HQPlayer Impressions and Settings Rolling Thread

[shamo42]

Sorry I will have to get back to you later on this. I only have 1 dac that can play pcm, that’s the hidizs dongle my son is currently using for gaming.

Thank you. Would be nice to liberate my DAC from the office and listen in a more comfortable environment.

When you write "can do dsd" do you mean play DSD files or convert PCM to dsd?

 

[dericchan1]

Thank you. Would be nice to liberate my DAC from the office and listen in a more comfortable environment.

When you write "can do dsd" do you mean play DSD files or convert PCM to dsd?

The rpi 5 can use hqplayer to convert pcm to dsd.

I have never tried upsampling dsd source so I am not sure if the rpi5 can upsample dsd.

But you can definitely play dsd direct without upsampling

Update: pcm 384 352 with closed form works

 

[Rayon]

I feel so dirty becoming a fan of FIR and Polynomial-1. Especially FIR feels so wrong with HQP + May. 32fs,LNS15,18bit. Staging and imaging are definitely not class leading with FIR, but it's somehow so "linear" and kind of natural sounding.

 

[shamo42]

Update: pcm 384 352 with closed form works

Thanks! I ordered a pi 5 and the same cooler you're using.

 

[Perzua]

Hello. Dose anyone can help me with this software ? I have Roon and streamer sotm-sms200 neo. I want to try volume control via Roon/HQplayer. I use mackbook m1 and active speakers from ATC. I have no experience with this all features. My idea is to connect DAC directly to XLR speakers. Thats all. No external preamp. Is this a good idea ?

 

[dericchan1]

Hello. Dose anyone can help me with this software ? I have Roon and streamer sotm-sms200 neo. I want to try volume control via Roon/HQplayer. I use mackbook m1 and active speakers from ATC. I have no experience with this all features. My idea is to connect DAC directly to XLR speakers. Thats all. No external preamp. Is this a good idea ?

Yes the digital volume control in hqplayer is excellent! My suggestion is start at a very low volume in hqplayer say -50db then slowly move your way up to regular listening level. Lets say your regular listening level is at about -25db, then go to hqplayer settings and fix the volume range to say -35db minimum and maybe -20db as maximum (just in case some tracks are recorded at lower volume than normal)

That way you can never blow your ears and you are only working with a small range of volume.

I have been using hqplayer digital volume without an analog preamp for a period of time. Works and sounds great

 

[Perzua]

Thanks for response. HQPlayer volume control is better option than DSP from Roon ? How to set up Roon ? I dont have HQPlayer yet but I can buy a software. I prefer better DAC than spend money for PRE. Local stores suggest Primaluna 400 etc. Thats a lot of cash.

HQPlayer 5 Desktop, HQPlayer Embedded witch one download ? I use macbook as Roon core and I always listen music when i use macbook.

In eunhasu run roon or hqplayer ? ehhh im a total noob

 

[dericchan1]

Thanks for response. HQPlayer volume control is better option than DSP from Roon ? How to set up Roon ? I dont have HQPlayer yet but I can buy a software. I prefer better DAC than spend money for PRE. Local stores suggest Primaluna 400 etc. Thats a lot of cash.

HQPlayer 5 Desktop, HQPlayer Embedded witch one download ? I use macbook as Roon core and I always listen music when i use macbook.

In eunhasu run roon or hqplayer ? ehhh im a total noob

https://forum.headphones.com/t/goldens-hqplayer-oversampling-guide/25410

Here is a quick guide to setup hqplayer with roon.

Cheers

 

[IvanE92]

So last night I turned off upsampling, filters and modulators, setting them all to “none”. To my surprise music sounded better (relative to all the bells and whistles I was running - PCM 1.4/5M, SincL, LNS15, 20 bit).

Anyone else prefer the “original” sound? I tried running bit perfect in Roon and much preferred it.

 

[shwnwllms]

So last night I turned off upsampling, filters and modulators, setting them all to “none”. To my surprise music sounded better (relative to all the bells and whistles I was running - PCM 1.4/5M, SincL, LNS15, 20 bit).

Anyone else prefer the “original” sound? I tried running bit perfect in Roon and much preferred it.

What mode is your Spring 3 KTE?

 

[sendler2112]

So last night I turned off upsampling, filters and modulators, setting them all to “none”. To my surprise music sounded better (relative to all the bells and whistles I was running - PCM 1.4/5M, SincL, LNS15, 20 bit).

Anyone else prefer the “original” sound? I tried running bit perfect in Roon and much preferred it.

Not with 16/ 44 files for sure. 24/ 192 can sound pretty good native, with or without oversampling.

I was using sinc-L as an easier filter but changed last night to sinc-Lh which seems a little more transparent and closer to the processor intensive sinc-Long.

The Gustard X26III can actually sound its best converting PCM to SDM. But you have to make it to 512 which has my cooling fan roaring.

 

[dericchan1]

So last night I turned off upsampling, filters and modulators, setting them all to “none”. To my surprise music sounded better (relative to all the bells and whistles I was running - PCM 1.4/5M, SincL, LNS15, 20 bit).

Anyone else prefer the “original” sound? I tried running bit perfect in Roon and much preferred it.

No different than I use a solid state setup 95% of the time, once in a while I put in a tube preamp there for a couple of days and I would be like WOW.

 

[Patu]

Holo Spring 3 has quite a nice NOS PCM side though. When I had one, I sometimes played NOS only. Now with T+A DAC200, DSD-side is much better than PCM. But DAC200 DSD side is clearly better than Spring 3 DSD. But for NOS PCM, Spring 3 is slightly better. Very easy listening.

Now when DSD512 works with DAC correction (finally, after installing Nvidia 4060Ti to my server machine) the sound is simply magical. DSD512 is the sweet spot IMO.

 

[plumpudding2]

So last night I turned off upsampling, filters and modulators, setting them all to “none”. To my surprise music sounded better (relative to all the bells and whistles I was running - PCM 1.4/5M, SincL, LNS15, 20 bit).

Anyone else prefer the “original” sound? I tried running bit perfect in Roon and much preferred it.

I've said it before in this thread, if you love NOS a good "intermediate" HQplayer solution would be polynomial-1 (or -2), 18 bits with Gaussian dither at PCM 1.4/5M. Give it a try!

 

[IvanE92]

What mode is your Spring 3 KTE?

NOS

I’ll add the “HQPlayer fixins” made the sound less impactful, smoother, and notes generally weren’t as vibrant. Soundstage was expanded, but not in a good way. Hard to find the right words.