[Odezra]

@Odezra I tried briefly with HQP DSD512 44.1Khz (22.5mhz) and yes there was a low-level background white noise hiss that was audible <1.5m when the music was paused (for a second after pressing pause) but not when music was playing, and certainly not from my listening position ~3m away. This is with R26 analogue attenuation OFF, DSD Direct ON. I feel like this hiss has been louder or more prominent than this at times in the past.

@EMINENT I could be wrong but believe the HQP 'DAC bits' setting is only relevant for PCM playback.

Thanks guys

I don’t have any hiss on 16 bits / 19 bits on pcm upsampling to 705 / 768, it’s just at 22,5 dsd I am getting it. It doesn’t occur with native files.

It’s also happening for me @Jake2 during playback - not just on pause.

Logically: it could be a new hardware fault but I suspect it’s software related and given Roon and HQplayer just released updates, I wonder if it’s there.

I might try and source a native dsd 22.5 track and see if it’s on the hardware side or software side. It’s super noticeable and makes dsd unusable for me.

 

[Odezra]

No, you are right only for PCM playback. What about DSD Direct Off? Going off memory here, but one of those settings was silent.

Yea with direct off it’s silent (as it’s going through the ladder and being converted to pcm).

What’s weird is that it’s only dsd 22.5m (not 24m) and I dont believe anyone else here is finding the same issue.

 

[sajunky]

@Odezra I tried briefly with HQP DSD512 44.1Khz (22.5mhz) and yes there was a low-level background white noise hiss that was audible <1.5m when the music was paused (for a second after pressing pause) but not when music was playing

This is a phenomenon known for years, called DSD idle noise. Adding small amount of noise during a pause would cure it. One of a problems with bitstream decoders.

 

[Jake2]

It’s also happening for me @Jake2 during playback - not just on pause.

Sorry, I realise my post was ambiguous - I meant it is only audible when there is no music playing (such as on pause, but only briefly as it cuts off after a second on pause) as the level of this hiss is so relatively low, not that the hiss is there only when paused.

I'll try again this evening with music that is much quieter and or has silent sections to double check when the hiss occurs - whether it there solely as idle noise on pause per @sajunky or whether it is there also whilst playing (which I'm sure it used to be but I feel if it still is it is far less prominent so maybe not there at all now), as well as trying on other DSD rates.

 

[camrector]

I have that white hizz back ground noise as soon as I hit DSD direct “on”. Don’t even need to have a track loaded up. @BShaw can attest to how prolific it is.
Dead black background with PCM

 

[nicks25]

A quick follow up to my post from yesterday. I am able to upsample everything to DSD512 with the HQPlayer settings below. I have the A26 and a M1 Mac Mini running both Roon and HQP. I noticed the discussion of hissing. At this point, although relatively new to HQP, I have not had that problem.

 

[Odezra]

I have that white hizz back ground noise as soon as I hit DSD direct “on”. Don’t even need to have a track loaded up. @BShaw can attest to how prolific it is.
Dead black background with PCM

ok so just to update, jussi from hqp got back to me on another forum and some some interesting info out came from that

- I resolved the issue by unselecting adaptive rate. All hiss is gone on both rates now. Essentially this increases cpu load

- he believes this is an issue with the firmware potentially

- he recommends using ASDM5ECv2 at DSD256 or DSD512 with just ASDM7. Generally speaking, these modulators (he guesses) should work better with the dac. amsdm7(ec) is more demanding on the dac


In either case, I am back on dsd 512 with asdm7 with no issues so far. I might reach out to Gustard and let them know in case they want to confirm it’s on their end and want to resolve via firmware.

What’s really strange is that it only occurred in the last 48 hours despite my settings being stable for ages. As I said before, Roon / hqp software both had updates this week. The only hardware change I made was swapping my hifi equipment onto a new power board with surge, rfi, emi protection. I have noticed some small audible benefits (hearing more into the music). Potentially, maybe this lowered the noise floor on my dac so that it was now audible but I have my doubts on that as the previous power board (Thor) was also offering excellent emi/rfi reduction. I bought a second board so I could put the Thor board on the headfi system.

 

[camrector]

ok so just to update, jussi from hqp got back to me on another forum and some some interesting info out came from that

- I resolved the issue by unselecting adaptive rate. All hiss is gone on both rates now. Essentially this increases cpu load

- he believes this is an issue with the firmware potentially

- he recommends using ASDM5ECv2 at DSD256 or DSD512 with just ASDM7. Generally speaking, these modulators (he guesses) should work better with the dac. amsdm7(ec) is more demanding on the dac


In either case, I am back on dsd 512 with asdm7 with no issues so far. I might reach out to Gustard and let them know in case they want to confirm it’s on their end and want to resolve via firmware.

What’s really strange is that it only occurred in the last 48 hours despite my settings being stable for ages. As I said before, Roon / hqp software both had updates this week. The only hardware change I made was swapping my hifi equipment onto a new power board with surge, rfi, emi protection. I have noticed some small audible benefits (hearing more into the music). Potentially, maybe this lowered the noise floor on my dac so that it was now audible but I have my doubts on that as the previous power board (Thor) was also offering excellent emi/rfi reduction. I bought a second board so I could put the Thor board on the headfi system.

I stumbled across a post today that said the new HQP update is more demanding on the cpu than other versions.
I’ll look for the exact post.

 

[labeelen]

I have that white hizz back ground noise as soon as I hit DSD direct “on”. Don’t even need to have a track loaded up. @BShaw can attest to how prolific it is.
Dead black background with PCM

Camrector,

Noise issue solved (for me) !

I followed the below instruction from Jussi that solved my noise issue, maybe you can also try it ?:

“Returning to this old topic, based on some forum postings, I wanted to encourage you to try something.

Have you tried enabling Direct DSD, and then play out everything at DSD multiple of 48k (so adaptive output rate unchecked, and 48k DSD checked). For example at 48k x512 (24.576 MHz). There is a report that such would make the noise go away. I’m curious if this is the case for you too?”

Anyone else here who would like to try it?

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Interesting case...

Here we have an R2R DAC but some like it on DSD.
And I have a FPGA DSD DAC and I like it in PCM...

 

[Odezra]

Camrector,

Noise issue solved (for me) !

I followed the below instruction from Jussi that solved my noise issue, maybe you can also try it ?:

“Returning to this old topic, based on some forum postings, I wanted to encourage you to try something.

Have you tried enabling Direct DSD, and then play out everything at DSD multiple of 48k (so adaptive output rate unchecked, and 48k DSD checked). For example at 48k x512 (24.576 MHz). There is a report that such would make the noise go away. I’m curious if this is the case for you too?”

Anyone else here who would like to try it?

This is what I am currently doing - no noise

 

[Odezra]

Interesting case...

Here we have an R2R DAC but some like it on DSD.
And I have a FPGA DSD DAC and I like it in PCM...

I know - so ironic! That said pcm upsampling is really excellent on the r26, and the one to beat them all is pggb 256. On the ladder, it is just sublime.

 

[Capri87]

One stupid question, how do u all burn in your R26? Normal way would be through you using it on a daily basis but this is too slow if u don’t have the time to use it.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

Mine, I attach my equipment to my old android phone via USB (thru USB Audio Player Pro) and run it 24/7. If I want to play music, just reattach it to your usual source.

 

[Capri87]

but are your speakers on (ie. will there be any sound output)? If i only switch on my R26 dac, with amp and speakers off, is the burn-in process ongoing?