We are not looking for ultimate truth. We are looking for some truth. Just do the test blind and match levels. Such conversion can easily change levels.
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HQplayer - do I need it?
- Thread starter MisterDee
- Start date
Igor Gaich
Member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2021
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- 14
yes, of course, a blind test will help, I'll do it for a free period for now
Loathecliff
Senior Member
It's time to step out of the audio bs matrix.
tuga
Major Contributor
I wanted to try this but didnt get very far. I wanted to try between Roon and Roon with HQ Player and I was also wondering about PCM or DSD too. However I have struggled to match levels in Roon even before bringing HQ Player into the mix. In preperation I watched Amirs' video on controlled tests which was really interesting. I even went as far as talked (bribed) my daughter into the role of tester, but I wasnt happy the levels were matched, so I paused the effort and have not gone back. I would like to know if I do have confirmation bias. If anyone else has done this I would be interested to know the results and method.
tuga
Major Contributor
Truth in Science is a United Kingdom-based creationist organisation which promotes the Discovery Institute's "Teach the Controversy" campaign, which it uses to try to get pseudoscientific intelligent design creationism taught alongside evolution in school science lessons.
Happy 4th!
I purchased a license the other dsy after brief testing. HQPlayer is a pain to test with the 30 time limit, but setup was really easy. I have a desktop with an i7 and Nvidia 1080ti running HQPlayer Desktop. I'm upconverting to DSD256: SDM,sinc-M,ASDM7ECv2. I thought Roon was doing a great job, but in short HQPlayer blows it out of the water. HQPlayer is more concise, weightier, dynamic, and musical in comparison. Instruments have separation, weight, all of the spacial detail you can stand. Its just an immensly enjoyable, detailed, and most importantly, musical presentation.
I tried PCM and DSD using all of the filters. I wasn't impressed until I upconverted to DSD256.
I purchased a license the other dsy after brief testing. HQPlayer is a pain to test with the 30 time limit, but setup was really easy. I have a desktop with an i7 and Nvidia 1080ti running HQPlayer Desktop. I'm upconverting to DSD256: SDM,sinc-M,ASDM7ECv2. I thought Roon was doing a great job, but in short HQPlayer blows it out of the water. HQPlayer is more concise, weightier, dynamic, and musical in comparison. Instruments have separation, weight, all of the spacial detail you can stand. Its just an immensly enjoyable, detailed, and most importantly, musical presentation.
I tried PCM and DSD using all of the filters. I wasn't impressed until I upconverted to DSD256.
All this in a sighted, non level matched comparison I am assuming?
Of course.
I have always struggled to get level matched when trying to test between Roon and HQPlayer. Certainly I have not been able to convince an (un)willing family member to help with the test. I lose them when I start talking about filters...
I think everyone here only think HQPlayer is only for upsampling?
For me it is my DSP engine for 3-way DSP crossover speakers plus 2 subs with digital room correction (65k tap FIR filter created with Audiolense XO) and headphones EQ/correction
And I can feed (bit perfectly) Amazon Music UHD and Apple Hi-Res or any source through HQPlayer's DSP engine to do all the above.
You can't do this with Roon...
I could do what HQP does with software on PC/Mac/Linux too but it is way more clunky and needs keyboard/monitor/mouse interaction.
In my case with HQP I do it all through one DSP engine that I can control from an iPad and at the same time, the digital filtering is highest quality.
I can even change room correciton profiles (different bass profiles) while the music is playing, using an iPad from my couch.... HQPlayer runs headless on Ubuntu Server on the other side of the house. Far from listening room. Inside the listening room is just a HQPlayer endpoint running on fanless and headless on RPi4...
I think some people need some greater understanding that HQPlayer is not just a cheaper software M-Scaler thing...
If someone is just going to measure HQPlayer to compare with M-Scaler, with a great measuring DAC, it would cause a yawn. It is a tiny piece of HQPlayer capability.
Based on my listening experience, blind tests but not a measurement test !! I found it is different in volume, a bit less harse in comparision between 44.1kHz vs 768Khz and DSD. But no diffirent from DSD to DSD (pointless).
In fact, if there is "no different" , the software "does not has an existing point" and cannot be sold worldwide. !!!! they must be a big scammer in audiophile world. YOU CAN SUE THEM>>> lol
In fact, if there is "no different" , the software "does not has an existing point" and cannot be sold worldwide. !!!! they must be a big scammer in audiophile world. YOU CAN SUE THEM>>> lol
This is a good reminder, I defintely don't use HQPlayer to this extent. I do have Home Audio Fidelity cross-talk reduction filters which I plug into the software.
So I hope in future @amirm has a bit more of an informed opinion, the next time he hints that there is no need to spend money on HQPlayer.
Only time will tell
With HQPlayer you can literally feed any digital or even analogue source and do everything I've described above.
Not possible with Roon... and more clunky with every other software solution I've tried and I've tried nearly all.
Only time will tell
With HQPlayer you can literally feed any digital or even analogue source and do everything I've described above.
Not possible with Roon... and more clunky with every other software solution I've tried and I've tried nearly all.
Maybe @amirm could review HQPlayer? I enjoyed this article on Archimago's Musings. I know its not a review of all of the functionality, but still, an interesting read.So I hope in future @amirm has a bit more of an informed opinion, the next time he hints that there is no need to spend money on HQPlayer.
Only time will tell
With HQPlayer you can literally feed any digital or even analogue source and do everything I've described above.
Not possible with Roon... and more clunky with every other software solution I've tried and I've tried nearly all.
Sure but as I said, if he reviews it just to compare with digital filtering of his Topping DAC and to compare with M-Scaler, and concludes it's not worth the money, it would be a useless review.
Kind of like Archimago's review of HQPlayer.
It just made me yawn because he (and seems lots of people in this thread) aren't aware of many features of HQPlayer.
There's even more than I described above.
Knowledge is powah !
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chips666
Active Member
There is even an older review of HQPlayer 3.25
MEASUREMENTS: A Look At HQPlayer 3.25; Filtering, Dithering and DSD Conversion.
A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.
archimago.blogspot.com
Enjoy...
There is even an older review of HQPlayer 3.25
MEASUREMENTS: A Look At HQPlayer 3.25; Filtering, Dithering and DSD Conversion.
A blog for audiophiles about more objective topics. Measurements of audio gear. Reasonable, realistic, no snakeoil assessment of sound, and equipment.
Enjoy...
Seen it 3 years ago. Yawned back then too
I've been using its incredible set of features daily, for many years
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