Im Stunned (Audio codec)

[MrQute-n]

Well as a true audiophile that have been fortunate to own several hi end setups in my life and i only have one word for the Q10 Pro

*WOW* The soundstage are, right where it should be, way up there with the best like some of my Studio processors that today goes for maybe 3000 dollar if not more. I use lossless formats like SACD and DSD along with flac HD, as well as for some more obscure mp3.
And the thing that hits me is that i does not matter what speakers or amplifiers you put in the chain, it really sounds really really well. And that i cant say bout the other Mediaboxes in the past.

Along with Kodi, i can now throw my Marantz reference CD together with my Pioneer reference pre amplifier in the bin. The Q10 makes almost any type of piece of music sound good.

I ran several tests on different volumes, and yeah, it passed with flying colors.
The 2.0 codec and passthrough is one of a kind. ive never felt music so close before, its like you are in the club or studio. and thats only with two channels. It gets even better with 5.1, 7.1.2 / 4 or 9.1.2. MINE GODT!

Sure i have gripes with the Gui, but Kodi makes it all so much better.

Just as a musicplayer its worth every penny, dollar or euro. And with good quality media like BD or HD in 1080P / 4K its a real winner.
it got some quirks and bugs, but i am confident that the people behind both kodi and the Gui will come through for us.

My personal opinion are that when people do things wrong they should know about it. same goes with things that they do good or really well.

The Q10 takes some tweaking and is far from finnished right out of the box. But give it some time and it will blow you away.
Great work Himedia and Futeko for your patience and expertise 

Quicktip, just try out the BT with some headphones and good music you think your right there with the artist. its mind-blowing

Cheers guys, im so happy!

/MRQT

[Mount81]

What do you mean by 2.0 Codec?! Are you using the stereo analogue outputs?! What kind of player are you using? I have tested it with both KODI and the stock Music Player from Himedia Center, and both sounds was rather disappointing and strange on the analogue outs. (Tho' it was much better with PowerAmp, I must admit.)

And if you're simply using optical or HDMI, and your Amplifier decodes the digital signal, than it has (technically shouldn't have) nothing to do with the Himedia Box, and it's only the matter of the quality of your Amplifier's DAC.

What are you're comparison references, that makes you state that the Himedia sounds so superior to you?! :

[MusiCManiaC]

I will honestly say that the text has knocked me down  .
Free ad for Himedia,I had in my life at least one device whose music quality was much better for example Popcorn Hour.

[MrQute-n]

Well when i listen to music both private and in my studio i have the possibility to change the formats, the way i want to. 2.0 is the traditional way, then you have 3.1, 5.1. 7.1 and now even 9.1.2/4 or 11.2. Thats what i ment. and yes ive tried them all, HDMI 2.0a, HDMI 1.4, HDMI 1.2. on sevral products, including, Toslink, Analogue, Coaxial, Adat, Balanced outputs and so on.

No this is not a free ad for Himedia, but i think they deserve appreciation together with the guys at Kodi when they do something that is worth to appreciate, dont you think?

I have or have had several reference or hi end amps and Cd players from Pioneer,  Arcam, Luxman and Marantz, Oppo  and speakers Bowers & Wilkins, Martin Logan, Genelec and i must say that the dac and codecs in the Himedia Q10 Pro or at least this new (Tech Family SOC and Procsessors) suits me perfectly. Nothing before has given the soundstage that i wanted not even my Finalizers from TC Electronics, and one of those sells for 2500 Euro each, i have tube amps and mixing decks that goes for the price of a small car. And no, it does not sound the same. How much more reference do you want?

And no its not my dac on the amps as they were not even hooked up. several test was just made with ordinary bluetooth. the Audio tests were made with my studio equipment hooked up and recorded the files on my tascam digital recorder 24/192

When i play my own mixes through the Q10 Pro it sounds different like with other media players, take my Pioneer NXS2 pro dj player. dont sound bad or anything, they are capable of 24/96 quailty sound but they sound straight and lifeless.
I dont care what makes this box tic, it does it with flying colors, and maybe other boxes with the same engine might sound the same, but those dont sell in Scandinavia and i happen to live there. and im sick and tired trying out new gear and to shell out money for no real change or reason. The other boxes and gear in the past are put to shame simple as that.

Sound is a chain, and with bad material it does not matter if your hardware is good and vise verse.
However even with "bad" quality lossy mp3 the sound is way way better then say with a macbook pro codec via bluetooth or some (not all) studio gear.

I think it was worth to mention as this felt like a step in the right direction and i have had my share of whats called good sound and equipment. Funktion One, Genelec, Yamaha, Crown, LAB, Pioneer (TAD), Krell, Plinius, Dynamic Precision and so on.

When you put "crap" speakers on a stage, play music through the Q10 Pro and it sounds like the artists are right infront of you in the studio, well i rest my case. Anyway the Mali T720 GPU and HiSilicon Hi3798C V200 quad-core processor does the job for me.

Im going to order another machine of this Soc family and have it in my studio.

To put it in simple terms, this box makes it fun to listen to music again, you hear differences you did not hear before, just in a studiomaster but for a fraction of the price. i have cables that are more expensive that the Q10 pro!

[Mount81]

So you get this "superb" sound straight out of the analogue outputs?!  : Will you tell what kind of Player app have you been using? Simply KODI, that's all?! And what firmware version?! TY!

[MrQute-n]

No no no not just analogue, Hdmi 2.0a as well as coaxial and spdif and bluetooth of course.
analogue sounds good, but cant beat the digital outputs on these kind of media.

As of now im using Kodi 17, with Chroma skin version 3.0 and Android 7 2.0.4 and som tweaks in the setups thats it.

Its quite fun to see that "cheap" gear can make such a difference in sound and vision.

sure my other budget mediaplayers cant hold a candle to the Q10 pro, but so can't my Oppo or Marantz BDP do as well and those cost way lot more.

And believe me, ive tried several setups of amps and recievers to get close to the same result with no luck.
Now, with just 2.1.2 i get more immersion then with 11.2.2 before with more expensive setups and so called "Pro installations" and thats the truth
And i have 14 speakers in my room if i hook everything up. That includes 4 15" fronts, dual 18" subwoofers and a Digital 12" pro cinema sub for ultralow LF

What does that tell you?, dont follow other peoples opinions to the letter, use your ears and own judgement. I love music, and what has been bothering me is the stagepresence and separation. And the only thing that gave me the same satisfaction was a 150 000 dollar setup and im not ready to make that jump, not yet anyway. That being said, Q10Pro fits my needs perfectly.

And im really picky when it comes to picture, graphics and not least sound. Thats why i contacted Himedia directly regarding their GUI launcher which ruins the impression of this wonderful machine and im sure there will be a update in the near future.

Take your time to tweak and get ahold of some good quality material of music that you like, skip the mp3s and go for the HD equivalent its worth it i promise you that.

Cheers!

/MRQT

[magicoolje]

I really hope that you are not high!

[Mount81]

I still didn't try KODI 17.x  and 2.0.4fw, only 16.1 and fw 1.0.9, Ok, I will give it a try anyway (As far as the analogue outputs and the internal DAC goes), but your enthusiasm seams rather like, well... So, are you sure it's not the "placebo effect"?!... Cause when digital outputs came in the praise over another (just like in the case of the so called "HDMI cable war"), it would rather seam like that...

And thanks, tho' maybe I didn't had so much expensive and special audio devices as you had so far, but i still have my own -pleasant and selective enough- taste and critique attitude, and right amount of ear for good quality music and for it's sources as well to decide and reasonably conclude...

[MrQute-n]

Placebo? hahahah, no no no, its like the holy grail for me, either i like the sound or i don't. if this was the case i would not praise i would criticice and to some degree nag the h*ell out the producers. As a test i ran the Q10 Pro at the club I'm working at with the same result.

Until now i have been really critic and laid-back when it comes to digital sound. For once i cringe when it comes to mp3 and mixtapes on the web. i even ran som older tapes of my own as i happen to think they sounded garbage like most digital sound do. But i was really surprised to realize the opposite.
They sound well rounded and balanced.

Something in this box is magical, its not my amps, cables, speakers or other hookups even though they are brand new and not cheap.

It has taken me many many years to reach a point when I'm in awe again. When i first bought my pair of B&W 802s i was impressed, then the excitement slowly decreased. Ive had several speakers and solutions since then. And here i thought Oppo was the best that a mortal could have without shelling out a fortune. Im so glad my remote broke so i had to look for something else. And I'm fed up that good sound need to have a expensive price tag.

Im not sure what the box does, but it delivers a sound thats really to my liking and what i have imagined in my head since i first got my sweet tooth for sound, recording and performance.

I hope you to will find what you are looking for  somewhere!

/MRQT

[MrQute-n]

@ magicoolje

The only drug i need is music, so I'm high as a kite on the real deal and true way!

And if you guys don't agree, its your godgiven right, as mine to disagree

Sure the Q10pro lacks features that other media players have but its only software so it can be remedied.

But the controlled sound in bass, mids, and tweeters are at the moment second to none, but thats my personal preference and I've only been in  the business for over 25 years. If you want to buy something else, sure i get that, just buy it.

But for me its really simple, achieving good sound and picture with the least effort and money. Now i have done that. so I'm happy.
Not all people would agree, so good luck in your search and goal in life.

Edit:

To lay any sceptisism to rest i dug up my old setup from the cellar, my old 80s Cerwin vegas and Jbl speakers that are rumored of sounding bad, along with my old amps from my younger years.

And now I'm sold, its not Kodi or anything else, its the box itself and firmware pure and simple. I used Mediacenter and the speakers sounds awesome including with some rips from my old cd collection. they sounds much clearer, i hear parts in the music i did not do before. Bass is firm and controlled and mid and hi's are crystal-clear. To me 70s disco have never sounded as good as this. Before it lacked clarity, oomph and firmness. Im referring to my collection and my experience on different equipment of course.

I put out the question to Himedia if they could contemplate to produce a dedicated audio player /recorder /dac, i would buy it in a heartbeat and put it in my studio. And I'm sure that many more would agree.

/ High as a kite!