I got my Holo Audio Spring 3 KTE yesterday, sounds magic even though I read it needs some time to burn-in.
I set the DAC nr-bits to 20 (seem to recall that’s what someone said was best), but I need suggestions for filters and other settings, both PCM and DSD!
Dither/Noise-shaper for PCM: either LNS15, NS9 or NS5
Modulator ASDM7ECv2 at DSD512 or DSD256, depending on your CPU
Filters are more personal / genre dependent and for starters I would keep with the ones you’ve already been using before. (it is better not to change too many things at once)
I like these settings if you have the horsepower:
SDM Integrator: FIR2
SDM Conversion: XFi
48K DSD: Checked
DAC Bits: 20
Default Output Mode: SDM (DSD)
SDM Defaults:
1x = poly-sinc-gauss-xla
Nx = poly-sinc-gauss-hires-lp
Modulator: ASDM7ECv2
Bit rate: 48K x 256
Multicore DSP: Greyed
Adaptive output rate: Checked
same, but I prefer gauss-long for 1x
I have May KTE and I keep always coming back to
PCM / poly-sinc-xtr-short-lp / LNS15 / 20bits
Jan Meier / 650 / 13
On DSD vs PCM
I used to listen to DSD for quite long time as I kept reading how it should be superior. However to me PCM sounds more magical. DSD has more realism, but at the same time I kind of lose the connection to the esoteric side of music. Also the music sounds more “alive” on PCM. For now it’s PCM for me.
On poly-sinc-xtr-short-lp
I keep coming back to this. Somehow it manages to sound very spacious, natural, punchy, dynamic… To me just about anything is right in this filter. I’ve tried sinc-X filters but to me they sound… harsh and, flat? Gauss filters sound too polite. Gauss is fine though and sometimes I visit it shortly, but return very quickly to xtr-short-lp because I just can’t live without that extra information anymore. ext filters are amazing too and I used to use them a lot, but I always come back to xtr-short-lp. Right now I’ve started to feel that I could be perfectly happy with HQPlayer even if it didn’t have any other filters than this. It just matches my ears perfectly.
On Jan Meier / 650 / 13
I’m using headphones (Focal Utopia) and this tiniest amount of crossfeed adds just enough spatial effect that makes the music alive, but doesn’t yet destroy the soundstage.
Same too!
With DSD 512
Sometimes
Sinc-M
Sinc-M
Notice: ifi Neo iDSD not Holo yet 
I usually listen to female vocals or electronic music, what would you guys recommend? I’m using a May KTE with Susvaras headphones. It seems most of the filters are recommended for Jazz or Classical.
It’s really gonna depend on your gear. When I had X26Pro/Oor/Hypsos, PCM LNS15/sincMX for me. Fast forward with Bliss/May, I found DSD1024/DSD5v2/closed-form-fast to be the ticket today. Still playing around though, but everyone reaching for EC filters for fullness and DSD5v2 is sitting there neglected as a sub bass monster.
Yes, I’ve often used DSD5v2 @ 512. It’s very good. Using a Denafrips Pontus II and ultraRendu NAA.
poly-sinc-gauss-long is good generic all-rounder to get started with. You may like to try for example poly-sinc-gauss or poly-sinc-ext2. Out of these, ext2 is also pretty generic doing well with various genres.
I’ve turned on the PCM Gain Compensation but for me, PCM is much quieter than DSD still. If I’m listening to PCM at -3db, I practically need DSD at -20db. Using Holo May with Roon volume control if it matters.
Why 48k DSD checked?
Thats one of the question if I should mark it with the FiiO k9pro
I’ve been mostly using poly-sinc-gauss-long (ASDM7ECv2 - DSD256) now after getting the license. Compared to Roon DSP upsampling to DSD256, this combo sounds more open and refined. Soundstage opens so much better and speakers disappear almost completely. I’ve been picking up small details from tracks which weren’t there before, some of them playing far out of the speakers’ boundaries.
Because my DAC supports 48K DSD and so does the DAC of the person I was answering. I don’t know if your DAC does…
Your DAC digital volume control is set to something other than 0 dB. At least some Holo USB interfaces have digital volume control controllable by the computer. This is active only for PCM.
Which OS are you using?
When set correctly, -6 dB PCM gain compensation in HQPlayer gives you equal volume for both PCM and DSD.
HQPlayer is on Windows sending to a Raspberry Pi 4 running your NAA. I don’t see anything about digital volume control in the May manual.
Yes, it is likely not in the manual. And in my opinion that functionality in XMOS firmware should be disabled.
But you can fix this in following way:
Now the Holo USB interface is not messing with the PCM volume anymore.
And how do you log into the NAA console? I tried SSH and normal web browser but I can’t connect…
Plug in monitor to the HDMI port and USB keyboard.
Something interesting has happened.
I use HQplayer for some time now. Excellent piece of software.
First with a Hegel H590 with AKM dac and Harbeth SHL5 speakers.
Best sounding setting for me was closed-form-16M, ASDM7ECv2, DSD128. DSD was so much better than any PCM.
DSD128 was as high as i could go with my mac mini.
I upgraded to a Hegel H30 and Holo Audio spring 3 L2 dac.
Burning in took forever.
Finally best sounding was sinc-M, NS9, 705,6 PCM.
I tested DSD very often, but always came back to PCM.
Then i added a PS Audio Powerplant P3 and connected it my Innuos PhoenixUSB and Holo Audio dac.
This changed things. Much more detail. More real (if that’s a thing?). It sounded better. Still preferred PCM over DSD.
Bypassing HQplayer and listening to the Spring in NOS sounds much better than ever before.
Last upgrade was Magico S1 instead of Harbeth. Kind of an opposite approach in speaker philosophy. Also upgraded to Nordost frey 2 cables. XLR and speaker.
Now i have a soundwall to listen to. No speakers i can hear. Depth and placement are phenomenal. (Best upgrade ever?). Also easier to listen to.
Again playing and testing HQplayer settings.
Best sounding sinc-L, LNS15, 1.4112M PCM. Still prefer PCM over DSD.
I wonder why this path leads me to sinc-L, LNS15, PCM.
What is the influence of other (better?) equipment on the preferred choices in HQplayer?
Is there a theoretical ‘best settings’ choice in HQplayer?
Any suggestions i should try? I’m open to tips and like to test them.