Recommended NUC for HQPLAYER

Audio Gear Talk HQ Player
101

@jussi_laako look here please.

102

@dabassgoesboomboom @DrTone @jussi_laako

I want to use HQPlayer Embedded with Roon to upsample all my PCM and DSD64 tracks to DSD128 for my DIrectStream DAC. I want to use filters like poly-sinc-xtr-lp and the latest EC modulators like ASDM7EC.

My sonicTransporter i5 was clearly not powerful enough to do this. The sonicTransporter i9 is supposed to be great HQPlayer system so I bought one of those and it does the DSD128 stuff. A couple of the i9 cores get up in the high 80% utilization range. So the sonicTransporter i9 handles want I want now but there is not much headroom.

At some point in the near future the DirectStream DAC will get an upgrade that allows it to do DSD256. Well, the sonicTransporter i9 does not appear to be able to handle upsampling to DSD256 using the filters and modulators I want to use.

So, what are good options today for getting me to DSD256? I donā€™t see the need in the foreseeable future for anything higher. The sonicTransporter i9 uses an i9 but I guess it is not the i9-9900K. I would like fanless but this system will not be in the listening room so that is not critical. I donā€™t want to spend $1000 just to get fanless.

I am fine with Linux as long as I donā€™t have to go crazy with shell scripts or right other code. Windows 10 would be fine too as long as it is reliable and does what I want.

Thanks for any advice on this!

103

You might find more information on accomplishing this on the AudiophileStyle website where there are a couple of relevant threads about such.

104

Here is a good spotā€¦my challenging illogical opinions and asking for realistic explanations makes me unwelcome there.

1 Like
106

Youā€™ve been banned there right?

https://audiophilestyle.com/profile/29619-speed-racer/

Nothing illogical in these threads linked belowā€¦ they discuss exactly what youā€™re asking aboutā€¦

They have example build details for exactly what you want - DSD256 with EC modulators.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/56966-hqplayer4-ec-modulator-tips-and-techniques/

and

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/25149-design-a-pcserver-for-roon-and-hq-player/

These threads have examples of CPUā€™s that do and donā€™t workā€¦

107

I have an i7-7700 (not k) running Windows 10 and a GTX970 CUDA in an ITX case.

I just upgraded to HQ Player 4 Desktop.

I can run 44.1/48k source material through Roon with 2 band DSP and convolving a room correction wav file in HQP at 256 DSD (x44.1) using ASDM7EC and ext2.

With 96 kHz source material I get stuttering, but can run ASDM5EC without stuttering. Four cores are running between 25 and 60%.

CUDA is greyed in HQP4 but isnā€™t being used by the program. It probably thinks there is no performance advantage.

Edit: Iā€™ve got CUDA working properly now and can do 192 kHz to DSD 256 with ASDM7EC and ext2; see here

108

Thank you, @dabassgoesboomboom and @andybob.

109

@dabassgoesboomboom

Is there a simple to install and update Linux setup that would allow me to run Roon and HQPlayer Embedded? I probably want to have the ability to use CUDA.

110

  1. Install Ubuntu Bionic

  2. Install Roon Server:

https://kb.roonlabs.com/LinuxInstall

3, Install HQP Embedded:

https://www.signalyst.com/embedded-install.html?

1 Like
111

Well that doesnā€™t seem too bad!

112

7 posts were split to a new topic: HQ Player 4 EC modulators and CUDA

119

A post was merged into an existing topic: HQ Player 4 EC modulators and CUDA

120

28 posts were split to a new topic: Installing HQPlayer on a separate NUC

121

A question: is it possible to run Hq player plus roon on a maxed out iMac (which I already own) and upconvert to DSD512 and then send it through the network to the HQplayer nas on a nuc and the through USB to the dac?

I know you cannot output more than DSD128 through a usb from a Mac - and this would be a way round thisā€¦

122

Yes, using NAA bypasses CoreAudio altogether and thus any of itā€™s limitations.

You can do up to DSD256 from USB on a Macā€¦

123

Thanks Jussi! :grinning: I am planning to buy a T+A dac8dsd so what setup would you recommend? My iMac would then use Roon and HQ player to convert input to Dsd512 - but what would be the best unit for the NAA function

124

Some small low power CPU Windows computer. I used this for the purpose:

Youā€™d just want to get a nice PSU for those instead of the default wall-wart. For example something from Teddy Pardo

125

Thanks Jussi ā€”ā€” and what programmes would you then use? Windows 10 I presume plus the windows driver for the T+A DAC8DSD and then anything else? You mention on the homepage that the NAA provides FIFO as isolation. I wonder what FIFO is?

I am sorry to be such a novice, but I have found it hard to get a good road map for these kinds of setupā€¦

126

Stock Windows 10 and the T+A driver. And then just run the networkaudiod (NAA software module) there.

127

Perfect thanks.