HQplayer 4 and Mac-mini M1

[Miska]

10 hours ago, Tihon said:

No performance loss? If I recall correctly, someone complained about a drop in performance after switching to Ventura.

 

I didn't notice anything on that front. Only the new CoreAudio bugs they introduced for Intel platforms.

 

[juniorbudel]

Folks, I thought a lot about reporting the results obtained with the Core swap in my system, I use Roon + HQPLAYER and the server is in the living room, away from the system, isolated via fiber optics. 

 

Technically the changes on the dirty side shouldn't change the SQ on the system however I noticed a dramatic improvement in this update. 

 

On the first day with MMM2 Pro I already noticed a different character in the sound but not to the point of impressing me, the next day I took it to my technician to install the filter (I had to adapt it because I only found a version for the MMM1) and output to external linear font, I'm using it with a PPA Studio. 

 

And then the sound had an exponential improvement, everything simply grew, saturation went to zero in the highs, incredible dynamics, detailing was also impacted, honestly it was a hardware upgrade. To give you an idea, the improvement was much greater than when I upgraded from Ultrarendu (already with fiber) to Opticalrendu.

 

I believe that one of the central points is also the hardware is compact, with no moving parts, with the package closed, this encouraged me to experiment with passive cooling further down the line. I also exchanged a mechanical HD with the library for a large capacity SSD
 

 

[TomTuricum]

23 hours ago, rjanderjr said:

My m1 mini can run DSD512 with 7EC Light and 7EC 512+fs.  That is, source file is DSD 512 stereo.  It will not upsample lower DSD rates to 512, nor will it upsample PCM files to 512.  I would love to know what the M2 Mini Pro could do in addition to this.

I have a Mac Mini M2 Pro with 10 cores and 16 GB RAM. It runs Qobuz-Roon-HQPlayer, output via OpticalRendu on Holo May. With version 5.0.2 DSD256 is possible with all modulators without problems, also all important filters (incl. Sync-L) except the new Sync-Medium/Long.

DSD512 is possible with the modulators AMSDM7EC 512+fs, ASDM7EC-light and ASDM7EC-light 512+fs (my favorite). I can also run my current favorite poly-sinc-gauss-xl(a) (not on source PCM192), but that's the absolute limit, 440 percent processor load and then the little apple nuc gets really warm. The fan then runs, but fortunately not audibly.

[Kalpesh]

First report on my Studio M1 Max 32 Go RAM, just a 24/96 download and one SACD rip tested, files in RAM disk, PCM expanded as wav

not listened for hours, can't swear a dropout could not occur after more than 10 minutes

 

roughly : doubles the performance for triple the price with regards to MM1

With convolution :

PCM sinc Long 768 OK sinc medium 1536 OK 

PCM goes SDM  I can reach 512 Max and that is with the LIGHT 7EC 512+fs AND HIRES LP

SDM upsampled SDM : Max I got is a mere disappointing DSD 128 and that is with the LIGHT 7EC ; on the other hand I was condemned to 0 upsampling (2.8 to 2.8) with ASDM7 with the MM1 which is crazy since I once could do that with a 2012 MBP but I understand it's due to some Apple's naughty moves.

Maybe there's way to optimise ? unbearable dropouts at 256 with LIght 7 EC 512 but the cpu load is less than half and 3 performance cores are almost idling

Suggestions welcome including sending back the Studio Mac in the 15 days window

But I'm not sure I'm ready to spend more or bother with a Windows machine that would not take my photography softs, it's more the mixed feeling that I was amazed by what a MM1 offers for really cheap and that now with quite some money for me I remain far from the SDM 1024 potential of my DAC

Anyway the sound is gorgeous and I'd swear the sound is more relaxed and classy which certainly is placebo, especially since I use a NAA

[Miska]

14 minutes ago, Kalpesh said:

SDM upsampled SDM : Max I got is a mere disappointing DSD 128 and that is with the LIGHT 7EC ; on the other hand I was

 

What other processing are you running?

 

This works fine for me on MacBook Pro M1Max 32GB:

Try with this integrator and rate converter!

 

Here's the load:

[Kalpesh]

2 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

What other processing are you running?

 

This works fine for me on MacBook Pro M1Max 32GB:

Try with this integrator and rate converter!

 

I use the same integrator and rate converter

I just forgot to close Safari and XLD

So far I have only installed HQP as third party

Do you use convolution when you get those results ?

 

[Miska]

41 minutes ago, Kalpesh said:

Do you use convolution when you get those results ?

 

No, just empty matrix pipeline profile. Matrix processor is active though, so metering is available also for DSD sources, and I can enable metering from Client too and still don't have any drop-outs.

 

[Tihon]

I run convolution all the time and even tried to add cross-feed (it worked, I just don’t like the effect). 256 with -super and 512 with -light. Recommended filters or Sinc MGa. Works for all PCM sources 44,1-384 and DSD64-256. And I have a lot of apps opened, since it’s my main laptop which I use for everything. Oh, and Roon is also running on it.

MBP Pro with M1 Max like Miska’s

[Kalpesh]

is there a rational for Studio underperforming MBP ? For DSD sources at least. With PCM seems the same. would expect the other way round due to cooling

A benefit of Studio over MM1 is that Qobuz is at last a pleasure to use, no more ages to start playing

[Kalpesh]

4 hours ago, Tihon said:

I run convolution all the time and even tried to add cross-feed (it worked, I just don’t like the effect). 256 with -super and 512 with -light. Recommended filters or Sinc MGa. Works for all PCM sources 44,1-384 and DSD64-256. And I have a lot of apps opened, since it’s my main laptop which I use for everything. Oh, and Roon is also running on it.

MBP Pro with M1 Max like Miska’s

Is it convolution for digital room correction or for headphones with very few pk points ?

[Kalpesh]

7 hours ago, Miska said:

 

What other processing are you running?

 

This works fine for me on MacBook Pro M1Max 32GB:

Try with this integrator and rate converter!

 

Here's the load:

I have less threads, less processes, more idle ; yet dropouts dropouts with your settings

source file being in RAM can't be a network issue

could it be at UP NUC level ?

[Miska]

2 hours ago, Kalpesh said:

I have less threads, less processes, more idle ; yet dropouts dropouts with your settings

source file being in RAM can't be a network issue

could it be at UP NUC level ?

 

Just to make sure, you are on wired connection? Not wireless? Multicore DSP set to "auto" (greyed box)?

 

[Kalpesh]

2 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Just to make sure, you are on wired connection? Not wireless? Multicore DSP set to "auto" (greyed box)?

 

 Multicore DSP is set to "auto" (greyed box) ; the Studio is wired to a Time Capsule to which the Up NUC and the HDD loaded with music are wired too. The Studio is headless and I drive it from a MBP via Wifi. If we suppose something (NUC, cable...) is deficient for 512 SDM from DSD it should be too for 512 SDM from PCM, shouldn't it ?

[Tihon]

5 hours ago, Kalpesh said:

Is it convolution for digital room correction or for headphones with very few pk points ?

Headphone calibration. That one:

https://accuratesound.ca/product/abyss-1266-phi-tc-filterset/
I don’t know how much points it has.

 

 

 

[Miska]

1 hour ago, Kalpesh said:

 Multicore DSP is set to "auto" (greyed box) ; the Studio is wired to a Time Capsule to which the Up NUC and the HDD loaded with music are wired too. The Studio is headless and I drive it from a MBP via Wifi. If we suppose something (NUC, cable...) is deficient for 512 SDM from DSD it should be too for 512 SDM from PCM, shouldn't it ?

 

Yes, the cable doesn't know how the data came to be. And 705.6k PCM is same data rate as DSD512.

 

[Kalpesh]

called Apple, reinstalling Ventura  (V E N T U R A ; I understand you use it too and it should not be a culprit but I precise) from Apple's servers at the moment

 

found out something weird : HQP described as being in translocation mode while it was in Applications folder as it should and had not been open before it was...

 

fingers crossed...

[Kalpesh]

@Miska troubleshooting... I had installed Rosetta in order to use RAM Disk Creator ; could it be a liability ?

[Kalpesh]

@Miska hello hello Jussi, reinstalling Ventura is a failure : reinstalled HQP is still in Translocation mode. Next step before sending back the machine is erase reinstall a OS. Should it rather be Monterey ??

Is the translocation thing a new macOS feature ? Maybe it's not a bug but a nasty (shame Apple) consequence that HQP does not come from the Apple Store ?

[Kalpesh]

FOUND out Translocation exists since Sierra, found a trick to circumvent : first move HQP to downloads folder via Finder then to Applications folder...

 

Still get dropouts with your configuration though...

[Kalpesh]

even @128 I get (rare but nevertheless..) dropouts with 64 source though the global cpu load is less than half

[juniorbudel]

I have the impression that the Multicore box checked the sound is better than grayed, anyone with similar experience? It would be better to use gray as it uses less cpu load.

[Kalpesh]

UPDATE : the dropouts @128 was probably network (or, rather, disk access ?) caused (see attached capture) and disappeared with the source file in RAM

inspired me to use my internet provider box instead of the TC for networking but it was same if not worse @512 or 256

Network in Activity Monitor is always smooth even during dropouts @ 512.

 

I'm clueless...

I don't even think it's my convolution since I get dropouts with 70% idling.... a different core distribution for Studio vs MBP Pro ??

[Kalpesh]

@Miska spent another hour with Apple, escalated to a supervisor :

 

bottom line :

 

No way to downgrade to try Monterey

 

MBP Pro M1 Max works better with HQP

 

solution :

get a MBP instead of the Studio or get the developper (Jussi) to optimize for Studio the load distribution...

 

Can you, will you ?

[Miska]

6 hours ago, Kalpesh said:

I don't even think it's my convolution since I get dropouts with 70% idling.... a different core distribution for Studio vs MBP Pro ??

 

I would recommend to try with matching settings. So matrix enabled, but empty profile, no convolution or anything else.

 

Convolution for DSD-DSD case is very heavy to begin with.

 

6 hours ago, Kalpesh said:

the dropouts @128 was probably network (or, rather, disk access ?) caused (see attached capture) and disappeared with the source file in RAM

 

In my case, source files are from SMB server and output is to a NAA. So both source and output are on network. Wired gigabit connection...

 

[Kalpesh]

5 hours ago, Miska said:

 

I would recommend to try with matching settings. So matrix enabled, but empty profile, no convolution or anything else.

 

Convolution for DSD-DSD case is very heavy to begin with.

 

 

In my case, source files are from SMB server and output is to a NAA. So both source and output are on network. Wired gigabit connection...

 

Excellent suggestion, thank you

quickly tested in the middle of the night with sleepy people not far...

works fine with matrix enabled empty profile

works fine with just my .wav for VBA

very few dropouts using a good ol' single .wav per channel in Pipeline setup. So no more almost on the flight remastering via my Cello.txt (love it, amazing what +-0.5 to 1 dB over 2 octaves here and there can do) with DSD sources but here is a promising path to access output 512 with all files (maybe no dropout from RAM and with my present, lighter, filtering)