I am strongly considering to purchase a Mac Mini M2 dedicated to HQP in my audio setup. However, since I am totally new to the topic, having played a bit with the trial version of HQP on my Windows 11 laptop and browsed endlessly the threads on this, I still seek some clarity.
I hope you guys can help me focus the scattered info overload I am suffering .
First of all, my use case:
Iād like to use it to stream directly (no NAA) via USB cable to my Esoteric K-03XD DAC using Roon as frontend. I am collecting DSD files upto DSD256 (maybe 512 if possible) or 356kHz PCMs (maybe 768 too) located on a network drive. I want to be able to play these files natively, no up or down conversion. Of course, Iād like to play with (most of) HQP settings.
if I read correctly, then the Mac Mini is one of the most capable mini, quiet PCs available (aside from home built). It will be able to do at least the DSD256. Correct?
to do this, should I install a different OS than Appleās OS? Ubuntu? What else?
can I run the mini mac without a monitor attached? Can on access itās interface remotely? Or do I set it up with monitor and input devices and then detach and place it where I want (like a NUC for ROCK)?
can I then simply use Roon to browse music and select HQP as the device to stream to?
Is the Mac Mini truly silent?
which spec is needed in terms of RAM and HDD? Does it contain a SSD?
Does the HQP license work if you switch hardware or do you need to purchase a new license (saw that the license activation is based on a hardware fingerprint).
is this route (using HQP like this), once everythingās installed and set, going to be a nightmare in terms of constant debugging, rebooting, glitching or is it stable enough to be placed in my setup as a permanent, no looking after, component as the rest of my audio equipment?
I think you are better off with an M1 Mac mini (used, refurbished, new old stock) as the M2 version doesnāt really buy you anything extra. I would suggest an M1 Mac mini with 16GB memory and whatever SSD size you think you need.
You canāt run Ubuntu directly on Apple Silicon hardware and the Asahi Linux that is specifically targeting this platform is not ready for general use
The Mac Mini itās not ātrulyā silent as it has a fan. Itās virtually silent in normal use because the fan is hardly ever heard, but if you are going to kick it with the potentially highly demanding HQP Iād not be surprised if you can make it heard. Note that HQP is often run on PCs with dedicated graphics cards for hardware support - depending on what you do with it, I guess
There are ways to run it in a Parallels virtual machine on top of macOS but I donāt know what that would buy
or with a special OS kernel but last I heard without GPU support and all graphics run in software because Apple hasnāt released specs (though this article isnāt new)
Unless I missed something big regarding Linux progress on Apple Silicon and Jussi knows better, which is obviously very possible, it doesnāt seem feasible to me
I run HQPlayer Desktop on the M1 Mac mini (macOS + Roon server) and it runs better than the HQPlayer Embedded on a sonicTransporter i9 running linux Linux.
What would be the settings you would play with, if you donāt want to do any upsampling? Because that is main point of HQPlayerās existence.
Your best option with HQPlayer would be to always send DSD512 to your DAC. However, at the moment thereās no Apple M processor that would be able to do that with HQPlayerās best modulators.
Okay, thanks @jussi_laako, a learning moment for me.
I guess I do not want to touch the original if itās already DSD256 or higher from the master recording.
I read here that the MAC mini could handle upsampling to DSD256 with some modulator settings, right?
Of course I am curious to learn whether that improves the music experience. So playing around with it a bit will initially be part of the fun.
I also have a Grimm mu1 (with Roon core) with FPGA upsampler (and applauded for it, good reviews) , but this doesnāt go beyond 4FS and no DSD. Just DSD64 via DoP.
You can enable the āDirect SDMā in DSD Source Settings dialog to make DSD pass through. (note that this locks volume control to -3 dBFS)
Although upsampling DSD64 or DSD128 to DSD256 or higher can be quite beneficial.
Yes, DSD256 is doable. OTOH, DoP output on macOS is anyway limiting output rate to DSD256 in most cases when not using a NAA (that bypasses CoreAudio). The original Mac Mini M1 can do it with certain set of oversampling filters. It is pretty tight on doing the basic things.
The bigger M1 and M2 processors can do bigger set of oversampling filters. And in particular can help in cases like upsampling lower DSD rates to DSD256. So in that sense for example M2Pro can be beneficial.
HQPlayer on macOS can do upsampling to PCM output up to 1.5M. And DSD256 with the best modulators. When you start from RedBook and output DSD256, the digital oversampling filters are producing 256fs output.
So if I understand you correctly, with the Mini I can use DSM Direct on DSD256 files and use the basic upsamplers to go from 64 to 256.
If Iād want to do more advanced algorithms (but not all), you suggest a Mini M2 Pro.
BTW, is there an Intel NUC (maybe cheaper) that would beat that?
Also, Iād still like to know if such a Mac Mini can be placed standalone over WiFi without monitor, keyboard, mouse, network switch and function properly. Iād not want to have any of that near my audio equipment.
At initial setup you have to configure some kind of remote access from another machine for maintenance and there may be some special things necessary but it can be done. Lots of guides on the web. Though in the case of wifi trouble you still need a physical way to get in, so keep it accessible.
But I thought the plan was to stream via USB to your DAC? USB cables canāt be longer than a few meters at best, often shorter, depending
I would place the Mac Mini close to my DAC. I have a 1m audio grade USB cable. I just dont want to have any peripherals attached.
I can indeed access it then by disconnection from the DAC and take it to my office.
As long as I donāt need anyhting attached to turn it on or off and launch HQP every reboot and so on. E.g. like with Roon ROCK on a NUC.
Apparently you need a little HDMI dongle attached because the GPU turns off if nothing is attached and then headless doesnāt work either, but they are small and cheap.
You can configure autostart services on macOS like any OS and I would guess that HQP can be started this way as well.
If you want to start it remotely without touching it you will have to configure wake-on-lan and need a w-o-l trigger on another machine but Iām sure the online guides for configuring headless Minis will tell you everything you need to know
Iām listening now at DSD512 with a 10m TrippLite active USB2.0 cable.
Never had a single problem
In other systems like living room I use fanless NAA device with short 1m USB cable.
In this system I need to also have my DAC play non-HQPlayer audio , where I need convolution and EQ for audio but also need video to be in sync (no lip sync).
Iām using 10m cable because the 11900K is actually in the room next door , so I donāt hear its fan at all.
10m active USB and HDMI cable come through wall via conduit
At the end of the 10m active USB is a 10 port powered USB hub
Between USB hub and USB DAC is Intona USB isolator - critical to electrically disconnect from all the crap upstream.
So there is over 10m USB cable length here from PC to DAC, but everything is certified to USB2 and everything works without a hiccup at DSD512
If I had one drop out I would think of a different solution because I canāt stand drop outs
This machine runs Ubuntu Jammy LTS Desktop with lowlatency hwe kernel, per Jussiās standard recommendation
And even though I run Ubuntu Desktop, it runs HQP Embedded because I donāt need GUI for HQP
I should also add I have a thin Corning optical active USB cable
That was my preference to use in the wall, with my thin optical HDMI.
But I canāt find the Corning cable for a year now - itās somewhere here
Still, despite being optical, it doesnāt isolate USB ground. The only advantage over normal active USB cable is it is very thin and can get much longer lengths, if you need that
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