Hi!
I’m thinking about a Trinnov Amethyst, but I want to check, how I can fit it to my chain.
I’m using Roon to HQPlayer on a MacMini M1. If I connect the Amethyst to my network, will HQPlayer offer me the Amethyst as output device?
Actual I’m using Allo USBridge as output device via NAA, but Allo USBridge has USB digital output, which is - such a shame - not supported by the Amethyst.
Hi Dirk,
I’m using Roon to HQPlayer on a MacMini M1.
So, do I understand correctly that you have a Roon Core of some sort (a Nucleus or something that you did yourself), and you are using HQPlayer as an endpoint (in Roon terminology)?
If you have a Roon Core on the network, the Amethyst becomes its own Roon Endpoint and would be its own Audio Zone, independent of your Mac Mini.
This has some distinct advantages since only the audio data is transmitted over the network and we are expected/able to use our internal clocks, which are significantly better than the embedded clock you find in standard S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital connections. I was floored by the improvement when I went from the Roon Bridge software running on my Mac Mini to our internal Roon software. (This was years ago when we were developing the Roon software; it was still in alpha testing.) In hindsight, I should not have been surprised… Apple has no need to spend the extra money on a really good audio clock in with computers.
Note that the Amethyst will process the incoming signal at its native rate up to 24/192k; all other DSP-enabled boxes I can think of downsample to whatever their internal DSP chip requires (almost always 48kHz), which pretty much obviates the whole idea of high-resolution audio.
I know of HQPlayer, of course, but I have not had a need to play with anything like that since my Audirvana days… which ended once I had Roon. Can it output to a UPnP/DLNA device? If so, you might be able to use it to send its converted signals to the Amethyst via the Amethyst’s other streaming input. But I do not have any experience doing this. Frankly, the direct connection from my Roon Core to our Amethysts and Altitudes is so good that I have lost interest in players that offer improved performance over things like iTunes.
Does this help?
Best,
Jon
Thanks Jon, I’ll give it a try this way as Roon endpoint. I’m using HQPlayer not as player front-end, just as filter- and conversion slave. My only player front-end is Roon.
There is another possibility I found: a HAT PCB with Allo DigiOne Signature on top of my UDBridge. This PCB has SPDIF out and is accessible by HQPlayer NAA. But it’s costs me another 300$.
Bought the DigiOne hat PCB for my USBridge. Now both outputs are available from HQPlayer via network. The Amethyst will arrive me today, so next days I can compare direct Roon endpoint vs. SPDIF with HQPlayer to the Amethyst.
Dirk, it has been some time since you started this thread but I was curious how things went? I just got my Amethyst today and Roon sees the Amethyst. I have a computer with HQP hardwired to the network as is the Amethyst but when I select a song the time bar doesn’t move and Roon changes to the next song after 15 seconds or so.
This is Jon from Trinnov.
I am not a programmer, and don’t know the details of how HQP works internally, but it sounds like it may be disrupting the two-way communication between the Roon app on your PC and the Amethyst.
As a Roon Ready™ certified product, the Amethyst and the Roon app are designed to work directly with each other.
Have you tried bypassing HQP as a test?
Hello Jon, Thanks for the quick reply. Yes, I’ve removed HQ Player from the chain and confirmed it is not using any system resources. Shutting HQP down, resolved on thing. When pressing play on Roon, it doesn’t skip ahead to other songs like it did when the HQP app was active. However after I rebooted the Amethyst, the time line showing the song playing still does not move. There is a Roon popup that says it may take a while. I’ve got a call with Chuck today. I’m sure I’m just doing something stupid and he’ll fix it in no time. Also, my TT with MC cart and Rega Aura phono pre plays music, but it is very distorted.
Sorry Paul, I don’t have these devices anymore.
Hi Jon,
I was able to get it up and running and had a quick question for you. When the Amethyst creates the 5 memory profiles (Comfort, Natural, Neutral, Precision and Monitoring) does it do anything other than change the target curve? For example, could I copy Comfort for example into another memory slot and apply a different target curve and have the same, behind the scenes, settings as the system created Comfort profile? Thanks, Paul
Hi Paul,
Yes, there are other settings that change, most of which are relatively subtle when taken on their own. Taken together, they become more significant.
You are correct about copying a preset – all of those settings come along for the ride. Then you can change any of them (including the Target Curve), Apply Changes, and save the new preset for easy comparison.
Thank you, Jon, that was very helpful information.