Debian Roon Server
Win10 Bridge to NAD 390DD and AudioGD DAC19
Debian Linux Bridge to Illusonic IAP4
Via Bryston BDP-1.
DAC (AES):
- Emotiva DC-1
- Dangerous Source
I have downloaded HQ player for the second time in the past year…still cannot figure out how to work it.
This KB page gives details about setting up HQP in Roon. Then this HQ Player kick start guide is the best introduction to getting sound, then read the latest version of the manual in the installation directory.
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- Lyngdorf TDAi 2200 via pi3 hifiberry digital running roon bridge
- Emotiva DC-1
- Dragonfly 1.2 via pi3 running roon bridge
CAPSv4 Pipeline >> Roon Server >> HQPlayer >> T+A DAC 8 DSD
Everything upsampled to DSD512.
Glorious.
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@rugby I’m a headphone guy. DAC8 outputs to a MicroZOTL 2 headphone amp and I listen primarily with my HiFiMan HE1K’s
Thanks!
/10char
ROON Core on NAS QNAP >> HQPlayer on Win2012/AO/Process Lasso >> NAA >> AQ JitterBug >> UpTone Regen >> Musical Paradise tube DSD DAC(MP-D2) >> Bel Canto Pre3 >> Bel Canto Ref1000MK2 >> PSB Synchrony One
Upsample everything to DSD256
Lynx Hilo via USB in system #1
Classe CP-800 via an Auralic Aries (Ethernet) in system #2
Speakers: Sonicorbiter SE > Bel Canto mLink > Bel Canto C7R (integrated DAC/class D amp) > KEF Reference 1s
Headphones: microRendu > Schiit Bifrost Multibit > Schiit Asgard 2 > MrSpeakers Alpha Prime
Roon Core on Intel NUC running Ubuntu, serving PCM from FLAC on Synology DS411slim NAS.
Some updates here;
Sabreberry
Hifiberry
Digiberry
Bladelius Embla
S.M.S.L M8
Audiobyte Black Dragon
(Gustard U-12 for USB to I2S conversion for one of the Pi’s)
Roon -> HQPlayer -> HQPlayer NAA Daemon Software -> Mapleshade Clearlink Plus USB Cable -> Lampizator L4 DSD-Only DAC/Balanced Preamp
Dual, optimized, Windows Server 2012, Core i7 computers. HQPlayer (heavy DSP) running on one, Roon & HQPlayer NAA (relatively light load) running on the other. Everything upsampled to DSD256.
In a nice aesthetic touch, I have a large, widescreen monitor connected to the Roon machine that displays the (beautiful) Roon screen saver (album art with filtered image background, song info, waveform/progress bar, etc) in full screen, all the time.
I’ve experimented with various configurations and this one is audibly superior to the others I’ve tried. We all know how great Roon is, and the excellence of HQPlayer is also widely known, but less known I think, is the enormous benefit of using some form of Network Audio Adapter (NAA) - in other words, not connecting the DAC directly to the sever that’s doing all of the upsampling. I use the free HQPlayer NAA software application. The first time I tried it, my jaw dropped.
To those of you who have found HQPlayer’s UI to be strange and confusing, I did too at first. But actually, once you grasp that it’s less a tool to organize and play your music collection and more of a DSP/upsampling application, it’s extremely simple to use. There’s a lot less to figure out than it seems. And it goes with Roon like bread & butter, becoming something that you can set, forget and just enjoy (especially with the current beta version of HQPlayer (3.14beta5) which completely resolved some Roon/HQP connectivity issues I’d been having).
Well, there goes more information than anybody asked for… 
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Metrum Acoustics Musette NOS DAC
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Dear Keith,
Thank you for your very interesting note. I would like to go in a similar direction with my set up (stereo only - no multy channel).
I’m running roon headless server on a low cost Win 10 micro PC (remotes by Apple products) and drive the T&A 8 DSD DAC capable 512 but not yet realized in my current set up to do 512. Nevertheless the T&A does a absolutely phantastic DA-job (feeding with unchanged given music files like exact ripped CD, Tidal HQ “stream” and DSD sample file) my plan is to deploy the HQ player and of course a PC with enough horse power to do the upsampling task to 512. I’m looking forward to see if advanced upsampling brings a real listening advantage…
What was interesting for me to hear that HQ-player integration is not so complicated as it seems to be. Can you please confirm if I understood you right that HQ-Player can be set up subsequently can run in background like roon headless server and what is the best source to get nformation how to seamless integrate HQ in roon?
Thank you in advance
How is that DAC. I have not yet heard it.
Daniel, hmmm … how can I describe and tell you how happy I am with this DAC. Nearly directly after market launch my dealer handed his shop presence box over to me to check at home for a weekend. I did it with my chain (accuphase integrated amp and accuphase D/A converter board) and I can tell you I immediately heard a totally improved chain. Even testing the DAC in a friend’s more advanced chain with separated pre amp and accuphase power amp feed by CD drive was an unexpected improvement.
By now I only feed the DAC with non-upsampling data like CD-resolution, some DSD sample files and some other high res sample files from the known high res web sides and I can tell you I’m still deeply impressed! Stage imagination (sorry, I’m not an English native speaker) - ability to locate each performer on stage - is phantastic.
That is exactly the point where I ask myself if it makes sense to up-sample the given original data (music files) without adding native information - what should be improved by having an up-sampled input for such a great DAC? I’ll find it out …
Technically seen I use the USB input for roon-server on WIN PC, the digital line input for sonos and the optical input for direct feed from iMac. The power supply for the DAC and the amp is separated from WIN PC by a simple Power-Plug Netfilter. Even if you can use the T&A DAC 8 DSD as pre-amp and split of the integrated amp I use the pre amp capability of accuphase. I love the accuphase pre amp volume control.
Sorry to rephrase it in simple words but “If there’s an opportunity for you to get it for testing, you simply should do!” I don’t know if there is any DAC in the prise range comparable.
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Main Room: RPi2 with Digi+ (powered by LH Labs LPS) into Devialet Phantoms (whatever DAC is in there sounds good to me!)
Desktop/Headphone - iMac to Oppo HA2 - Temple Audio Monoblocks - Blumenstein Orcas or Pioneer SP-BS22-LR depending on the mood. The little Oppo is very useful as it has audio and headphone out. It’s a versatile dac/pre-amp.
Wonderfully musical, fatigue free, natural, most analogue like. prefer it to my previous DACs- Rega DAC R, Mytek DSD. Took couple of months to burn in and settle, twice as long as other dacs, but worth it.
I use a heavily modified Gustard X20u with a DIYinHK DSD card replacing the stock USB card and have soldered a 100mHz clock much closer to the dual ESS 9018 dac chips. I up sample every title in my library and Tidal’s to DSD512 with HQPlayer. The sound is incredible. Considering total parts cost is around $1300 I don’t think you can do any better, without making your wallet much lighter.
I feed the dac from a dedicated i7-4790 windows 10pro computer.