HQPlayer e il dac canadese...
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HQPlayer
This multi-platform software player has quite a reputation on these forums. I had tried it a few years ago and wasn't prepared to deal with the rudimentary GUI and plethora of settings, so I let the trial expire. However, in my life as technical editor for NativeDSD I would assist Tom (tailspn) with readying files for production and we had come across numerous needs for new DSD tools to adjust things like bit rate, multichannel gain trims, etc...all within DSD, and all of the best ones were coming from one source...the desk of Jussi Laako, Signalyst (aka Miska). I feel like Jussi thinks in one-bit 100Mhz , and when you combine that with the growing group of supporters for his ever improving HQplayer I decided it was time to buckle up and take it for a ride (free trial).
When one foregoes such wonderful user friendliness as JRemote one must have one's head examined, right? I mean, life is too short...that is a phrase that kept creeping into my needs-examining brain. So I put on the above-mentioned Pentatone and fone Records demo tracks just to get a quick summary of what life would be like without JRemote. Well.....let's put it this way, I have not fired up JRemote in over two months! Do I miss her? A lot; she was my first real love. Will I get over it? Already have.
I am a huge proponent of finding a DAC's sweetspot. It is almost always a single sample rate (or small range) where the music sounds best. For those DACs that process both PCM and DSD it is almost always one format over the other (leading me to ruminate that maybe we are just going to have to live in a world where there are two DACs in our musical life, a great DSD one and a great PCM one). Now, however, with HQplayer (and possibly other great software) I am understanding why so many otherwise-right-thinking audiophiles would dare to resample their music to a certain format or rate. I always thought that philosophy was full of gimmicky DSP justification, a sort of "mine goes to 11", regardless of how "11" even sounds. But in the hands of professional quality algorithms and filter sets, resampling to a sweetspot may, in fact, be a great bridge to the solution of needing to deal with two DACs.
HQplayer is, at its most basic, a set of pro quality PCM and DSD filters, PCM dither choices and DSD modulators....all put in front of the user with a rudimentary GUI. It includes an even more rudimentary library manager. All that being said, It should not be taken lightly; it is a major musical tool that any DSD DAC should not do without! Once the GUI is improved (Jussi is writing APIs to allow 3rd party development of control points) this utility becomes a major player in DSD (and PCM) playback.
OK, so how does the e12 sound with HQPlayer running the show? Let's start with redbook. Gillian Welch's 2011 alt-bluegrass masterpiece (and one of the best albums I've heard in years) Harrow and the Harvest is not an audiophile recording, but it is a beautiful interplay of tonality, starkness and emotional twang. With HQplayer set to 192k and poly-sinc-mp filtering the soundstage was lit perfectly for her center-fill voice, and her soft playing was nicely grounded in a more yellowish light; Dave's contrasting often-seemingly off key guitar accompaniment was magical. The album is a genius mix of 21st century alt-folk songs that seem as though I grew up with them, yet each is original and different enough to keep one guessing. I admit I never grow tired of this album, but with the e12 and HQplayer it takes on a more performance-in-my-house immediacy that needs a slightly darkened room, a late night glass of wine and say goodbye to 45 minutes. It's a beautiful ride. And this is redbook!
Another 16/44 album that must be heard with the e12/HQP combo is the tremendously entertaining live recording Live a Fip from the French avant-garde-ethno-jazz-world trio (usually made up of at least four players!! ) The Hadouk Trio. On some systems this redbook recording (also available as 24 bit but almost why bother) can sound too dynamic. The Trio use an aggressive blend of percussion, woodwinds like the ancient duduk (beautiful other-wordly sound), some modern effects and a unique invention by the bass player (it's always the bass player), a gumbass...a combination of electric bass and an ancient guembri (look it up). The resultant sound is soft world music put on steroids! With the e12/HQP you are transformed to the live event; mics pick up the sound of the venue and load your room (or headphones) with it, even prior to the first note played. The textures and timbre that are hinted at with most software players are released into the wilds of your room with the e12/HQP. This ain't your world-travelling-South American-now-living-in-Holland uncle's world music...it's now plainly heard as coming from somewhere near the third moon of Saturn. Oh, and it's two discs...so put aside an hour or more! Nice ride..again.
My final redbook example is Keith Richard's solo album Main Offender, likely a drunken weekend recording session where they made the songs up during one party and then laid down the tracks during the second night...and then accidentally released the master tapes as redbook. The impact of Keith's rhythm guitar genius is so evident in this little diddy that it is infectious. The e12/HQP might even be able to identify the amps, but I'm not expert enough. Growl, buzz, impact. Even his pathetic vocals come across as real and full of rock and roll. Main Offender is clearly evidence that 16/44 can be used to create wonderful popular/rock music. Leave the compressor alone please!
Let's jump ahead to DSD64. Now we set HQplayer for SDM (Jussi hates the term DSD ), 5.6Mhz rate, and set your favorite modulator (mine being ASDM7) and away we went. That's not so difficult, is it (I could have used these settings for PCM-DSD conversion but I found I liked separate format settings better)? Throw fone's La Notte on the playlist and be unprepared for the depth of soundstage when the trio of trumpet, guitar and acoustic bass start playing in your room (you starting to get the consistencies here). My Aerial 20T's excel at soundstage depth, and this recording has it to burn. Heck, with the filter settings one can almost "tube roll" one's soundstage depth and width from one's armchair (I use remote desktop app on iPad to control HQplayer running on the i7 server).
The e12 is a Swiss army knife for sample rates (as are other modern DACs) but I got the distinct impression that George had made sure each selection was voiced properly..this wasn't just a "quad rate" feature list item. DSD256 (left played "direct" by HQPlayer) native recordings (and tape transfers) had an effortless quality that reminded me of vinyl. Flow and continuity were the feelings that came to mind. Be careful, late night DSD256 listening can be lulling; I want DSD256 recordings playing in my Soylent-Green induced final resting setup....etherizing melodies that calm and soothe so effortlessly that I................
At $1999 msrp (throw in a hundred bucks or so for HQPlayer) the exaSound e12 challenges other sub-$2k DACs to get serious about deserving a place at the table of your main high-level audio system. We now need to insist on USB galvanic isolation, high-end power filtration, raw DSD playback capabilities..all at this new price point. This DAC should be considered by anyone who needs only single ended connections and has a USB Windows or Mac source. Anyone! Imagine the monies saved to use for recreating hundreds of performances in your music listening room.
Thanks to George, Jussi, Alex, John, Josef, Marcin, Vincent and the movers and shakers of CA's forum to push me into new territories. I'm loving the music.
NOTE: Although I volunteer my time and effort to NativeDSD.com I am not financially in conflict with their hardware sales program, which includes DACs such as exaSound. I do not get any material or financial reward from my work (except great friendships and inside release information ).
Da recensione di exaSound e12 su Computer Audiophile
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