HQP Ethernet/Streaming to USB

Audio Gear Talk HQ Player
1

There’s one thing about HQP that I don’t completely get: it seems that the only way to get the full benefit of HQP, you need to connect your computer to the DAC with a USB cable. I would think that this creates problems for some high-end audio systems that are sensitive to RF and the other nasty stuff put out by many computers these days. I had thought that one of the main benefits of using a streaming system like Sooloos (for example) was that you could put your computer and disk storage far away from your sensitive audio equipment. I’d worry that the interference from the computer would negate any benefit from the improved sonics of HQP. Could HQP stream to a remote endpoint with USB output such as an Aires (or Mini) or a Squeezebox with EDO?

2

HQP can stream to it’s own endpoints known as Network Audio Adaptor (NAA) which are very thin clients that convert Ethernet to USB. Jussi publishes the NAA software, including images for Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone Black and CuBox-i (see threads on each in this section). The Sonore SonicOrbiter SE comes with an NAA baked in. Unfortunately Auralic doesn’t appear to have plans to implement an NAA in the Aries at the moment.

3

Agree with Andrew. For an audiophile, the best way to use HQP is to use it with an NAA. The NAA can be something like a Cubox device or an audiophile device costing thousands. Both give good results do to the network eliminating many problems caused by direct USB connection to DAC from a noisy server. Obviously an expensive and tricked out solution with high quality power supplies will give better results than a $100 Cubox - the price to SQ ratio is something each person has to decide on.

4

Is there somewhere a list of NAA capable/supported devices or are they simply defined by the available packages provided by Jussi on his website?

I would be willing to buy an NAA device highly optimized for SQ.

5

Google Sonore microRendu and see if this is what you are looking for. Cheers!

L

6

Not really a list, but for example following:

  • Sonore microRendu
  • Sonore Sonicorbiter SE
  • exaSound PlayPoint
  • SOtM sMS-200