Roon / HQP / Mac mini m1/m2

Roon Software Discussion
1

I’m a newbie to Roon having really started playing since my Hegel H390 got Roon Ready last week. I’ve installed Roon Core on my QNAP NAS

I’ve also been trying it with my Aries G1.

Either way it sounds good but now I am wondering where to go next.

My DAC is a Chord TT2 so I could go Mscaler or build something with HQP.

So firstly, can I just grab a Mac mini, install HQP and then does that become a Roon Endpoint?

I’ve ready that the route to go is to get a SRC-DX and some decent cables and into TT2 at up to 768, is this correct?

With this route it feels like it would replace and perhaps better my Aries G1 and for a lot less money than an Mscaler?

Do I have to consider how noisy a Mac mini might be? Any special power supplies needed?

As you can see I’m a bit confused so all advice is welcomed!

2

Mscaler is a waste of money

A M1 Mac is able to easily upsample to pcm 32 bit 768khz or DSD512

The Mac can become a endpoint (usb into DAC).
But Mac can’t output native dsd. for that you would need a raspberry pi as entpoint

3

Thanks for the reply.

Given that my DAC is a Chord TT2, would I need to go with PCM or DSD?

Here I’m confused. I know higher is better.

4

SRC-DX and MScaler support only PCM, because they input to the double BNC entry of your Chord.
You can input DSD (or upsampled PCM) through its USB port, but it’s not the best solution, because the USB port of Chord DACs is noisy.

5

So would Mac mini with HQP to 7xx → SRC DX → TT2 seem like a good solution.

Using Mac mini as a Roon endpoint and a source of Qobuz?

6

Yes, it’s a good solution.
Much cheaper than the MScaler, and many people say that is even better.

7

Chords do not process DSD natively, they turn it into PCM internally; with the exception of the DAVE which has it’s own DSD path. However, if you use the DAVe with an MScaler than the MScaler will turn the DSD into PCM during its processing.

If DSD playback natively is important, than CHORD is not the brand to look at.

8

Ok, so my best bet with this DAC is to upscale to 7xx PCM and into the digital coax inputs on the TT2?

9

Well, if you are using HQP, then the best bet is to ask the person who wrote it and tests it, what they think is the best setting for that gear. @jussi_laako