Bertel

Apologies if I missed this, just for confirmation: Will the newest HQPlayer Desktop version (5.5.0) work with NAA 4.5.0 ? Reason why I‘m asking: I‘m using a Signature Rendu, and its NAA is still 4.5.0. I‘m assuming that the Sonic Orbiter package will be updated in the near future, but for now would want to make sure that newest Desktop version (which is under my control to keep updated) works with Rendu NAA version (which is under Sonore‘s control). I can as well wait of course, or boot from a different SD card with NAA, but try to avoid both ;-)

@Miska I use a Cosmos ADC and need to add an USB isolator, just as you say - have you found an Intona which works well with it? Or any other brand/model you‘d recommend for the Cosmos?

I am using the original Sonic Orbiter OS that comes pre-installed on the Signature Rendu, yet keep it updated so it has the latest version of the NAA demon. I tried DSD1024 for the first time already last year though, and it worked, so generally not dependent on latest NAA version it seems.

I am using a Signature Rendu, which is built on the ultraRendu, and can do DSD1024 into the Holo May. So that is a viable alternative.

HQP Embedded has its own OS. The process is pretty straightforward: you locate the appropriate version for your hardware on signalyst.com in the Custom section (direct link is this: https://www.signalyst.eu/bins/hqplayerd/images/ ), burn it to an USB stick e.g. with BalenaEtcher, set your computer's BIOS to boot from this USB stick (or select accordingly in the boot menu), and it will start up. You control the application either with the client software you already use (e.g. HQPControl or HQPlayer Client) or go directly to its own web GUI (typically available at http://hqplayer.local:8088/). You'll connect to your NAA endpoint and configure everything just as you do with your HQPlayer Desktop version. There's plenty further advice also here in the HQPlayer Linux Desktop and HQplayer embedded thread.

Absolutely, it certainly does for me - for instance when I played DSD files before in HQP4 (with convolution), Desktop had occasional dropouts while Embedded ran fine. So out of curiosity I tried DSD1024 when I installed HQP5 Embedded, with ASDM7EC-light, and was quite surprised that it worked without dropouts or stutter.

I don't OC at all, just (as recommended by Jussi) have in BIOS loaded "Optimized defaults" and memory set to XMP Profile 1, that's all. I have been using HPQ Embedded though. No dropouts.

Interesting - I can do DSD1024 with my i9-12900K with ASDM7EC light, and e.g. sinc-MGa, without Cuda - but like you greatly prefer ASDM7EC-super 512+fs at DSD512.

@Miska For playing DSD512 with latest version of Holo May / Spring, which is the best modulator, with regards to best technical performance? You had recommended ASDM7ECv2 before with HQP 4.x, now with HQP 5 is it ASDM7ECv3? Or ASDM7EC-super? Or ASDM7EC-super 512+fs? Or a different one? (Btw I can do all of these with my i9-12900K)

Hi @Miska - I think I remember that this was addressed it before, but couldn't find it through Search - I am using the Signature Rendu with its NAA not accessible via login as described above - do you recall how that 0 dbFS setting can be achieved there?

That's great, thank you! Yes, that was my assumption, so I have a Mellanox ConnectX-6 (the CX631102A model) NIC coming which I hope will be a good starting point for settling/solving the SFP28 NIC topic. It has drivers for both Win 11 and Linux available, and I'm hoping HQPlayer Embedded will recognize it (so I don't need to fiddle with Ubuntu). On its compatibility list I see one Finisar module which is the FTLF8536P4BCL. Interestingly its data sheet says it is an SFP+ module. I will get one of these as well, just to be safe, so I have a proven alternative at hand in case my current FTLF1436P3BCL (SFP28 module) should cause issues.

… which in turn means that the benefits over pure 10G end-to-end are rather minimal if the hardware (i.e. the NICs in yoC and NAS, and the modules) are designed for up to 25G but everything is running at 10G because the switch (the Mikrotik CRS305 in my case) only does 10G, right?

I can't tell a difference, but I don't listen to / compare network components anyway. It sure sounded awesome before and sounds awesome now 😉

Oh wow - to further add to the confusion (I hope not) and to add another data point regarding SFP28 compatibility: I just remembered that there is not only QSFP28 (and up) which builds onto the different layout and architecture of QSFP, but also SFP28 as highest rate for the earlier and smaller SFP layout and architecture. So there is / should be downward compatibility of SFP28 (25G) -> SFP+ (10G) -> SFP (1G). I still had a couple of Finisar FTLF1436P3BCL modules lying around (which I had bought previously in an attempt to scale up my fibre network from 10G to 25G, but then wasn't able to fing a 25G switch which was silent enough to run it in my flat, so the project was abandoned). These modules are SFP28, and their data sheet says that they support 'up to 25.78 Gb/s bi-directional data links'. Mind here: no specific rates mentioned as in the data sheets of other Finisar modules I have, but rather a range of 'up to', which to me was an indicator that maybe also 10G and even 1G could work. So I just replaced all my modules: In the MikroTik CRS305 switch: two Finisar FTLX1435D3BTL for my 10G connections to my music server with HQPlayer and to my Mikrotik RB4011iGS+5HacQ2HnD (oh these Mikrotik names... It is my fibre to wireless 'converter' to connect to and isolate from my internet router) one Finisar FTLX1435D3BCV dual rate module for the 1G connection to my Signature Rendu In the Signature Rendu: another Finisar FTLX1435D3BCV as corresponding endpoint for the 1G connection In my music server in the Intel X520-2 network adapter (I only had 5, so need to buy another one for the Mikrotik TB4011) And guess what: all worked without any issue, the connections just continued, and still do so after several reboots of all devices to make sure. This time the replacements were pure plug and play. Will still monitor of course, to ensure all continues to go right. Yet along the lines of our previous thinking, i.e. that for reasons of best jitter performance 10G modules (single or dual rate) are superior to 1G modules and therefore should be used preferrably, I'd assume that SFP28 modules with their even higher requirements for jitter performance (I think @jabbr you had mentioned that a while back) should even be 'more better' ;-) I don't know about other parameters that might eat up the benefits, like some sort of noise increase due to higher bandwidth or energy consumption, the higher temperature of these SFP28 modules compared to the SFP+ ones (10C more), or what seems to be different Bias and Power levels (see screenshot of SwOS 'SFP' tab in CRS305)... So for the moment I'm using 25G SFP28 modules for my 10G and 1G connections. Weird, but I hope theory is on my side and that's the best possible fibre network performance I can get.

@lasker98 what usually works for me is to untick the 'Auto Negotiation' box on the 'Link' tab in SwOS, reboot the CRS305, when it comes back up there usually is 'no link' displayed, then tick it again, and either the link comes on then, or another reboot will bring it up. Not exactly intuitive, but I guess the FTLX1475D3BCV dual rate module needs to somehow get initialised or set correctly by the switch first. (That process worked for me last Friday when I replaced a FTLF1321P1BTL 1G module with a new FTLX1475D3BCV dual rate module) @dbastin I assume that's what MikroTik support mean when stating to 'untick the 10G 'advertisement'