HQPlayer and Audiolense XO

Yeh cool. My speaker setup is 2.2 channel (3-way DSP crossovers plus 2 subs).

The output side # of channels is no big deal for HQPlayer at all.

3-way, 4-way, 8-way, 12-channel output or 64-channel setup - and nothing changes with what I wrote above, in terms of feeding HQPlayer from any source.

If you don’t need automatic sample rate switching there are more ways to feed HQPlayer. The RME is the one I like for that special feature specifically.

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A few basic questions if I may?

Q: If I don’t want a large noisy HQ player server in my listening room. Is it possible for me to repurpose my existing loved Ropieee Pi4 as my HQplayer input gateway/endpoint? Or do I require an x86 gateway/endpoint? I.e. Could I install Ubuntu on the Pi4 and use this device as my silent in room I/O device.

Q: How much delay/latency does HQ player add to playback vs native Roon?

Q: What is the process to switch between source. I.e. Roon to Motu I/O? I.e. how do I select Roon then say Spdif or Toslink using HQ player?

Q: Are there any other ways of getting additional interface I/O into Roon other than HQ player which you know about?

Q: I prefer maintaining native sample rates where possible. Are there limitations in HQplayer? I.e. is it easier to set ingest source at particular sampling rates/bit depths?

Yes! But the one RPi4 can’t do both at the same time. Need a 2nd RPi4. One for input and another for output.

Not essential - works great with RPi4. That’s what I’m using listening right now.

Absolutely but don’t need Ubuntu. Jussi has made custom images for HQPlayer for the RPi4 for endpoint (called NAA).

Don’t know but neither are acceptable for syncing with video if that’s what you mean? Unless you had a TV that could actually delay the video (some LGs did/do by a certain amount). I think NVidia Shield does too.

Not sure if Motu can be used for HQPlayer input. Needs to be tested I guess. Jussi himself has RME ADI-2 Pro’s so he can recommend this as supported.

I actually just tried my ADI-2 DAC and maybe was the first to find it worked (only digital inputs).

He can’t confirm if every interface on the planet will work obviously.

It might work for fixed rate input. Don’t know.

Not sure what you mean by limitations? I mentioned above that with ADI-2 you get automatic sample rate switching…

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Very helpful thanks.

So I need to run 2x USB interfaces, 1x for Input, 1x for output, if using an endpoint strategy.
Does this change if I use a PC as gateway/endpoint? Is there any config which allows the same USB interface to be used for both input and output? I.e. connected directly to server?

Understood, thanks… What is the input switching process? Is this via HQplayer software? What commands/buttons are you hitting to switch between Roon and interface I/O?

Many thanks
Steve

in my case ADI-2 is only used for input.

I have a seperate DAC for D to A

If you can be more specific about exactly what source, device and rates you want to feed to HQPlayer then I can help with specifics.

If we’re talking just general, its hard for me or anyone to be specific

You may not need two USB interfaces, depending what you want to do.

As I mentioned above, for my use the ADI-2 is perfect. But its not essential.

@Chunhao_Lee is feeding 12ch Dolby Amtos through HQPlayer. I can’t do that with the ADI-2 but I can do it on my Mac like he does. Atmos material on Apple is fixed sample rate. But he can also manually change sample rate if he wants too.

So fully depends on your exact use.

Lots of flexibility

I mentioned yesterday (have a re-read of those because there’s a bit of repeating) that I do it all from iPad on the couch with HQPlayer Embedded (headless server). See my comment about no interaction with keyboard/monitor/mouse required

There’s Ubuntu server versions of HQPlayer and Desktop versions.

My recommendation is headless

HQP inputs change via any web browser

@grizaudio since we’re way off Audiolense XO, you can check out these threads below I started, that are more specific.
Worth reading these threads and asking questions there.

And anyone can start any new thread they like of course.

For example in the Embedded thread I even recently shared step by step instructions on the installation on Ubuntu Jammy

Embedded: https://community.roonlabs.com/t/hqplayer-embedded-thread/

Desktop: https://community.roonlabs.com/t/hqplayer-desktop-thread/

NAA: https://community.roonlabs.com/t/hqplayer-naa-thread/

No, since you typically run digital oversampling filters and delta-sigma modulators in HQPlayer, so the input and output rates are different. And so far there’s no hardware that would have multiple simultaneous clock domains. In addition USB Audio Class doesn’t support this, so the device would need to represent multiple separate USB devices for it (independent input and output rates) to work.

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Do you have a list of recommended input interfaces? Yes I know the website has a small list…of output devices.

Do you think Pro interfaces like the Motu will work?
Would HQ Player likely support Dante Virtual Soundcard via ASIO, as an input?

I have no idea. Possibly for a fixed rate? Give it a try?

Possibly. Give it a try !

Regarding hardware, easiest thing for me to do was copy Jussi.

I already had an ADI-2 DAC and was about to buy the Pro and then thought I’d try ADI-2 and saw it worked for digital inputs. Nice discovery ! Unexpected. Maybe nobody else before had tried with the DAC model.

Makes perfect sense. DVS negates the need for another interface, assuming of course a MAC/PC becomes the source. This would work ok for me… but it would require a fixed sampling rate, as changing sampling rates in DV controller is not convenient…

Anyway apologises for derailing thread…

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I’m assuming you would have some Dante gear already?

If you’re ok with a fixed rate there’s probably simpler ways that take Mac/PC out of it.

Unless you’re looking to pipe PC/Mac audio through HQPlayer?

Hence why I asked for specifics of what you’re trying to do.

All good. Lets leave it there for now. Thanks very much for your time.
Appreciate your help.

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Most devices that have decent drivers work. Doing manually set rates is straightforward and works with most devices.

Automatic sample rate switching is another thing, usually it doesn’t work. Very few devices actually support the required clock slaving and reporting of the detected input rate.

USB Audio Class standard doesn’t support such functionality. And audio APIs like WASAPI and ALSA don’t support such either. For ADI-2, there’s needed non-standard extensions to the USB protocol for which I implemented Linux driver support, so it works now with this particular implementation. Also the RME HDSPe Linux driver has similar functionality, but it is a bit buggy, so it is not fully functional on all digital inputs.

ASIO supports this, but it is defined as optional extra which most manufacturers don’t implement in their ASIO drivers.

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Hi! My mic :microphone: it’s on its way! You can install Adiolense in Mac OS using Parallels right?

Will version 2.0 for stereo will be a good start and later update to XO? Muchas Gracias :pray:t2:

Hi ! I use Win on Mac with Parallels , only to generate filters. I’ve never used it for measurements (I have a Macbook running Bootcamp)

Which version of AL depends on your speaker setup

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Very small bookshelf setting with ProAc DB1 about 1.6 meters apart and 1.8 meters away. Height from sitting about head level.

Will also just generate filters and import to Hqplayer on Mac and Windows 10. Making filters is not same as measuring? (Like same process)

Edit: I’m reading at AVNirvana forum people actually update to XO after few months :rofl:

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Especially for the time domain correction, it’s worth it.

And later if you add a subwoofer/s

No different process.

Have a read of the article I shared by Mitch for Audiolense. He goes step by step.

I mentioned to you the other day - measurement is done in under 5 minutes. Good correction filters can take hours/days/weeks/months :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Partially joking. You should be able to get great sounding filters in first week but you will continue to improve over time

Dabgbb it’s already daunting enough, no need to rev us up😄

What’s the tricky part of working on the correction filters?

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You can get good filters in the first week.

But there’s a bit of an art (trial and error) to changing different parameters to minimise pre-ringing in the step response.

Takes time to develop the kind of target curves you prefer.

Just takes time to “chip away” at it and continually improve

To put it a simpler way - your first set of filters that you load into HQPlayer will 100% not be your last :grinning: