Thank you very much for your clear explanations @brett66, and your kind offer to help. I have a few things keeping me busy at the moment, but I may give hqplayer a try in the future. No rush, though, because I am super happy without any upsampling. And about 50% of my listening is cds with the fabulous sounding PS Audio PST.
If I understood you correctly, I would just have to plug a laptop running hqplayer into my switch or router via Ethernet, the rest would stay the same: Lumin U1 and Nucleus + both connecter to switch, and Lumin U1 connected via USB to Holo May ?
I must admit I am a bit uncomfortable with the noise the laptop could introduce. I have worked hard to eliminate noise (linear power supplies for everything, vibration isolation, etc).
Also concerned about the ringing artifacts from upsampling, cf the article of Jeff Zhu mentioned above.
Before I continue, the Matrix is powered by a full Monty Farad, fed by a ChordMusic USB, and feeds a RAL (actually, at the moment it is an AQ Dragon 48 on loan that I am testing).
Without the Matrix, I experienced a much smaller soundstage, in width and depth. Less air, less sense of the recording space. It was brighter, more strained, with less flow, more veiled and somewhat muffled.
In summary, similar improvements to what I heard when I used the DS and added the Matrix.
If Lumin supported NAA, then yes it would stay the same but I donât find NAA support on the list of protocols though they certainly could add it if they wished.
Youâll need either HQP or NAA device connected to the May.
Architecture changes are a bigger fish to fry for sure. The Lumin appears to be a very well designed and constructed unit.
Absolutely try Roon upsampling. I would just caution to not categorize all upsampling based on Roonâs implementation. Itâs not bad but itâs certainly not state of the art.
A music server I purchased some years ago included HQPe so Iâve had a license to use for 4+ years now.
The sonic value of upsampling in my experience is dependent on the quality and rate of the source. I find upsampling an internet radio station @128k MP3 to gain the most by going to DSD256 and especially with EC modulators only available in HQP. Qobuz 192k Flac doesnât realize as much improvement as itâs already so darn clean and noise free.
A long way of saying youâre not missing much if most of your listening is with CD-quality and betterâŚ
Hey Phil â exact same experience here. USB direct has been a disappointment for me with both the DS and the May. I2S has been dramatically better in both cases. In the Mayâs case USB is advertised as the preferred connection. The Matrix USB to I2S wipes the floor with the standalone USB input on the May. I hope Ted and PSA have a listen to this DAC before they release the DS 2. The Bar has been set with the May. The reviews are accurate. Itâs absolutely outstanding\groundbreaking etcâŚ
I agree that CD-quality and above is further improved with HQP in the mix but it helps low bitrate SO much more, in my experience.
âŚand what HQP brings to the party pales in comparison to speakers, speaker position, room and room treatment, solid component choice, and even convolution in my experience. Perhaps not your experience and certainly not everyones experience.
Could I live without DSD256 and EC modulators, of course, do I want toâŚabsolutely not.
Each person has to decide the value and trouble to rearchitect a perfectly functional system to incorporate HQP(e). For me, it does not make or break the system rather I realize those precious but diminishing returns for the very modest investment.
My argument is that HQPlayer does not help mp3 files any more than it helps CD files. Why? Because mp3 files are usually just CD files with more information missing. HQPlayer canât add back what is not there. The HQPlayer filters help both mp3 and CD files in the same way. The percentage of improvement would be the same. The mp3 files I have I never listen to any more because the ones I care about have been replaced with better quality files usually from much better masterings.
Of course HQPlayer has less of an impact than speakers, components, etc. That doesnât mean that the improvements made by HQP player are not significant or well worth the investment. I implement improvements wherever I can find and afford themâŚ
By the very nature of upsampling, the addition of what is not there is an inevitable, unavoidable outcome.
Whether itâs bringing something back that was actually there in the original live session is the real question.
In my latest experiences, I can emphatically say itâs less about just the upsampling and quite a lot about holistic rendering technique. There is such a component chain that makes YouTube sound Hi-Res.
Upsampling is about moving the reconstruction/anti-aliasing filter far above audible frequencies. Why? The filter can be more gentle and not affect the audible spectrum when it is well above the audio spectrum. It is not about adding dataâŚat all.
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