No Not Technically
Hereâs a weird phenomenonâŚ
Occasionally when playing tracks, there will be no sound, and the progress bar (what do we call that?) shows the track âzoomingâ along the line. Like 3x speed. You pause, and start again, and it does the same thing.
Doesnât matter if I change the bitrate down from 384 to 192 or whatever. (I tend to keep it at 192 because I donât think I can hear a difference if itâs set higher.)
I have adaptive bitrate checked.
Doesnât seem to matter if itâs a Qobuz file or a local file or what the original bitrate is.
Usually if I go into roon and start an album or playlist, itâs fine. But if i hit the ânext trackâ button, thatâs when this behavior usually happens. But if I stop it, and wait a bit, and go back in to play the offending track, it plays fine again.
Only happened since bringing HQPlayer back into the mix.
The Mac that Iâm running HQP on is an MBP with plenty of RAM (like 24GB or so) that nothing else is running on, so it should be fine. (Really only running it on that MBP until i determine itâs worth it. Then Iâll find a mac mini to do the job⌠)
@jussi_laako, have you ever seen this behavior?
Where do you hit that button?
I assume you have âIdle timeâ in HQPlayer set to at least 10 seconds?
1 Like
Just changed that setting, and testing. So far so good. 
EDIT⌠well, itâs better, but it keeps happening. Strange.
I assuming theyâre rolling out the upgrade, nothing shows yet for my A8. Latest update is from February.
It is good to check HQPlayer log file around the time stamp the issue appears. Is it related to output rate change? Since this requires stopping and restarting the DAC. Instead if you output at fixed output sampling rate, then DAC restart doesnât need to happen.
Itâs very possible it is. Listening to a playlist of several albums in sequence, the first was 96/24 and then the issue occurred going to the first track on the next album, which was 44.1/16.
So when you say âfixed output sampling rateâ does that mean UNCHECKING the âAdaptive rateâ checkbox? Or is it some other setting? (I always thought it was preferable to check âAdaptive rate.â)
For reference, DAC is a Denafrips Pontus II.
Yes, when itâs unchecked, then the set output rate is explicit request.
With most DACs it cannot be set, as about 90% of DACs on the market donât support DSD correctly at multiples of 48k. For example Roon will never output DSD at multiples of 48k.
If your DAC supports it, then you can save a bit of computing resources with adaptive rate checked. Quality wise thereâs no difference.
1 Like
Unchecked it, and testing. Again, so far so good. Thanks!
The recent firmware update enabling NAA (Network Audio Adapter) support across the Eversolo lineup (DMP-A6/A8/A10 and T8) has sparked quite a debate. On the surface, itâs a win for flexibility, but looking at it through the lens of system architecture and âAudiophile logic,â thereâs a fascinating tension here.
1. The Philosophical Mismatch
The core ethos of NAA (especially for HQPlayer users) is minimalism at the endpoint. The goal is to offload heavy DSP and upsampling to a powerful server (PC/Mac) so the endpoint can be a âthin clientââessentially a simple, low-noise bridge with minimal computational overhead.
Eversolo, conversely, is the âSwitzerland of Streamersââit tries to do everything. It has a high-performance Android SoC, a large 6-inch touchscreen, and a complex OS. In the world of NAA purists, these are often viewed as ânoise generators.â Using a $1,000+ all-in-one device simply as a network bridge creates a significant amount of functional redundancy. Youâre paying for an engine, a dashboard, and a cabin, but only using the trailer hitch.
2. The Strategic âWhyâ
If the architecture is mismatched, why do it?
- Lowering the Barrier to Entry: For existing Eversolo owners, this is a âfree bridgeâ to the world of HQPlayer. You donât need to buy a Raspberry Pi or an ultraRendu to start experimenting with Jussi Laakoâs legendary filters.
- Market Positioning: By being the âFirst Android-based NAA implementation,â Eversolo is signaling its technical muscle. Itâs a move to capture the mindshare of the âhardcoreâ crowd, even if 95% of their user base never touches HQP.
- Metadata Integration: As Jussi mentioned in this thread, Eversoloâs implementation is unique because it supports metadata and cover art display over NAAâsomething many âpureâ NAA bridges lack. This bridges the gap between âhardcore performanceâ and âmodern UI convenience.â
3. The â1-Bitâ Elephant in the Room
The debate about whether Eversoloâs ESS-based DACs (like the A6) truly support â1-bit modeâ is valid. If the DAC chip doesnât offer a true DSD Direct path (bypassing internal sigma-delta modulators), then upsampling to DSD512 in HQPlayer might lose its primary advantage. However, for models like the T8 (Transport) or the DMP-A8/A10 (which use AKMâs flagship separated architecture), the potential for a âpureâ path is much higher.
Summary
This update is a classic case of brand-driven feature expansion.
- For the Purist: The Eversolo will likely remain a âcompromiseâ compared to a dedicated, headless NAA bridge.
- For the âConvenience-Firstâ Audiophile: Itâs a brilliant addition that adds value to a versatile piece of gear.
It will be interesting to see if other Android streamer manufacturers follow suit, or if the ânoise floorâ concerns keep the NAA protocol reserved for simpler, dedicated hardware.
2 Likes
There is no debate anytime we talk about any ESS based D to A.
Not necessarily. Some ESS based DACs still measure at their best (in certain measurements , maybe not all) at their highest DSD rate. Case by case measurements required - thereâs no absolute general rule.
HQPlayerâs filtering is top tier. Bonus if your DAC doesnât mess with HQPâs 1-bit modulator.
This comes up a lot and its darn confusing. While I and others have adopted a philosophy that the DAC wants DSD so we champion that set-up, itâs not the sole reason to use HQPlayer.
If youâve ever used HQPlayer with PCM output youâll find similar benefits to what it can do with DSD. The filters are still there. The advantages you describe in " minimalism at the endpoint " are still there. If youâve got a PCM DAC then HQPlayer still (can) provides significant SQ improvements. Not all DACs, sure, but Iâd opinion itâs most.
We, as fans of HQPlayer, donât help others by constantly boxing the software into the category of a PCM â DSD tool.
of course just my opinion
1 Like
Yes, this is rather rare appearance. So far only Eversolo does it on their implementation, and Matrix Audio using my implementation.
OTOH, not all NAA endpoints feature a display. It took many ears after the initial display support actually appeared on devices. (already networkaudiod 3.x had support for it)
Got NAA support few days ago on A6 Master (v1), and works with HQP and my Holo Spring DAC. It goes up to 768k, hopped to see 1.5M like on my Pi2AES, but it should be enough 
Small things: Eversolo doesnât display album info and art. Think its Roon/Eversolo thing, not NAA, but since im using Vu meters mostly, its ok.
Also, HQP (desktop) often doesnât see my A6 when I boot it up so have to restart A6, only then it appears in HQP. Also if i switch DAC to other inputs and then go back to USB, i have to restart HQP and A6 for HQP to see A6. Bit annoying since i often switch DAC to Optical for TV.
It does if you use HQPlayerâs library, or stream from Qobuz/Tidal/HRA using HQPlayer Client or for example with JPlay.
When using Roon as a source, metadata is not displayed because Roon doesnât pass any of the information to HQPlayer, only raw audio. So this is Roonâs limitation.
1 Like
I have a Pi2AES and no way iâve ever seen 1.5M. Max is 192k, from all Iâve read/experienced.
Youâre correct, at least for AES output from HAT, but for HQP i was using Piâs USB out, then it can go to max 1.5M. I used AES to play NOS, and USB for upsampling. Some things sounds better with true NOS to me (Spring 3 nos dac).
Knowing Roon and issues i have for years, this will never be implemented