[Dandoudou]

Should i settle for dsd 256 or stay within pcm?

With Audirvana, it's either PCM upsampling or DSD upsampling. You can not have them both.

Listen to both, and choose the one that sounds better in your system.

 

[Knobstler]

With Audirvana, it's either PCM upsampling or DSD upsampling. You can not have them both.

Listen to both, and choose the one that sounds better in your system.

Ok thank you for your advice!

 

[Dandoudou]

Ok thank you for your advice!

Don't forget to set "NOS on" and "DSD Direct on" on your R26.

 

[camrector]

a

Don't forget to set "NOS on" and "DSD Direct on" on your R26.

@Dandoudou or anyone else
Any recommendations for HQ player?

 

[Dandoudou]

@Dandoudou or anyone else
Any recommendations for HQ player?

HQPlayer has countless possible settings.
I don't think that there's one that can be qualified as the best.
I'm using this one.

 

[cobrabucket]

Just tried NOS for the first time and wow. Soundstage really opened up and I just fell into the music. Not sure why the change but I like it. Anyone else a NOS fan. As a side note I could barely hear a difference between the 3 filters with OS on the R26. Don't get me wrong I think the R26 sounds amazing using both OS and NOS but wow, NOS took it beyond where I have heard my system before.

Once I was able to get HQPlayer to recognize the R26 through the LAN input, I have become an NOS convert. I used to mainly use Foobar, but Roon>HQPlayer is seemingly superior. I will report back on my preferred HQP settings as I am still trying out different combinations but have definitely noticed a surprisingly large improvement over Foobar with "NOS OFF."

 

[ilan5555]

Just tried NOS for the first time and wow. Soundstage really opened up and I just fell into the music. Not sure why the change but I like it. Anyone else a NOS fan. As a side note I could barely hear a difference between the 3 filters with OS on the R26. Don't get me wrong I think the R26 sounds amazing using both OS and NOS but wow, NOS took it beyond where I have heard my system before.

I tried to use NOS and without NOS and cannot hear any difference.
Do you have any idea why this happens?
I'm not using MQA, neither DSD just coax or the UPNP render.

 

[cobrabucket]

I tried to use NOS and without NOS and cannot hear any difference.
Do you have any idea why this happens?
I'm not using MQA, neither DSD just coax or the UPNP render.

Which amp/headphones/speakers etc you are using could definitely affect the delta that you perceive between these 2 modes of operation. It could also depend on how good your hearing is. Not trying to be rude - just proposing hypotheses.

 

[nicks25]

HQPlayer has countless possible settings.
I don't think that there's one that can be qualified as the best.
I'm using this one.

@Dandoudou - I have an A26 and am currently running Roon on a headless M1 Mac Mini and am considering adding HQPlayer. My M1 has a 256Gb SSD and 16 Gb of memory so I am thinking of running HQPlayer on the M1 as well. I have been reading the Roon Community forums on HQPlayer and have a lot of useful information but am trying to get a better understanding.

A couple of questions for you if you don't mind.

1. Are you running HQPlayer on your Mac Mini? If so, how is the Mac Mini configured?
2. I see you have SDM Pack set to DoP. What is the reasoning behind that?
3. Are you also a Roon user?

Thanks

 

[Dandoudou]

@Dandoudou - I have an A26 and am currently running Roon on a headless M1 Mac Mini and am considering adding HQPlayer. My M1 has a 256Gb SSD and 16 Gb of memory so I am thinking of running HQPlayer on the M1 as well. I have been reading the Roon Community forums on HQPlayer and have a lot of useful information but am trying to get a better understanding.

A couple of questions for you if you don't mind.

1. Are you running HQPlayer on your Mac Mini? If so, how is the Mac Mini configured?
2. I see you have SDM Pack set to DoP. What is the reasoning behind that?
3. Are you also a Roon user?

Thanks

1. Yes, I run HQP on the Mini, and I stream with it over the LAN. The Mini does not require a special configuration.
2. It's because macOS does not support Native DSD. For this reason, it is necessary to stream DSD in a PCM container. "DoP" means "DSD over PCM". This way, macOS is "fooled", and it thinks that you stream a PCM sound. But the DAC (and/or the streamer) "understands" that the PCM container contains a DSD sound, and processes it as DSD.
3. Yes, I have a Roon lifetime.

 

[camrector]

1. Yes, I run HQP on the Mini, and I stream with it over the LAN. The Mini does not require a special configuration.
2. It's because macOS does not support Native DSD. For this reason, it is necessary to stream DSD in a PCM container. "DoP" means "DSD over PCM". This way, macOS is "fooled", and it thinks that you stream a PCM sound. But the DAC (and/or the streamer) "understands" that the PCM container contains a DSD sound, and processes it as DSD.
3. Yes, I have a Roon lifetime.

Roon recognizes Native. Do you not connect your HQ to Roon?

 

[Dandoudou]

Roon recognizes Native. Do you not connect your HQ to Roon?

I connect HQP to Roon, and Roon is set at bit-perfect.
But on a Mac, if you stream DSD directly with Roon, it will also stream it in DoP.
BTW, this is also the case for Linux, except some audiophile Linux distributions.
Only Windows supports Native DSD.

 

[camrector]

I connect HQP to Roon, and Roon is set at bit-perfect.
But on a Mac, if you stream DSD directly with Roon, it will also stream it in DoP.
BTW, this is also the case for Linux, except some audiophile Linux distributions.
Only Windows supports Native DSD.

Hmm. Roon on my Mac gives me 2 options for sending DSD to the R26. DSD over DoP and Native DSD.
Are you saying that Mac just does the DoP regardless?

 

[cobrabucket]

Hmm. Roon on my Mac gives me 2 options for sending DSD to the R26. DSD over DoP and Native DSD.
Are you saying that Mac just does the DoP regardless?

That is my understanding. Mac is DoP only, IIRC.

 

[nicks25]

1. Yes, I run HQP on the Mini, and I stream with it over the LAN. The Mini does not require a special configuration.
2. It's because macOS does not support Native DSD. For this reason, it is necessary to stream DSD in a PCM container. "DoP" means "DSD over PCM". This way, macOS is "fooled", and it thinks that you stream a PCM sound. But the DAC (and/or the streamer) "understands" that the PCM container contains a DSD sound, and processes it as DSD.
3. Yes, I have a Roon lifetime.

Thank you for the answers.
Are you running Roon on the Mini?
What size SSD and how much memory on the Mini?

The reason that I ask is that I have read that certain filters are very much resource dependent and I want to make sure I have enough horsepower.