Ah I see. Yes it is so tempting to assume that higher = better. I honestly hadn’t even given ASDM5ECv2 a go but will now.
I too have the RME ADI-2 dac. I’m limited to DSD 128 for the most part because of my SonicTransporter i5. Not sure what filters go best with the dac. I’m mostly using trial and error. Currently using 1x ext.2, Nx poly sinc short lp-2s even though I typically like mp. Modulator is generally ASDM 7EC. I find this makes the biggest difference with the dac. I do have the RME set to DSD Direct.
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Also have the DSD filter set at 150kHz on the RME.
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In ADI-2 settings, enable DSD Direct mode. Note that this will disable the volume control. Then you have option to choose between two DSD reconstruction filters. On older models 50/150 kHz (re DSD64 rate) and a bit different values on newer models. You can try, but I would suggest sticking to the lower one for 7th order modulators and either one for 5th order modulators. But this is not an absolute setting. DSD Direct mode is the important one.
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Ok.
You recommend to use the volume control in the HQPe to replace the DAC’s own?
Is it the RME volume that is inferior, or is there some other internal reason for DSD Direct?
Does the DSD Direct bypass the DAC internal DSP used for volume?
Yes, exactly, that’s the point of the feature. DSD data going straight to D/A conversion instead of passing through the on-chip DSP.
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A nice thing here with the RME is that you can set max volume in some increments from, i think, -5dBu to +13 dBu. I have mine at -5 for casual listening. Then my Roon/HQPlayer volume seldom have to go below -20. When I want to go crazy, I just crank up the RME base volume. This way you always get good S/N.
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I think the volume degradation in HQPlayer is beyond audible. Both Roon and HQPe works with 64 bit depth and I think HQPe also use 80 bit, but not shure what for really. The RME volume is a 40 bit dsp, that will be surpassed by the HQPe math algorithms.
It’s not the RME dsp at play here. It’s the analogue gain stage. There is a chapter the RME manual explaining.
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To put this in perspective, 40 bits give you a theoretical dynamic range of 240dB. Do you think that’s enough?
If that is the case, why do both Roon and HQPe use 64 bit depth calculations? The standard CD and DAC usually use only 32 bit dsp-chip for upsampling, as far as I know. I don’t think Jussi make the computer stressing double bit depth math, if he did not think there is something to gain?
Only me guessing, here, I should add … 
[Let me make a small correction first: if we are talking about 40bit floating point (i.e. “extended precision”), the significand is 32 bits, so the dynamic range is 192dB; still huge.]
I think 64bit calculations are mainly for marketing, i.e. to “check the 64bit box” for “bit peepers” - the audio equivalent of “pixel peepers” in photography 
There’s enough computing power these days to do it.
Main point is that DAC is doing unnecessary processing for the input data, instead of just plain converting it to analog bit-perfect. DSD Direct mode just feeds the bits straight to the D/A conversion stage, bypassing the DSP.
In HQPlayer, all the processing, oversampling, digital room correction / headphone correction, replay gain, headphone cross-feed can happen in one go before the final delta-sigma modulation for the D/A conversion stage. For example HQPlayer supports replay gain data from Qobuz when you are playing the streaming service. So no need to stack multiple digital volume controls.
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Didn’t realize that. Nice. Does Roon volume leveling support Qobuz replay gain data?
[EDIT: further research indicates that Roon does support it. I had never tried it.]
Sorry please, if already asked and answered. Using HQPlayer via Roon now on two Macs with different DACs attached. One DAC can do DSD 128x48. There I do not have any issues, The other one can‘t do 48. Well, the filters I like play with 44.1xN upsampling fine, but they don‘t do 48nX. The poly filters can do it all, of course. But I like the sinc and cloesed loop ones To get it playing with the filter for both formats (41xN and 48xN) I do for the 48xN a custom resample via Room before feeding HQPlayer…Not so happy with that actually, but it works. So, am I doing something totally wrong? Are there better ways for a DAC not capable of 128x48? Right now, unsure if I resample in Roon e.g. 48 to 44.1 or 48 to 88.2 or 48 to DSD 64 or DSD128. So far, I blieve going from 48 to 44.1 and then to HQPlayer sounds best. Well, not sure if I could explain my problem understandable? Also, I saw that Alchemy allows to save your filter settings genre or album specific. Which is super cool imo.So, would love to have this via Roon-HQplayer too
You get much better result by using suitable poly-sinc filters in HQPlayer. Especially because the first step from source rate is most critical one.
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Ok, thank you again Jussi
Is dsd direct only available in akm but not the new ess version of rme adi2 dac?
Correct. Only AKM.
Edit: below in regard to the RME ADI-2 DAC fs …
There are a number of other settings that belong to volume handling and other processing. I cannot tell if I am on the right track, but soundwise I am satisfied for now. I have chosen the lock volume setting and ref volume, that pushes the XLR output up to +19 some dB. Yesterday I felt some distortion in the highs, but I cannot say today after making some changes which was the root cause. My idiot did not change one step at the time … (I mean, basic rule numero uno …)
Anyone who actually knows in detail what supplementary settings should be and perhaps why, besides the DSD Direct. The SQ now is spooky realistic and I wish I had some more juice, to reach closer to live. I have only one Benchmark ABH2, but two in bridge mode should be a blast for the headroom when playing the “new-born” explosive transients. Listening to the rig now is almost a surreal feeling. It is now I understand that there is hardly any “bad” (i.e. B A D) recordings/masters. It is the HiFi gear that cannot master the playback of all different productions I want to listen to
Guys, this hobby is not healthy, is it ??? 
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