Congrats on the DAC200. That’s on the top of my list a far as my next DAC.
What should factor into the selection of an upscaling tool is what one’s ultimate goal is. I actually have two of them. First off, I want to improve on the filters that are built into my DAC. By improve, I mean I want instruments and voices to sound more like the real thing. Secondly, I want to reduce the harm that the digital conversion process can do to the music.
A goal that I think many HQPlayer users have is to alter the music so it aligns more with how they want it to sound. That is not a goal of mine as I only want solutions that get the heck out of the way of the music. Those trying to flavor the sound with HQPlayer are essentially using it as if it was a kind of tone control. They will even change the filter depending on the kind of music that is playing.
HQPlayer doesn’t have to be used that way though. I use it when streaming as it helps me achieve my first goal: it can improve upon the filters built into my DAC. PGGB improves upon them to a much higher degree though while also bringing profound improvements in my second goal,
Achieving both my goals is quite a heavy lift in terms of processing. Upscaling is all about math. The greater the accuracy, the greater the number of calculations that have to be performed. Having to perform those calculations in real time is no easy chore. The less effective filters could still be good enough for many folks though.
I think you owe it to your DAC to try some files generated by PGGB. If you send a PM, I can share some with you or even process some files you share.
Completely unexpected, but I just acquired one too. One was listed for sale on Audiophile Style. Seller turned out to be local so I fetched it this morning. Not surprisingly, but it’s a massive upgrade over the Gustard x26pro.
I’ve fed it only PGGB-processed file so far (in DSD512). Quoting your mail to me: OMFG
Yeah, unfortunately the downside of hearing the quality of PGGB DSD files I am now looking at purchasing an 8-core min 32GB Ram windows 10/11 computer after having been on Mac for years… nothing I currently own seems to have the horsepower needed.
But it is amazing how one file from the K50 harddrive into the T+A converter seems to have upgraded not only the DAC, but the amplifier and cables as well. If someone blindfolded me I would never have believed the only change to my system was simply going from a PCM 24/192 file to a DSD512 file. Gobsmacked.
I purchased a 2019 Mac Pro mostly for processing with PGGB. Not as fast as the Macs with Apple Silicon but a ton of memory can be added. Memory reduces swapping to disk, which can greatly slow down the processing.
The model I purchased retailed for $10k up until it was discontinued in June 2023. I just over 20% of that for a brand new model on eBay a year ago. Since it was new, it was covered by Apple’s limited warranty. Prices have come down since then as you might expect.
2013 Mac Pros have dropped even more. These can still get a lot of music processed, especially when maxed out at 128 GB of RAM. I’d pick one of those before going the PC route.
thank you for pointing out PGGB. I tried converting to DSD and PCM 352 kHz 24-bit and PCM 352/32-bit. Unfortunately, Roon does not display the file in 32-bit, even though my DAC is capable of this and it is also preset. But so far, I am very impressed with PGGB.
Kind regards Kurt
It would be a good idea to view the Signal Path in Roon to make sure that it’s showing Lossless. If Roon thinks your DAC can only support up to 24 bits, it might process a 32 bit file. That would toss out some of the benefit of PGGB.
As you can see, I am using squeeze for the DSD playback. Roon does some things wonderfully well, but other things like the most transparent fidelity, or DSD playback, it is not their strength.
