Best investment to upgrade my digital chain?

[llatpoh76]

IME the best Qutest tweak is to leverage on the dual coax capability while upsampling everything to 24/768. You can do the upsampling either on HQPlayer or roon, it sounds very good either way, HQP having a slight edge. The SRC•DX is the other piece of the puzzle, but Windows with the ASIO driver is highly recommended as it is rather iffy on Linux.

[frieddr]

Wow getting the settings right to get Roon to play through HQPlayer is not intuitive.  

[frieddr]

Upsampling in Roon to 768 definitely adds space/separation.  Subtle but real.  I can't yet figure out how to get HQPLayer to play through Roon to my SoTM streamer.  

[creativepart]

21 minutes ago, frieddr said:

Upsampling in Roon to 768 definitely adds space/separation.  Subtle but real.  I can't yet figure out how to get HQPLayer to play through Roon to my SoTM streamer.  

You have to install the NAA player from the SoTM admin login and the set HQP to use that NAA.

[creativepart]

1 hour ago, llatpoh76 said:

The SRC•DX is the other piece of the puzzle, but Windows with the ASIO driver is highly recommended as it is rather iffy on Linux.

Nope, don’t go there. The SRC-DX doesn’t work with the SoTM device. I bought one, when it didn’t work I contacted the developer the same day it was delivered. He took it back, reluctantly, and charged a restocking fee.

[llatpoh76]

12 minutes ago, creativepart said:

Nope, don’t go there. The SRC-DX doesn’t work with the SoTM device

I believe I clearly said Windows with ASIO driver is highly recommended. Dual coax will outperform USB in any Chord DAC.

[davide256]

13 hours ago, creativepart said:

Nope, don’t go there. The SRC-DX doesn’t work with the SoTM device. I bought one, when it didn’t work I contacted the developer the same day it was delivered. He took it back, reluctantly, and charged a restocking fee.

Wasn't that due to an older/custom Linux kernel in the SoTM device? I've had no issues running an SRC-DX with HQPe or Euphony Linux installations.

Audio-Wise developer can't force SoTM to keep their software evergreen as  things change.. SOTM purchasers have to speak up.

[creativepart]

It's a problem with some Linux Audio module. Sonore has put a work around in it's admin panel that you can click to automatically install and set a volume setting that solves this issue. But SoTM doesn't and doesn't provide SSH Login for a user that is Linux Savvy to modify the Linux Kernal to fix the issue.

 

On my SoTM after installing the SRC-DX the output volume was so low that you couldn't tell that there was any sound from the unit. However, if I raised the volume to it's highest point I could hear it a little. So, it was working.

 

When I contacted the developer he wanted me to request a SSH login from SoTM and custom install a Linux Audio setting module and then set up some specific volume settings in the module. I refused to attempt this. The developer said he did have one user that had done this step and found it to work. I didn't want to do command line Linux customization to get the product to work - which would have required me to do this each and every time I updated the device's firmware.

 

The developer said he would charge a restocking fee of 10% and I complained. I had the unit only one or two hours. He said, "Send it back and I'll do what I can about the fee." So, I sent it back in the oem packaging and shipping materials and he refunded my purchase price minus the full restocking fee.

 

It does say in a disclaimer on his website that "some linux" devices have a sound issue - but to me the SoTM is a plug and play device. Sure, like many devices it runs on a custom Linux background but I didn't expect it to be a "Linux device." And, the developer had run into this previously with the SMS200 - why not disclose that up front before purchase, as well.

 

If I sound bitter it's because he didn't disclose the SoTM problem and charging a restocking fee seems unreasonable in this instance. He told me if I sent it back with all the OEM packaging and shipping that he'd see what he could do about the fee. I expected him to wave the fee. The unit was new and unused in OEM packing. So, when he charged the $50 fee without comment I felt taken advantage of.

[frieddr]

I spent many hours trying to get HQPLayer to work with my roon core and SoTM renderer.  I don't think I understand how you are supposed to control HQPlayer when the server edition of that software is loaded on roon core.  Do you control HQPlayer through Roon?  Meanwhile it is easy and glitch free to just 4x upsample on Roon.  I finally got HqPlayer to play and the right channel was just noise... Is Roon upsampling sonically inferior to HQPlayer I guess?

[dericchan1]

4 minutes ago, frieddr said:

I spent many hours trying to get HQPLayer to work with my roon core and SoTM renderer.  I don't think I understand how you are supposed to control HQPlayer when the server edition of that software is loaded on roon core.  Do you control HQPlayer through Roon?  Meanwhile it is easy and glitch free to just 4x upsample on Roon.  I finally got HqPlayer to play and the right channel was just noise... Is Roon upsampling sonically inferior to HQPlayer I guess?

Sorry since I don't use SoTM I wouldn't know what to advise on your issue. There is a dedicated "Hqplayer" thread under software where you can describe your issue and address to Miska (the developer) who is very active and will respond in a timely manner.

 

With regards to Roon upsampling being inferior compared to HQplayer, You BET!!!!! Or should I say, upsampling is lesser of the matter, its the ability to utilize Hqplayer high quality digital filter to replace the Qutest internal digital filter that accounts for majority of the upgrade in sonic quality.

[davide256]

8 minutes ago, frieddr said:

I spent many hours trying to get HQPLayer to work with my roon core and SoTM renderer.  I don't think I understand how you are supposed to control HQPlayer when the server edition of that software is loaded on roon core.  Do you control HQPlayer through Roon?  Meanwhile it is easy and glitch free to just 4x upsample on Roon.  I finally got HqPlayer to play and the right channel was just noise... Is Roon upsampling sonically inferior to HQPlayer I guess?

 

 

Does SoTM interface  allow both to be enabled at same time? Can't use HQP output without HQP server running

Very easy to do if you are running  a server with Windows or Euphony that has Roon and HQP server, simple to run both at once.

 

Once both are running just two steps

 

1) configure HQP server through its http interface { IP address:808x }, choose local output or NAA + parameters

2} enable HQP  device in Roon, no IP address needed if same server

then select HQP as output device

 

Gave up on Roon but Roon with HQP was the best when I was still using it... even without  up sampling its output was the cleanest

[creativepart]

I found it puzzling at first as well. Don't fret. It works great.

 

First, go into Eunhasu Music Player (at the IP address set for the SoTM)

Go to Control HQPlayer NAA and click on it to install it on your SoTM

Then if it's not "active" after install (I think it will be) click on it to activate it.

The go to Roon Settings > Setup > Add HQPlayer

Then start HQPlayer on your computer - don't exit it, you can minimize it be leave it running

While HQPlayer is running go to the program title in the top menu bar and choose Preferences

There will be a lot of settings - I've added a photo of mine. You'll see the Backend setting, the device setting, etc. In time you'll learn how to set those.

You close the Preferences settings box after clicking OK. Still keep HQP application running on your computer.

Go To Roon > Settings > Audio > and select HQPlayer as the output. There are some basic settings there, too.

 

That's it. Let me know if you have more questions. Here's some photos to help:

 

[creativepart]

As you see above... you don't have Roon Ready Active, you have HQPlayer Active.

 

Then when you output Roon you don't output it to the SoTM you output it to HQPlayer

 

This works when you set up HQPlayer to use the SMS 200 via the HQPlayer NAA backend

 

[frieddr]

2 hours ago, creativepart said:

I found it puzzling at first as well. Don't fret. It works great.

 

First, go into Eunhasu Music Player (at the IP address set for the SoTM)

Go to Control HQPlayer NAA and click on it to install it on your SoTM

Then if it's not "active" after install (I think it will be) click on it to activate it.

The go to Roon Settings > Setup > Add HQPlayer

Then start HQPlayer on your computer - don't exit it, you can minimize it be leave it running

While HQPlayer is running go to the program title in the top menu bar and choose Preferences

There will be a lot of settings - I've added a photo of mine. You'll see the Backend setting, the device setting, etc. In time you'll learn how to set those.

You close the Preferences settings box after clicking OK. Still keep HQP application running on your computer.

Go To Roon > Settings > Audio > and select HQPlayer as the output. There are some basic settings there, too.

 

That's it. Let me know if you have more questions. Here's some photos to help:

 

Thanks so much for this cheat sheet and instructions.  I got it to work.  I'm getting 2-3 second gaps in the playback.  Don't get that without hqplayer.  I'm thinking my nuc Roon server may not  have sufficient processing power?

[llatpoh76]

3 hours ago, frieddr said:

Roon upsampling sonically inferior to HQPlayer I guess?

HQPlayer undoubtedly has more elaborate and better designed digital filters, it is what I use and prefer. That being said roon sounds very good to me when oversampling to 768kHz with Precise, minimum phase filter.

[creativepart]

You mentioned upsampling with in Roon... did you turn that off? You should. I don't do any DSP in Roon - I let HQP do that.

 

Also, notice that I've set my Buffer Time to 10ms. You might try increasing that to 15 or even 30ms.

 

Also, I noticed something similar when I set the output to 768/32 and then played 48khz files (it only did that when playing 48khz files). It worked better at 708/32.

 

Just experiment around.

 

PS. My Roon Core is a 2021 Apple iMac with M1 Apple Silicone.

[llatpoh76]

8 minutes ago, frieddr said:

I'm getting 2-3 second gaps in the playback

That is normal when using the longer filters.

[frieddr]

31 minutes ago, creativepart said:

You mentioned upsampling with in Roon... did you turn that off? You should. I don't do any DSP in Roon - I let HQP do that.

 

Also, notice that I've set my Buffer Time to 10ms. You might try increasing that to 15 or even 30ms.

 

Also, I noticed something similar when I set the output to 768/32 and then played 48khz files (it only did that when playing 48khz files). It worked better at 708/32.

 

Just experiment around.

 

PS. My Roon Core is a 2021 Apple iMac with M1 Apple Silicone.

Really, really thank you!  You advice is spot on.  Upsampling makes a real difference!  

[creativepart]

7 minutes ago, frieddr said:

Really, really thank you!  You advice is spot on.  Upsampling makes a real difference!  

And it's a lot cheaper than a new DAC or Mscaler!

[frieddr]

Just now, creativepart said:

And it's a lot cheaper than a new DAC or Mscaler!

Yes!  I just heard a guy coughing in a track I've been listening to for years.

[dericchan1]

Congrats OP  🎉 

 

This, is the best investment to upgrade your digital chain!!!!!

 

cheers

 

Deric

[frieddr]

What's OP stand for?

 

So appreciative of the great help on audiophile style and I got today.  Whew.  Got HQ Player to work. Now I need to figure out whether I like it.  There is palpably more distance between the sounds but the sound is a bit thiner and less organic to my ears than played NOS. Less weight particularly in the bass.  More space though and more clarity.  Still looking for perfection...

 

[dericchan1]

13 minutes ago, frieddr said:

What's OP stand for?

 

So appreciative of the great help on audiophile style and I got today.  Whew.  Got HQ Player to work. Now I need to figure out whether I like it.  There is palpably more distance between the sounds but the sound is a bit thiner and less organic to my ears than played NOS. Less weight particularly in the bass.  More space though and more clarity.  Still looking for perfection...

 

OP = Original poster 

 

Please take a screen shot of your hqplayer settings so we can see what pcm filter, dithering settings you have chosen…… I have a feeling it might be a matter of settings or filter choices.

 

Filter choice can also depend on the genre of music being played.

 

Deric

[davide256]

You may want to skim the PGGB thread. Chord DAC in PCM mode will still add its own filter artifacts for sample rates below 

706/753. And Chord Qutest is more of a transient detail oriented sound, less focus on timbre than a true NOS DAC like Holo Spring 3

[dericchan1]

For a starter I think you should choose pcm playback, 32bit, 768 sample rate and sinc-L and gauss1 dither and see how you like it