At one of my desktop setups, I’m really enjoying the SMSL SP400 (THX’s top AAA-888 design) balanced headamp with ADI-2 running in DSD Direct.
I like it better (purely subjectively!) more than headamp direct out of ADI-2 with PCM768kHz.
Relay volume control keeps perfect channel balance in analogue domain.
ADI-2 DSD filter set to 150 kHz
My Intel i5 Mac Mini (!! Turbo Boost to 4.1GHz) handles 1x = poly-sinc-gauss-long with ASDM5EC fine.
Surprising to me that it works although probably the optimisations you did since initial EC Mod release helps there.
See core loading below after 1 hour.
I use small Notcua 5V 80mm (completely audibly silent fan) on top of the Mac Mini and I never hear the Mac Mini’s internal fans come on.
I’ll upgrade to M1x or M2 desktop Mac later to unlock gauss-xla with ASDM7EC.
I can do it now but then I hear the Mac Mini fan come and maybe after some time it would probably stop, especially while I’m doing other tasks on the Mac.
But with gauss-long at DSD256-5EC I can do other things and it’s fine.
I’m also considering whether to try Spring3 in place of ADI-2 DSD Direct Mode but looking at your measurements of each, I think result will be audibly very similar ! @jussi_laako
Also highly recommend the track below. Playing on Apple Music → BlackHole virtual audio device → HQP input
