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Older Intel CPU working with 256 ASDM7EC


gsbrva

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Was going to see if this might work for my older 6700k but no dice, it's only for slightly newer I7/i9 CPUs.

 

But... I believe the ability to run those EC modulators is solely dependent on ST performance (one core per channel) and, frankly, clock speed. My 6700k at 4.2 can easily do ASDM7EC at 128/48 and plays it perfectly at 256/44.1 but every 10-15 minutes, I get one tiny dropout on 48k material at 256. So what I do is set my rate to 256/44.1 and ASDM7EC as my modulator, and check auto-rate family. That way I get 256/44.1 and 128/48K. Works like a champ and frankly, unless I could reliably O/C this thing to 4.5GHz, I think that's where I'm going to live for awhile. And my Ryzen 3700x wouldn't do any better, nor will the 3900x I've got coming because while they will spank the holy hell out of the 6700k in everything else, this one, single-threaded performance task (modulator performance) doesn't really care how many threads and such we have. 

 

And I don't think, or at least I didn't think this had anything to do with CUDA offload either. Stuff like Sinc-L and possibly the poly-sinc filters could use help with CUDA Offload, but not the modulators. But maybe it's a scenario where if you offload enough work from the CPU with CUDA, that then there is enough resources available in those primary cores to do more work for the modulators? I'm just speculating, and bored, so take this all with a grain of salt :D

 

Either way, I'm pretty impressed with my aged 6700k. Of course it's doing NOTHING else but HQP, but still, better than just sitting on a shelf collecting dust I guess.

Ryzen 3900x Roon Core PC -> Intel i9900k HQPlayer W10 machine -> iFi Zen Stream NAA

Holo May KTE, Benchmark LA4 preamp

SMC Audio upgraded DNA-125 Amp

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum speakers

Vinyl rig - Schiit Sol, Nagaoka MP-500, Mod Squad PhonoDrive phono stage

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4 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

Since running modulators for stereo on Intel/AMD depends on performance of two cores (and on four cores on Apple silicon), and thus Turbo boost clocks they can have, offloading may release enough work from the remaining cores that the critical cores can keep up with high enough clocks.

 

Have you considered trying this same case with Ubuntu Studio 20.04 (and possibly with my custom kernel)? It could be just enough more efficient OS to make it work better.

 

I absolutely have wanted to do that but as expressed in PM a couple days ago across multiple replies, unfortunately right now is not a good time to buy a second full license for experimentation. And half an hour of playback at a time is not necessarily enough to properly evaluate. 

 

I do have Embedded set up on a flash drive and can boot to it with my 6700k machine, but even if I find that it works and I like it, a second license which renders my first license effectively moot, isn't something I can do right now, so it doesn't really even make sense to try it since I can't really use it.

Ryzen 3900x Roon Core PC -> Intel i9900k HQPlayer W10 machine -> iFi Zen Stream NAA

Holo May KTE, Benchmark LA4 preamp

SMC Audio upgraded DNA-125 Amp

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum speakers

Vinyl rig - Schiit Sol, Nagaoka MP-500, Mod Squad PhonoDrive phono stage

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5 minutes ago, Miska said:

 

I don't mean Embedded. HQPlayer 4 Desktop license covers all three platforms. Ubuntu Studio is a lightweight desktop OS.

 

 

I can try, but I'm completely linux ignorant. That's why embedded was so nice, lol. But let me see if I can figure it out and report back. Thanks for the clarification!

Ryzen 3900x Roon Core PC -> Intel i9900k HQPlayer W10 machine -> iFi Zen Stream NAA

Holo May KTE, Benchmark LA4 preamp

SMC Audio upgraded DNA-125 Amp

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum speakers

Vinyl rig - Schiit Sol, Nagaoka MP-500, Mod Squad PhonoDrive phono stage

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Ok so that was really easy. I'm off and running from a USB thumb drive in Ubuntu 20.10 with HQP Desktop 4.81, listening to 256x48 ASDM7EC now on the 6700k machine, no GPU/CUDA offload. Only a few minutes of playback thus far but no dropouts yet. I'm still going to see if I can push this CPU up to 4.4 or 4.5 on air.

 

Sounds terrific, though! Using XTR-LP-2S for both 1x and Nx SDM output.

 

Now i have to learn a bit more about Ubuntu, just so I'm at least somewhat familiar with what I'm doing... Like maybe adding VNC or something to it for remote management. Right now I have that going into my AVR via HDMI out but I really don't want to use that.

Ryzen 3900x Roon Core PC -> Intel i9900k HQPlayer W10 machine -> iFi Zen Stream NAA

Holo May KTE, Benchmark LA4 preamp

SMC Audio upgraded DNA-125 Amp

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum speakers

Vinyl rig - Schiit Sol, Nagaoka MP-500, Mod Squad PhonoDrive phono stage

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4 hours ago, evalon said:

Hi all, 

 

 

Well, that sounds really interesting as I would also prefer to use a slightly older computer for HQPlayer. I was wondering, though, what happens with e.g 192kHz files - have you tried this? 

 

Cheers & Happy New Year,

 

Jesper 

 

No issues really, and here lately I've been on a 768 PCM + Sinc-L + LSN15 kick so it's even easier on the CPU/RAM. I have Auto-Rate checked so it will step it down to the proper rate family, as I see no real point in going from 44.1 to 48k family at such high PCM or DSD rates to begin with. I would think the easier computation would "sound better" than a strict adherernce to the 48k rate class or something.

 

Hope that makes sense, but yea - no issues playing native DSF or 24/192 once I dialed everything in well enough.

Ryzen 3900x Roon Core PC -> Intel i9900k HQPlayer W10 machine -> iFi Zen Stream NAA

Holo May KTE, Benchmark LA4 preamp

SMC Audio upgraded DNA-125 Amp

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum speakers

Vinyl rig - Schiit Sol, Nagaoka MP-500, Mod Squad PhonoDrive phono stage

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No worries, my reply could have been more clear as well. Playing any 48k rate - 48, 96, or 192 at 256 with ASDM7EC is doable but it taxes the hell out of the system and is on the ragged edge of perfect. So, I deploy auto rate and a 256/44.1 rate so that on those 48k rate families, I step down to dsd128/ASDM7EC. To me it still sounds brilliant, but the raw horsepower just isn't there on the 6700k even in a minimal install, in all operating conditions.

Ryzen 3900x Roon Core PC -> Intel i9900k HQPlayer W10 machine -> iFi Zen Stream NAA

Holo May KTE, Benchmark LA4 preamp

SMC Audio upgraded DNA-125 Amp

Dynaudio Confidence C2 Platinum speakers

Vinyl rig - Schiit Sol, Nagaoka MP-500, Mod Squad PhonoDrive phono stage

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