I’m using Roon volume now, but connected to HQPlayer so its really HQPlayer volume. Since you have to reduce volume to avoid clipping anyway, it feels like the best option. My RME DAC, despite all its features, is reduced to a pure DAC with fixed volume.
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As long as the OS doesn’t have some kind of glitch that makes your ADI-2 play at full volume, that’s fine.
I like having analogue volume after the DAC chip.
New Holo Spring3 with factory fitted relay based analogue vol control is good to avoid that.
For one of my home headphone setups I have a headphone amp after my ADI-2, which also has relay based analogue vol control (I’m not a fan of volume potentiometers), for the same reason (RME runs in DSD Direct also).
No risk for the OS affecting the DAC, since it talks NAA from computer to streamer
If I could fully avoid digital volume I would also go for a quality analog one, but with filters and room correction convolution in place its hard to avoid digital volume.
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Which NAA specifically though? There is Win10 NAA, macOS NAA etc.
The one you get when you install HQPlayer on Windows 10.
Windows 10 can definitely suffer from glitches.
If you haven’t had an incident yet though, then you’re lucky 
@jussi_laako himself recommends Embedded or NAA OS if you are relying fully on HQPlayer for volume control directly into power amps. To avoid accidents.
Nice review of Holo May, which also ends up being a nice review of HQPlayer
Holo Audio May - Reviews | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
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SMSL D-6 running in ‘DSD Direct Mode’ of its dual AKM4493S chips
Doesn’t support 48k based DSD rates, so need to fix HQPlayer output to DSD256x44.1k
Cheap with balanced TRS outputs!
Currently using RCA outputs while I wait for my TRS-to-XLR(male) cables to arrive 
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Well, how does it sound? $170 usd
Very good. Just like the DAC underneath it.
Currently using the RME ADI-2 as an “input” into HQPlayer - WiiM Mini streamer TOSlink output for Tidal Connect, bit perfect Amazon Music UHD, Airplay 2, Spotify Connect, all goes through HQPlayer.
Bit perfect with auto sample rate switching.
But you need to fix HQPlayer output to DSD256x44.1k fixed rate - it won’t work with DSD256x48k
And using the remote control switch to “Prd” mode, which is the DSD Direct mode.
I have it connected to NAA OS image on RPi4
And just add balanced TRS to XLR cable (if not using RCA):
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-Premier-4inch-16AWG-Plated/dp/B001UJGNMO/
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Just an update on this.
I got a firmware update from SMSL that fixed the DSD512 issue.
So I can recommended setting HQPlayer output to fixed DSD512x44.1k with SMSL D-6 (not DSD512x48k)
It works fine in native DSD512 with lowlatency Ubuntu 5.15 kernel - and fine with NAA OS image
This DAC is an absolute bargain if you want to experience direct DSD to analogue conversion with HQPlayer, with balanced outputs !
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Direct SDM@512x44,1 …
And it measures pretty well (ASR version…)
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Looks like this will be a DSD512 NAA networked DAC - also digital output if you want.
DSD512 on both ethernet cable and WiFi input.
I wonder if it’s the same Rockchip SoC inside.
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Great to see more NAA enabled DACs appearing on the market! iFi has been making HQPlayer friendly gear for a long time.
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But, does that DAC do NOS and untouched DSD playback?
If it’s like earlier iFi products, then yes (except maybe the iDSD Pro, not sure if it has bit-perfect option). TI/BB DAC chips only support bit-perfect DSD playback through four different possible conversion stage configurations. I wish iFi would again provide means to choose the configuration used. Earlier on iDSD Micro they provided switch to choose one out of three which was subset of the four possible.
So hopefully iFi will provide firmware update for iDSD Neo too to select between the four AFIRs. They already did that through firmware update for PCM digital filters. For example TEAC UD-501 had selection for those.
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It’s called Neo Stream so if it’s got the same DSD1793 chip as Neo iDSD then yep. Could be a Cirrus Logic but have to wait on details.
My HQPlayer journey started with iFi micro iDSD (same DSD1793 chip) way back - that was a popular HQPlayer classic with DSD512 for quite a few years !
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FCC website has the Neo Stream user manual up
https://fccid.io/2A5QJNEOSTREAM/User-Manual/User-Manual-5923071.pdf
Optical network input is interesting.
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It looks like they have “melted” together Neo iDSD dac and Zen Stream …
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Yes Neo iDSD and ZS had a baby
Which makes me assume same DSD1793 chip/s inside.
But higher sample rate support including on WiFi
It will be a more capable networked DAC/Amp than their much more expensive Pro iDSD
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