If that is a goal, then before doing you should also research HQPlayer. Either way, upsampling to DSD 512 is going to stress an i3. upsampling with Roon to DSD 256 puts an i5 at about 2x, so …
Good to hear that you are rocking the same amp. I have even got a Linear PSU for it from AliExpress…which is on the way so lets see…i expect to see some changes to transient response…only a guess now.
Where do you post your measurements? BB Chips dont measure great but sound musical is what ive read. My IFI Hip DAC which is also using the GTO filter did benefit from Roon upsampling…maybe the NEO DAC is just that great that it makes everything sound great!
Is there any way to remove the processing limitations for Roon server. I mean my PC processes DSD256 at 32% utililization and DSD512 at 55% but becomes unstable and below 1x. Is there a way to have the Roon server all 100% or atleast 75% of the processing power of my PC as its not doing anything else…
Thanks
I assume you’ve tried all of the available options already. Disable Native DSD Processing and enable Parallelize Sigma-Delta Modulator. I think the limitation with CPU utilization is that DSD conversion is mostly a single-threaded operation. Not a great way to utilize multiple cores/threads. While I’m not a fan, I agree with @Rugby’s suggestion to try HQPlayer integration if upsampling is the only way to get the sound that you like from your DAC(s).
I do wonder if better DACs could be a solution as well…at least down the road. Upsampling to DSD512 should not be required to get the best sound from a modern DAC. Again, my worry is that the added CPU load and order of magnitude greater frequency of network I/O interrupts on the endpoint will erase any gains that this massive level of upsampling provides.
Thanks. I will check out HQ Player…but honestly, I dont want to shell more money after purchasing a lifetime of Roon. My DAC is as clean as they go and it does sound almost similar to PCM with DSD albeit DSD being a bit more emotional if it makes sense (maybe bc of some reconstruction filter differences)…so thats staying.
What impact will disabling native DSD processing have? I am not an expert but my DAC does do native DSD512 and I am doing a PCM to DSD upsampling of Tidal streams so its anyway not Native processing of DSD content…
Thanks. From what I read, HQ Player is another player with upsampling capability. Maybe I am failing the obvious, but what is the point of that if Roon natively has that option already? Also, the CPU power that the HQPlayer’s upsampling uses should be in same ball park as Roon’s own shouldnt it?
I am also wondering if disabling the native DSD procesing under the upsamling DSP options is a good idea and if it affects the SQ from upsampled DSD512/256 audio…
I’m not an HQPlayer expert, so I’ll defer to others here for the details. Roon’s integration with HQPlayer enables you separate Core and upsampling DSP onto different computers, which may help with scalability if you have an extra computer on-hand.
Although I think Roon’s upsampling is transparent and sounds great, HQPlayer offers many more algorithms and filter choices which some folks have found to improve on what Roon does.
IIRC, HQPlayer uses its own NAA (Network Audio Adapter) protocol to stream to endpoints instead of Roon’s R.A.A.T.
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It is not about the target sampling rate, it is ALL about the filters and dithering choices. That is what makes the audible difference. Anyway, fun to play around with and see just how much of a difference these things can make. But, it is an added expense, and not cheap.
That option is for DSD SOURCE material. You are converting TO DSD, so, it is not having any practical impact at all, as any other DSP processing would be done while the signal is still PCM and prior to the DSD conversion. Try turning it off and see.
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Cant argue with that. I always struggled with Tidal Native app in Windows with Peace EQ and wasnt satisfied with the glary sound i got. Roon with the same EQs, even without DSD upsampling sounded much more rounded to me…especially in the Bass region. And with DSD256+ upsampling it just sounds sublime in my opinion. For referenece, I bought Audirvana before Roon and apart from the loud pops and clicks in its DSD upsampling and the lack of native EQ, I for one did feel Roon sounded better than Audirvana…I know, not a popular observation…but me and my friend who lives in another country have the same conclusion…albeit Tidal app is much more interactive and user freindly than Roon…which is strange but I have another post in feature request thread that explains why.
As for trying HQP, I wont…simply to save me from running after another expensive piece of SW that does the same but differently! This curiosity has costed me enough already if you know what i mean!
Thanks anyways mates!
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