Using any audio source with HQPlayer - Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, Soundcloud [2021-2022]

Audio Gear Talk HQ Player
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Okay. So let’s see if I finally understand and can move ahead with my plan. Here’s what I think I am doing:

For 2-channel system that requires Airplay for my wife: I don’t need sample rate conversion because Airplay doesn’t support this via the Bluesound. So I need to buy the Up Board and go Bluesound USB output to the UP Board. I can then EITHER 1) leave the ■■ where it is (not in room with HQPe server) and somehow edit a .xml file on the UP running NAA to create an INPUT for HQPe that it will see over the network, right? Or, 2) move the ■■ to the same location as HQPe and go ■■ USB output into Up Board and then USB output from Up Board into HQPe server, also correct? Which is simpler and/or recommended for ease of use? If all the above is correct, what are the instructions for .xml file editing on the NAA gateway? If directly connected via NAA USB, I use @jussi_laako instructions to edit the hqplayerd.xml on the HQPe server to create a new ‘INPUT’ so it shows up in the INPUT drop down of HQPe. Where is the Up Board USB input to the HQPe specified in this hqplayer.xml file? How does it know what USB port to switch to when I select the new input from the drop down?

Finally, for my HP setup: I will just connect a cable from my iPad>usb-c since I don’t mind doing that. BUT…I DO WANT sample rate conversion because iOS Apple Music supports this. So it appears there is no way to get this without converting iPad USB to SPDIF and back to USB to my DAC, correct? I have an RME I can use in this scenario but it doesn’t appear to help me because the iPAD is USB output. So I need some kind of USB to SPDIF converter and THEN connect that to the RME where it can convert it back to USB output? Seems complicated.

I feel like I am getting closer to the solution. At least the Roon switching part is resolved. But would be great to resolve the above questions. I ordered the $239 UP Board as you guys confirmed the ease in switching once I get the .xml stuff resolved (which is still unclear). Thanks!

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You can give it a name “Bluesound Node input” if you connect the Node to RME ADI-2.

You can call another “iPad input” for connecting iPad to UpBoard Gateway. But I just call it the default USB Audio Class 2 input, because you can literally connect any USB source this method. Sometimes i take the USB cable from the iPad and connect it to my Mac. It all gets piped through HQPlayer.

I asked a question earlier which you didn’t answer.

You have a Bluesound N130 with USB audio output? It is currently working with Apple Music and USB audio output?

Also I mentioned a couple times earlier to read my Embedded about some limitations with UpBoard Gateway. Like if HQPlayer has auto family rate enabled. Did you read my comments about that? That is one caveat of the UpBoard. The RME works better in that regard.

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That is correct. Not complicated but needs an extra (small) converter box.

The upside is auto family rate works properly for HQP output.

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I don’t think I was clear enough. Sorry about that. I have two setups (different NAA endpoints and different DACs in different rooms) but only one HQPe. I want Apple Music and Roon for both setups. But I only need sample rate conversion for my HP setup because that is what I will use the cabled iPad for and you said iOS supports this. But to answer your question: yes, I have the newer Bluesound Node that supports USB output. I bought that specifically so my wife could do her Apple Music playing via Airplay 2 to our speakers in our living room. We’d also use it for music discovery using AM. But as you know, since it ONLY Airplay then sample rate conversion is not needed, right? So this is why I said I would ONLY use the Up Board and not the RME in this Airplay setup. But I WOULD use the RME for my HP setup because I need the sample rate conversion from the iPad.

I did read your comments about the Up Board limitations. But what I never understood is why does that matter if I’m only using Bluesound Airplay to UP Board? Airplay is 44.1k so maybe I’m missing a key point or limitation but my conclusion is that limitation doesn’t matter in the setup. That said, I WILL BE also streaming Roon with various sample rates to in BOTH setups. But you guys said that Roon handles all this automatically and all I need to do is make sure I switch the input back to the Bluesound/UP Board when I am done so my wife doesn’t have to worry about this. Right?

I will use my RME - same one you have, i.e. 1st generation - in the HP setup using the iPad for sample rate conversion reasons. So am I still good on this plan as described @dabassgoesboomboom ?

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Forgot to add…

Is there a recommended USB to SPDIF converter for the iPad to RME cabling? I can look around but since you are doing this @dabassgoesboomboom perhaps you have one to suggest? Thank you.

EDIT: Found this one. Good enough?

Mini XMOS XU208 USB Digital Interface Coaxial/Optical /12S Audio Adapter DSD256

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No worries. I have 4 different room setups with only one 11900K HQPe machine. I can feed Apple Music and Roon and Spotify and Deezer to any of the rooms.

If you only want to feed Airplay to HQP at fixed sample rate of 44.1kHz, a much cheaper option is a miniDSP USBStreamer , which is supported by HQPlayer.

No need for an UpBoard or RME in that particular room.

The miniDSP will take TOSlink from the Bluesound Node. And you can just have an RPi4 as NAA “input” to feed your HQPe machine. Or is the HQPe machine in that same room? If it’s in the same room, then direct connection is possible.

https://www.minidsp.com/products/usb-audio-interface/usbstreamer-box

Have a close look at the pics. It features both TOSLink input and output.

So with your Bluesound Node, you’d use TOSlink input of the miniDSP.

As a HQP input, this converter does not support auto sample rate switching. But for Airplay, it’s fixed at 44.1kHz anyway (for now…).

This is also a great little box to use in your other room with iPad, to connect iPad to ADI-2. As TOSlink output, it does feature auto sample rate switching for connection to RME ADI-2 TOSlink input.

You’ve already purchased the UpBoard?

That’s a really versatile unit . It’s even one of the best NAA’s running Jussi’s NAA OS image.

But even 2 x miniDSP USBStreamer’s would work, since you already owned an RME ADI-2.

As I’ve described in this same thread, there are multiple ways to pipe Spotify/Apple through HQPlayer.

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I have one of these too. It works fine for USB to TOSlink output , just like my miniDSP.

But the miniDSP has the TOSlink input and USB output feature that is supported by HQP. That allows for feeding any TOSlink source (like Node or whatever) through HQPlayer. But without auto sample rate switching.

I mentioned this in one of my earliest posts of this thread.

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In your particular case of Bluesound N130 Airplay to UpBoard via USB, it won’t be a problem.

If Apple releases Airplay 3 and your N130 gets the update for hi-res over Airplay, then you will want to disable auto family rate in HQPlayer. So that HQPlayer outputs a fixed sample rate. That’s the limitation I’ve described. Setting a fixed HQP output sample rate is not a problem for me. My 11900K can handle the increased CPU load of converter 48k rate to DSD256x44.1k (auto family rate turned off) but some CPUs might struggle with this.

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I did. So I think I will just bypass using TOSLINK altogether since I don’t think I need it. Please confirm though…

I think I use the UP Board for the Bluesound USB connection to my setup 1 room. Again, I could do this over ethernet from the UP Board using NAA or just direct connect to HQPe via USB if I am willing to move my Bluesound to same room (doesn’t really matter since all my wife sees is the Airplay 2 device from her phone).

But I think I hit another snag with the iPad/HP setup using the RME as the sample rate converter. And maybe I am just confusing myself. But I will have a short cable from the iPad at my desk going to the XMOS USB>SPDIF converter and then into the RME COAX input (same function as your toslink box) But how does the USB output from my RME get to the HQPe server again? The RME would be sitting on my desk obviously but the HQPe is in a different room. Is that where I would use a RP4 running NAA? So the RME usb output goes into the RPI4 and then over ethernet to the HPQe as a ‘INPUT’?

Definitely going to need your help @dabassgoesboomboom on the edits to whatever .xml files are required for this to all work. I’ve read all the previous posts from this thread and some from the Embedded thread but nowhere did I see specific details about how to edit these files to make this all work. Perhaps I missed.

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I already confirmed that there’s multiple methods to do all this, like my post on April 14 of 2021 in this same thread.

Using any audio source with HQPlayer - Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, Soundcloud [2021-2022] - #4 by dabassgoesboomboom

And April 21st of 2021:

Using any audio source with HQPlayer - Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Deezer, Soundcloud [2021-2022] - #8 by dabassgoesboomboom

If you’re asking me to confirm if it will work, I don’t have a Node 130 with USB audio output though but I can confirm (like I already have) that my current USB audio sources (iOS and macOS) work fine through the UpBoard Gateway. In my case I need to fix HQP output sample rate with UpBoard Gateway input.

Should be ok. Better to do it all over NAA and keep HQPe in seperate room away from listening rooms.

Yes you’ve understood correctly here. Get an RPi4.

This way you keep HQPe (noisy fan?) out of both listening rooms.

This is how I use it too.

But then you need another NAA to connect to your ‘final’ DAC box !

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Thanks @dabassgoesboomboom All good. Feel like the finish line is near. But see above edit I made to my last post. I will get everything wired up once I get the UP Board and hopefully I can get the technical edit details for what to change on the NAA software running on the UP Board and RPI4 NAA.

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Yes! Already have that. I have an older Intel NUC that I will use for the last mile connection NAA endpoint to my Holo Spring 3 DAC. All good there!

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Instead of buying an RPi4 do you already own an Intel based (and quiet) machine sitting around, to connect to the RME?

The RPi4 running NAA OS is audibly silent, which is why I like that in my listening room

But you can use something else too. As long as it runs NAA OS image.

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I already have two RPI4s sitting around so good there for this use case. It appears that my only new purchases for all this to work are the UP Board you recommended AND the XMOS USB/COAX SPDIF converter.

The part that worries me the most are the software config file edits required in both my HQPe and the two NAA devices acting as upstreamers to the HQPe. Will need your help with that for sure. Don’t disappear on me! :wink:

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You will have to be patient. I’m not a HQPlayer employee. I’m just an end user like you :wink:

I do travel a bit so you will just have to wait a bit till I can get around to the nitty gritty details in my notes at home.

Post here and people will help if they can, when they can.

Along with time zone differences, we can’t just demand and expect instant answers and solutions.

We’re all part of a friendly community just trying to help where and when we can :slight_smile:

Getting this working smoothly took me many months. But am really happy with how it works reliably now.

Jussi helped me a lot but even then, I couldn’t demand instant answers from other side of the globe. We chipped at it, slowly slowly.

Be prepared for the same ! Chipping away at questions/problems slowly slowly.

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Apple did join Matter in 2019. So, I think it is better to avoid any speculation on an „Airplay 3“. Matter could bring universal casting for TVs and video players - The Verge

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I think you misunderstood the main point. Whatever it is called (Airplay 3 or something else) it is an example of thinking about Apple Music properly casting hi-res audio wirelessly.

Btw Airplay (right now) already can support hi-res wirelessly and bit perfectly. I don’t want to go over that nightmare discussion with you again though please.

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Better not to use „Airplay 3“ as term. This is just misleading. In regards to Airplay today, I posted you the screenshot from Amazon signal path. Letś not go on with that topic and your repeated claim as we both will never agree on that.

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Well, just my five cents please: it seems you are running for a quite complicated setup, simply by the fact that you want to use Apple Music only and not the services supported by Roon or HQPlayer itself in addition.If I remember right, Jim_F posted a tool/service to automatically synchronize playlists, etc from different services. Sounds to me for an elegant solution too. Never mind.

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No worries. Was just joking. Not expecting instant answers. And I just got an email from the UP Gateway company that the board I ordered is back ordered. Ugh. So will be a bit longer before I can re-cable all this setup and get it working. I’ll ping you again and post back here once I have all the pieces in place and am ready to do the software config part. Safe travels!

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