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John ALSR

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  1. John ALSR

    HQ Player

    Last time I posted was November 2015. My copy of HQPlayer quit working at the time of the V.3.17 transition. Using a Mytek 192-DSD DAC on Firewire with Win10 on a 'feeble' computer (AMD 2.5GHz quad-core). Everything worked fine including DSDx128. Using the Wasapi driver with the '2-wire' box checked. JRiver continues to work with both the ASIO and Wasapi drivers (on PCM). HQPlayer (as far back as V.3.12 - have many saved versions) fails to load with a Win10 error message. Every try is preceded by an uninstall. Noting that the Mytek DAC is no longer on the recommended list at the Signalyst website - it used to be. Got my 'key' converted to the new format. Anybody got any ideas. I've let this fester having gotten involved with 'life.' Time to find out what's up? John
  2. Last time I posted was November 2015.  My copy of HQPlayer quit working at the time of the V.3.17 transition.   Using a Mytek 192-DSD DAC on Firewire with Win10 on a 'feeble' computer (AMD 2.5GHz quad-core).  Everything worked fine including DSDx128.  Using the Wasapi driver with the '2-wire' box checked.   JRiver continues to work with both the ASIO and Wasapi drivers (on PCM).

     

    HQPlayer (as far back as V.3.12 - have many saved versions) fails to load with a Win10 error message.  Every try is preceded by an uninstall.   Noting that the Mytek DAC is no longer on the recommended list at the Signalyst website - it used to be.   Got my 'key' converted to the new format.

     

    Anybody got any ideas.  I've let this fester having gotten involved with 'life.'  Time to find out what's up?

     

    John 

     

     

     

  3. John ALSR

    HQ Player

    Hi Morten, A short while back, pages ago, I wrote of my experience with my "Feeble computer" - a Win8.1 2.5GHz AMD quad-core with a Firewire connection to a Mytek 192DSD. The situation is complicated; but, I'm assuming that you've got the HQP "2-wire" box checked and have been playing DSD128. I've used the volume min/max setting at -3dB with success. Using any of the "-2s" filters seems to allow for mixing 44kHz-base and 48kHz-based files for DSD128 upsampling. The DSD7 modulator seems to work well as does the ASM7 one. I tend to playback whole albums, and don't mix files much as of yet. The situation changes when using the using the 'full computation' filters. With the Feeble computer mixing of 44/48 base files doesn't work well at all. The "Poly-sinc" filter takes 20 whole seconds to initialize on the Feeble computer. In addition to Poly-sinc, I've used "Poly-sinc-short-mp" which is identified in the manual as having 'optimal transient response.' "Poly-ext" works too, and does sound different a bit. So the question for you is 'just how feeble is a Mac Mini from 2011'? The main error modes I've experienced with the Mytek have been dropouts associated with the LED readouts going into the red. Sometimes, like with the Poly-ext the dropouts seem to be very rare and infrequent - yet, with the Poly-sinc-short-mp I've not yet heard a dropout. Also a while back I asked thread members using Myteks whether anyone had noticed whether the DSD128 upsampling to either the 5.6MHz or 6.1MHz rates represented a 'sweet spot' for Mytek playback. One person said it was an interesting question, but had no opinion. Since then its become clear that using the 'full computation' filters that my Feeble computer won't upsample 44-base to DSD128 6.1MHz - just too much computation needed. You'll probably just have to 'try things out' like I had to do so. Get a handle on your Mac Mini's performance using the "-2s" filters, and then see what it does with the 'full computation' filters - and be ready for dropouts. John
  4. John ALSR

    HQ Player

    With my 'feeble' Win8.1 computer I've been pretty successfully upsampling PCM to DSD128. Though today I noted a few dropouts in extended play using the poly-ext filter - and that is with a 250mS buffer. My question is for Mytek users: What hardware DSD filter are you using for DSD upsampling? The 50KHz, 70KHz or 90KHz? Not sure there is any audible difference, but am using the 50KHz hardware DSD filter.
  5. John ALSR

    HQ Player

    The Feeble Computer, as previously defined, using V.3.11 of HQP, will NOT upsample base-44KHz to x2 SDM (5.6MHz) to a Mytek DAC via Firewire using the Closed-Form filter. All four 2.5MHz CPU cores at 75-85% giving continuous dropouts. "Closed-form" is more rigorous than Poly-sinc computationally. John
  6. John ALSR

    HQ Player

    Reference Posts: 3563, 3564, 3569, 3570, 3571 (Miska), 3573 Thank you for all replies to my original post (3563). Coming from a university research background I can testify that communication is rather difficult. Hence the elaborate "operational definitions" required in reporting empirical test results for science purposes. My hidden 'hypothesis' was "Can I use HQPlayer driven by the Feeble Computer to achieve maximum capable performance output with the Mytek DAC (original version) for DSD upsampling of PCM sources?" Somewhere along the way my 'data' wasn't sufficient. Understanding that there is a computational hierarchy of the DSD upsampling filters, and that of the recommended filters, both the "poly-sinc" and "poly-sinc-mp" are the most computationally demanding, I sought to test the thesis. In all cases the Mytek display showed "HdSd." Upsampling 44-base PCM using "poly-sinc" at the 5.6MHz rate worked. Upsampling 44-base PCM using "poly-sinc" at the 6.1MHz rate DID NOT WORK. Today's testing showed that: Upsampling 48-base PCM using "poly-sinc" at the 6.1MHz rate worked. As noted in my original post, a slight increase in CPU cores load was noted: CPU 0 = ~45% CPU 1 = ~55-60% CPU 2 = ~50% CPU 3 = ~55-60% What seems very clear is that base-44 and base-48 PCM cannot be mixed for upsampling to their respective x2 SDM rates using the most computationally intense filter types. To the question of the Mytek "Sweet Spot": Mixing 16/44, 24/48, 24/88, 24/96 PCM files for playback (too lazy to add 176/192KHz files) and setting the filter type to "poly-sinc-shrt-mp-2s" and setting the upsample rate to the Mytek maximum of 6.1MHz allowed for all files to be played in a mixed-format playlist situation! Apples and oranges: It is hard to keep things straight while empirical testing, or in most other situations too. I am now convinced that when I want to play back PCM files at the maximum quality (assuming I could hear that) that I would use one of the "poly-sinc" filters and only be able to play back one PCM-base format file type dependent upon the upsampling rate chosen (i.e. 44Khz PCM to 5.6MHz; 48KHz to 6.1MHz.). If I want to 'party' then I need to select a "-2s" filter variant with reduced computation load, and then I can mix all PCM file types. This is pretty wonderful don't you think ... ... using The Feeble Computer (to get the best the Mytek can do). Regards, John p.s. So what is the Mytek "sweet spot" using the "-2s" filter variants, i.e. 5.6MHz or 6.1MHz?
  7. John ALSR

    HQ Player

    Reference #3563 Attempting to use SDM Poly-sinc/ASDM7 (PCM source) upsampled to x2 SDM at 6.1MHz with 16/44 PCM WAV file results in +40 seconds initialization time and completely choppy playback. Apparently 16/44 PCM to x2 SDM only works for 5.6MHz upsample using the 'feeble AMD 2.5GHz CPU.' Playing back now successfully at 5.6MHz x2 SDM upsample to the Mytek. John
  8. John ALSR

    HQ Player

    The issue of how much CPU power is needed to run HQPlayer arises frequently. After reading through the entire thread at the beginning of August I downloaded the trial version of HQP; and, on September 2nd purchased it. My intend is/was to use HQP to upsample PCM files, stored in WAV file format, to x2 SDM to my new Mytek DAC. In a reply to my previous post here, Miska provided the proper settings needed for x2 SDM upsampling over Firewire to the Mytek: WASPI; 2-wire checked; SDMpack-Dop; and CPU "Pipeline." Additional settings were volume min/max at -3dB; and, most critical "Buffer" at 250mSec. I will return to the buffer setting issue below. The computer was based upon a "Maximum PC" magazine HDTV design of several years back, in which the then new parts sat unused until about 6 months ago. The processor is an AMD Athlon x4 615e at 2.5GHz speed. It has 16 Gb of RAM, with a small SSD for the Windows 8.1 operating system and programs. All music files are stored in WAV file format on a Samsung SSD 850 Evo 1T size. Note that using the Samsung Magician program that SSD is set for "Maximum Reliability" and the "Rapid" mode is set to convert some of the RAM to a RAM disk buffer for the SSD. Can we all agree that the x4 615e CPU @ 2.5GHz speed is 'feeble'? Its claim to fame was/is its 45W power consumption; and, the internals of the computer were intended to be fanless (which is not its current situation). Not being entirely sure as to proper settings for the filter and oversampling protocol (16/44 WAV to 5.6MHz or 6.1MHz SDM?) I started with: Poly-sinc-shrt-mp-2s (for transient response?) / DSM7 With the minimum buffer setting this resulted in non-immediate dropouts, i.e. dropouts occurring later in the music. The Mytek's LED meters showed that the dropouts were associated with 'maximum red clipping.' Eventually I increased the buffer length to 250mSec after the 100mSec buffer setting evinced a single dropout after several hours of superb playback. Since increasing the buffer length to 250mSec there have been NO dropouts! With my limited understanding I began to 'work' my way 'up' the ladder of oversampling filters: Poly-sinc-mp-2s Poly-sinc-short-mp and finally, the BIG DADDY Poly-sinc-mp Along the way I changed the modulator from DSM7 to ADSM7, for no reason other than I'd read here that others thought it better than the DSM7. So here's the results from the Poly-sinc-mp filter and ADSM7 modulator upsampling 16/44 PCM WAV files to x2 SDM (5.6mHz): The Poly-sinc-mp filter took 20 seconds to initialize, as timed and seen on the Windows "Resource Monitor CPU" readouts (for all four cores). All four cores went to 100% maximum used during initialization. Twenty Seconds!!! Afterward, perfect playback at: CPU 0 = ~45% CPU 1 = ~50% CPU 2 = ~45% CPU 3 = ~55-60% The computer is used solely for music playback; and, the only other programs running when these measurements were made was the Resource Monitor and HWmonitor (CPU temperature). Once the 20 second initialization is effected, all further playback (of 16/44 PCM) occurs quickly and without tedious delay. As I understand, the above settings maximize quality to the Mytek, which is limited to x2 SDM using Miska's special 2-wire Firewire method. I have noted that upsampling 16/44 PCM to SDM 6.1mHz seems to use slightly more CPU percentage of use. My question for others who use the Mytek (Miska?) is what is its x2 SDM 'sweet spot' and is there any way to have 44kHz and 48kHz files distinguished for automatic playback. I'm not sure I understand all the issues involved. Second question is that I'm currently using the Mytek firewire cable supplied (as part of the Mytek store's sales package). Would there be any worth in upgrading that cable; and, if so, to what cable is recommended? I think it likely that my PCM file as WAV format and the EVO 850 SSD with RAM disk "Rapid" mode might influence the extremely positive results in sound quality I am now getting. Yet on the other hand, the 'feeble' AMD x4 615e CPU seems quite adequate (accepting the 20 seconds initialization time) for even the most demanding SDM filter settings. Then again, I haven't tested every filter. Why not stop when the music sounds better than it ever has here at home? John
  9. John ALSR

    HQ Player

    Hi, This is my first post to this forum. A few months back I purchased a Myteck DSD 192 DAC. Since then I've read through all the posts to this thread. Way back on page 56 post 1388 Miska instructed to check the "2wire" box with the Mytek to be able to do x2 SDM. Last week I downloaded HQPlayer 3.8.1 and have been trying to get it to work in the 2wire mode for x2 SDM to the Mytek via Firewire. I've confirmed that with JRiver in the USB native SDM mode that x2 will playback using a number of the free music file downloads available on the web. I believe JRiver uses a custom driver for this mode? The "Backend" is ASIO - with WASAPI and Network Audio Adaptor as other options. The "Device" is ASIO Mytek Firewire - with JRiver Media Center 20 as the other option. The ASIO Firewire driver is number 4.2.0.39752 The SDM Pack setting is either 'none' or 'DoP' - neither setting activates the '2wire' box to be checked. An obvious solution is to use the USB method with JRiver; but, I have an ADC connected via USB, and would like to keep the Mytek on Firewire and use HQPlayer. There are a number of Mytek Firewire setup posts in the #1300 range. No amount of fiddling with settings seems to activate the '2wire' mode (for x2 SDM). Any help would be appreciated. HQPlayer sounds very good, but I'd like to try x2 SDM with it and the Mytek. Thanks, John
  10. [Mind Blown – in from the wilds] Greetings, this is my first post to this forum. I’d like to detail the iZotope SRC settings available in Sony’s Sound Forge Pro v.10 for its “Maximum Quality” simple setting; and, the ranges and variability for its parameters. Sound Forge has a ‘batch processing mode’ which I’ve been using to up sample (to date) my collection of HD files in either 24/88 or 24/96 to 176/192KHz sampling rate. One of the 3T Seagate USB drives on sale at Costco (now?) makes file size irrelevant. Sound Forge Pro v.10 – iZotope 64-bit SRC “Maximum Quality” simple settings Max SR: 192KHz Steepness: 150 (range 0-200, vary by 1) Filter Length: 500,000 (range 10K – 2M, vary by 1) Cutoff Scaling: 1.00 (range 0.5 – 2.0, vary by 0.01) Alias Suppression: 200.00 (range 50 -200, vary by 0.01) Prering (%): 100 (vary by 1) ----- To date about 20 HD albums have been upscaled. I am using a new DAC with a ‘Listen’ Minimum Phase switch which is what I’ve been using. No critical listening to date. I discovered this thread with a search trying to find out how to use the SRC’s advanced settings. The Maximum Quality – simple setting (as above) has seemed quite good in casual listening. A dedicated Atom-based Foxconn nettop (not connected to the internet) is the server I use – not recommended. Processing an album with it (24/96 to 24/192) usually takes a couple hours (time isn’t an issue). John – Acoustic Line Source Research p.s. I lost my first post, the “Quick Reply” mode was dropping every other letter, and then I wasn’t allowed to post after registering? This message was composed offline – hope it works this time.
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