM was due to you alerting me to the 6dB loss when playing DSD.

Playing DSD, with HQP set to -6dBM and EQ requiring -6.4dB, my poor amp volume control was (for some classical files) was at the max!

So now, playing PCM, it is several clicks back!

For me (without EQ enabled) my May KTE @ DSD512 is fab.

Unfortunately my DDC is limited to 384/DSD512.

 

 

Go to DSD settings in the menubar under FILE and check the 6db gain setting.

 

[Schafheide]

Yes, this is checked. But doesn't this only apply for DSD to PCM conversion?  I seem to remember Miska stating this?

[Account Closed]

51 minutes ago, Schafheide said:

My reason to try PCM was due to you alerting me to the 6dB loss when playing DSD.

Playing DSD, with HQP set to -6dBM and EQ requiring -6.4dB, my poor amp volume control was (for some classical files) was at the max!

So now, playing PCM, it is several clicks back!

For me (without EQ enabled) my May KTE @ DSD512 is fab.

Unfortunately my DDC is limited to 384/DSD512.

What amp do you use? Is it single-ended or balanced. If you are using the single-ended output of the May it makes the problem worse because you are only getting signal from one of the two boards in the May. There are some very good in-line combining transformers from Lundahl that I have in use that will take the balanced output from the May and convert it to single-ended. If this is the case let me know and I will give you the link.

[Schafheide]

The amp is balanced, using XLR cables from the May.

[Schafheide]

Out of curiosity, does anyone know the typical output signal level of an Intel PC vs that of our Mac Mini M1 ??

[Account Closed]

12 minutes ago, Schafheide said:

Out of curiosity, does anyone know the typical output signal level of an Intel PC vs that of our Mac Mini M1 ??

It would be the same USB standard for either one. The final link in the chain in your case the DDC is the one that matters. Try bypassing it and going USB direct and see if it is better.

[Schafheide]

Worth a try except I do like i2s more than usb (hence the ddc).

[Schafheide]

But it is a thought, as I could then achieve PCM768, even if the level for DSD does not improve.

[Account Closed]

10 minutes ago, Schafheide said:

Worth a try except I do like i2s more than usb (hence the ddc).

I do I2s as well with a Sonore Ultra Digital. Worth a try though. Try using HQP to control the volume. Just put your amp volume at max and use the digital volume of HQP. Just be careful to start low enough.

[Schafheide]

Can’t do that because some Dsd files overload HQP if the HQP volume is not limited to -6dBFS.  So I leave it set at that level.

[The Computer Audiophile]

The nice thing is these tests are all free to try :~)

 

 

[Account Closed]

18 minutes ago, Schafheide said:

Can’t do that because some Dsd files overload HQP if the HQP volume is not limited to -6dBFS.  So I leave it set at that level.

Just use -6 as your maximum and work down from there with your amp volume control set at max. Still start at -20 and see how close you can get to -6. You might be surprised how much more your amp can do. We are all used to thinking that the higher volume control settings on an amp are off limits but with the much reduced input voltage due to HQP processing and the lower DSD output of the May this is not necessarily true.

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, Schafheide said:

Yes, this is checked. But doesn't this only apply for DSD to PCM conversion?  I seem to remember Miska stating this?

 

I think so.

[Schafheide]

2 hours ago, bobflood said:

Just use -6 as your maximum and work down from there with your amp volume control set at max. Still start at -20 and see how close you can get to -6. You might be surprised how much more your amp can do. We are all used to thinking that the higher volume control settings on an amp are off limits but with the much reduced input voltage due to HQP processing and the lower DSD output of the May this is not necessarily true.

I have checked with the amp designer, and as you say. it is ok to have the amp volume control at max.  My unease with this, comes from years of analogue hifi - where increasing the volume control gave increased the amp "noise". hum etc - so you never went much past 2 o'clock with the knob.  So, just because of convenience on my part, I will continue to use the amp volume control, and not worry if it reaches max!!!  I must remember that this is now a digital world!

But your suggestions were enlightening, to say the least.

[Account Closed]

7 hours ago, Schafheide said:

I have checked with the amp designer, and as you say. it is ok to have the amp volume control at max.  My unease with this, comes from years of analogue hifi - where increasing the volume control gave increased the amp "noise". hum etc - so you never went much past 2 o'clock with the knob.  So, just because of convenience on my part, I will continue to use the amp volume control, and not worry if it reaches max!!!  I must remember that this is now a digital world!

But your suggestions were enlightening, to say the least.

Enjoy!

[Miska]

17 hours ago, Schafheide said:

I have checked with the amp designer, and as you say. it is ok to have the amp volume control at max.  My unease with this, comes from years of analogue hifi - where increasing the volume control gave increased the amp "noise". hum etc - so you never went much past 2 o'clock with the knob.  So, just because of convenience on my part, I will continue to use the amp volume control, and not worry if it reaches max!!!  I must remember that this is now a digital world!

But your suggestions were enlightening, to say the least.

 

In the old analog days, turning up volume usually meant more gain. In digital days it means less attenuation.

 

For example if your preamp setting ends up being -20 dB (attenuation) and power amp have +36 dB gain, your net gain is just +16 dB. 

 

"Preamp" should be called "preatt" these days...

 

[musicjunkie917]

Except I still use a tube preamp....well, it's actually a tube line stage.

[Account Closed]

3 hours ago, musicjunkie917 said:

Except I still use a tube preamp....well, it's actually a tube line stage.

As do I.

[cyxg]

On 7/9/2022 at 8:58 PM, Miska said:

 

Core usage improvements cover for example M1 Pro/Max/Ultra. But no changes for regular M1.

 

I'm using these settings on my Mac Mini M1:

1x = poly-sinc-gauss-long

Nx = poly-sinc-gauss-hires-lp

Modulator = ASDM7ECv2

 

Output rate is DSD256.

 

I have a M1 mac mini, but, got issue when I play 176/24bit file us below setting.

 

1x = poly-sinc-gauss-hires-lp

Nx = poly-sinc-gauss-hires-lp

Modulator = ASDM7

 

Output rate is DSD512.

 

or, do I need to upgrade my mac mini to new MacBook pro/ studio with M1 Pro/Max/Ultra?  Ideas?

[copy_of_a]

does anyone here run a little 13“ Macbook Pro with M1 or even better with M2 chip?

 

I am on an old mid 2014 i5 2.6GHz dual core with 8 GB RAM and can reliably run DSD256 with ASDM5 (actually also ASDM7) or DSD128 with ASDM5EC (and DSD5EC) from PCM sources (for DSD sources I use Direct DSD). CPU runs around 45% and Temp around 80 degrees (C), so no issues running for hours. Also the fans don‘t go crazy.

So I suspect with a new M2 MBP I should easily be able to use ASDM7ECv2 modulators? Also for upsampling DSD sources?

Are the fans active all the time and are they unobtrusive?

Many thanks!