Upsampling PCM or DSD in 2022


The purpose of this post is to ask the collective about the best options for upsampling today, and whether it’s worth doing. I stumbled into this topic after recently considering Paul McGowan’s take on DSD, and after reflecting on the upsampling in my home theater system.

Paul believes that DSD is world’s better than PCM. That caught my attention, because, until now, I have been operating under John Darko’s view that high res (i.e. 24-bit and above) is nice but not worth chasing--CD quality is good enough. But audio does seem analogous video. And 1080p isn't good enough for my video streams. So, I now want to give DSD and upsampling a shot.

In my home theater system, I use an Nvidia Shield TV streamer for its AI upsampling, driven by its graphics processor. Plenty of video content is still being released or only available at 1080p. Although upsampled 1080p isn’t as good as 4k, it’s better than basic 1080p. That upsampling makes a big difference for me. I strongly dislike watching 1080p content on my 4k TV. As far as I’m aware, the Nvidia Shield streamer offers the best video upsampling on the market, and it only costs >$200. It occurred to me that I might get similar gratification by upsampling audio too.

Upsampling can be performed at the DAC, streamer, server, or somewhere in between. Here are the major options I’ve considered so far:

  1. PS Audio’s Direct Stream DAC costs 6k. As an FPGA unit, it has lots of extra power that this manufacturer directs towards upsampling, and upsampling PCM to DSD is a major selling point for this device. Unfortunately, you have to get to the Direct Stream in the lineup to experience that feature.
  2. Chord’s Hugo M Scaler costs 5k. Although Chord builds FPGA DACs too, Chord sells a separate component for upscaling. In the audio chain, the M Scaler sits between a streamer and DAC. Because Chord separates out upsampling functionality into its own component, Chord’s solution is likely more expensive than PS Audio’s.
  3. HQ Player software costs >$300. HQ Player is a software service that can be installed on a server, or on a computer that sits between the server and streamer. Besides being affordable, you can pair HQ Player with Roon. The author of AudioBacon reports HQ Player introducing up to 30 seconds of lag to an audio stream when set to the most demanding upsampling algorithm even when used with a powerful Windows computer. But another commenter mentioned that his M1 Apple device introduced zero lag when running HQ Player.

Because the retail price of the components in my stereo system came out to about 5k (when new), HQ Player is where I’m looking for now. Please comment if:

  • You know about some other upsampling options I ought to consider;
  • You have opinions about the value of high res audio or upsampling; or
  • If you have anything you’d like to add to the conversation.
128x128classdstreamer

@reg19 how did you determine those settings? I asked Jussi many times years ago, never received an answer as to which filter or mod did what. Followed discussions at Audiophile Style, but no real clues.

Although I do have a computer that's capable to upsample to DSD512 (probably higher), HQPLAYER doesn't DLNA, the current standard is PC +  Audirvana  -> 25m Ethernet ->  EtherRegen-> Lumin U1. Tried NAA on mac mini and it sounded eeeuuuwww. 

@rms456 There is a detailed thread just on HQP filters on community.Roonlabs.com: Which HQPlayer Filter Are You Using

There is quite a bit of info in the HQP manual as well. There is also a detailed, dedicated thread on audiophilestyle.com.

25m Ethernet run seems long. Have you tried fiber?

Most users have HQPlayer desktop on the Mac Mini M1 / M2 (which connects via Ethernet to the rest of your network) and then use a separate NAA (like the Sonore opticalRendu or SoTM SMS-200Ultra Neo) that connects to your DAC.

 

Reviving an old thread, in case anyone is interested...

I was 100% NOS camp, either using Roon or in my R2RDAC, Audio-GD R7 HEmk3. No matter what I did, oversampling brought noise and made the sound less organic. I am running ROCK from a NUC and streaming through a Melco N1 with an external Mutec clock. Then I did two things:

1) I isolated the NUC from the SOtM switch using fiber, with Finisar SFPs and a linear power supply.

2) I purchased a used Telegartner switch and the Initio power supply and placed it just before the streamer.

Now the upsampling in PCM is doing something positive, bringing some detail and nuances that were not present before. I have not tested with DSD yet.

I watched a Mark Levinson YTvideo yesterday. Seems he can developed a whole new take on digital decoding called C Wave

Audio legend Mark Levinson, founder of Daniel Hertz, and his team have developed disruptive audio technology that delivers a new level of natural sound and emotion in music reproduction from all formats including streaming.

 

With this new technology, Daniel Hertz builds Maria - a single chassis complete amplifier solution with uncompromised performance, elegant design, build quality, compact size, light weight, low heat and fully programmable signal flow, priced within reach of more people. Daniel Hertz speakers offer a choice of sizes and price points for listeners with different needs.

 

THE SECRET SAUCE: Daniel Hertz patented C Wave technology enables pure analog sound and emotion from digital recordings including streaming. See the video. HERE WILL BE VIDEO

 

“The Daniel Hertz Maria is the best amplifier I know how to build, without regard for price