The best way is to use an RME ADI-2 Pro to feed HQPlayer. You get analogue input, AES3 input, TOSlink input, digi coax input. Any source you like basically.
My ADI-2 (not pro) works with TOSlink + digi coax inputs.
With an ADI-2 connected to HQP by USB cable (can be over the network, with HQP server on the other side of the house or the world over VPN if you want) HQP will automatically change to correct sample rates of the source, bit perfectly. That’s the special part.
I gave my old man (over 70 now) my old ADI-2 (not Pro) and he is now using Amazon Music UHD app, casting to a WiiM Mini.
If the album is 24/96, this is the sample rate that feeds HQPlayer. If the album changes to 24/192, this is the correct sample rate to that feed HQPlayer (via ADI-2).
I think we’ve previously discussed this before and you said you need more than 2 channels out so ADI-2 won’t work for you… But so just so you know, the ADI-2 used in this case is not using its analogue outputs. I need 8 channel outputs from HQPlayer but it would work exactly the same way (as a HQPlayer source input) if I needed 64 channels out.
It works like magic - the old man is on the other side of the country and I don’t get any tech support calls about issues using it
We both use Roon (since 2016) for hard drive music but that’s become less and less use now.
Once the ADI-2 and HQPlayer Embedded are powered on, just start casting music to whatever streamer you want (streamer is connected to ADI-2’s inputs) and from the couch with just an iPad I can have any source piping audio through 8-channel DSP speaker system with DSP crossover + speaker & room correction. Same with headphones EQ.
There’s no interfacing with a desktop/keyboard/mouse/monitor at all.
Yep I use a few more channels than that. Good memory.
I previously had the RME ADI dac fs, but not the pro with the additional line front outputs.
I currently use the Motu mk5 Ultralite.
Works perfectly with Roon, Ropieee, Ubuntu/bridge etc doing FIR convolution crossovers.
My system currently runs a 2way active speaker setup, running convolution for the jbl M2s. Subs on the horizon.
(Previously ran 3 & 4ways)
Very keen to use the Motu’s additional inputs. Just need to figure it all out. When I tired HQplayer with Roon, Roon just sat there frozen…. But my server was running wifi.
Will try again one day.
I might ask a few questions when I get back home. Out atm.
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.
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…
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?
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.
@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
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.
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…
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.
it’s on its way! You can install Adiolense in Mac OS using Parallels right?
