Yesterday I saw HQP 5. Witnessing the development was exciting, so I downloaded the new version without thinking much. I always liked and appreciated HQP and was behind many people buying it.
Being in software for more than two decades, it is clear that HQP 5 is a recompilation of V4 but with some additional filters. I thought to buy it immediately and found it for $317. So, perhaps upgrading will have a nice discount, which was only 15%, the same as the total price of HQP4.
My concern is why upgrading received only 15%. This might state that the strategy is more revenue from existing customers rather than growing the customer base.
The above is based on the fact that V5 is not a substantial upgrade. The client still looks and works as an experiment. Each time you change something on the desktop, you need to reconnect, and bugs are all around.
As I appreciate HQP as a technology, I believe it is not that well managed.
My advice is:
Imrove the user experience to make using HQP a seamless experience. Many people leave HQP because they want the music, not the complicated software.
Implement a new subscription model or a mix of both. Be clear in the upgrade cycle. For example, will you release V6 next year and ask for another $300?
HQP is now more expensive than Roon, so why not have your own community, …
Discounts for existing customers should be 40 to 50% as a start. If that is not enough for the business as revenue, you need to grow the business by squirting additional new customers.
Upgrade to HQplayer 4 was published in 2019. HQPlayer 3 was introduced in 2015, if I remember correctly. So you have a 4-year cycle. One year price is, if you use that 4-year cycle, around €55, with discounts. I consider this a really fair value, considering all the updates you receive in a cycle.
Anyway in the future I wanted to buy a second one. Just hope after using the coupon code v4 is still going to work. If I manage to buy v5 on at the next paycheck v4 would move to the desktop comp.
Thanks. I am not against companies making money as that funds innovations. My second licese of HQ4, I bought was in Dec 2019. So it is not 4 years. I do not use HQP on regular basis.
Also, as I mentioned, a good revamp of HQ4 should have happened at lest the interface (client). This is a subscription model with all the payment is upfront. Not the optimal way to grow a business.
I respect Roon. I have the lifetime licese but I feel they deserve more.
HQP is still very innovative, but I guess the upgrade should have been for upgrade between 20 to 70% discouned depending on when the purchase was made. 15% simply means the target is existing customers.
The good thing is HQPlayer 4 will keep working for you. You don’t need to buy Version 5.
I bought Version 3 in June 2015, Version 4 in April 2019 and Version 5 in May 2023.
As someone who has only recently pulled the trigger on a HQPlayer purchase I got a 100% discount which I was not expecting and was very happy to accept and I have spent many hours playing with it over the weekend and I am finding some of the changes really good (though through my tinkering I have managed to crash it many times )
You got 3 and a half years of updates from your previous purchase and that version continues to work as before. There is nothing compelling you to upgrade, but this isn’t a light change as you suggested if you read some of the posts in the threads.
I am sure many users will stay on v4 for a long time and will be very happy with that situation.
True and a valid argument, but in this type of business, it is a dual interest to upgrade and move customers to the latest version. If HQ5 is introduced and only a small percentage of customers upgrade, it will be a big issue for HQP. Little revenue to fund V6. Products die when this happen.
To me, hqplayer is all about the upsampling - it’s filters and modulators. I have both the Windows version and Embedded version (both updated to v5). I use HQPlayerOS Embedded pretty much all the time, it’s lightweight and all about the hqplayer engine, no GUI other than web based config and that is just fine by me.
The new version 5 introduces several new DSD modulators and some new filters. That’s what I am looking for, and I will pay money for Jussi’s brain power, knowledge, and innovation in the upsampling field.
I know others like the GUI stuff, it means nothing to me.
I don’t have any knowledge about Jussi’s business model. He is in business since 25 years, so I suppose he knows best how to run it successfully.
Version 5 is from the results I heard just now a really worthwhile upgrade. Don’t miss it!
Personally, I think HQPlayer is the best investment for sound quality. Upgraded to version 5 and while I’ve not tried all the new filters yet, seems like it’s much more efficient than v4 and my cpu load is lower.
I use HQPlayer for my headphone station. The new shapers ASDM7ECv3, Super and light are in my first sessions here a big shocker in a very positive way. DSD 256, poly-sinc-ext2 and ASDM7ECv3.
From a first look and some (m1mini to zen stream NAA) that I have tried:
Modulators:
ASDM5ECv3,
ASDM5EC- light, ASDM5EC- super,
ASDM5EC- light 512+fs, ASDM5EC- super 512+fs,
)
