HIFI Diary: HI-Player Music Playback Software Review

I. Introduction

This test isn’t about hardware anymore—it’s about a HIFI music playback software for Apple macOS called HI-Player. Now, when we talk about PC HIFI, one name always comes up: HQPlayer. For years, it’s been hailed as the player with the best sound quality, the most customizable parameters, the steepest price tag, and, let’s be honest, the least user-friendly interface. But HIFI enthusiasts are a resourceful bunch, and they’ve found ways to work around these challenges. What sets HQPlayer apart from other traditional audio playback software is its extensive range of filters, giving users the ability to fine-tune their listening experience without messing with the audio waveform itself.

So, how did HI-Player fare in this review? Can it meet the high standards of HIFI enthusiasts when it comes to sound quality? Does it outshine HQPlayer in terms of functionality? And, perhaps most importantly, is its UI more intuitive and user-friendly? With these three questions in mind, the blogger dove into this review.

II. Preparation for the Evaluation

This evaluation is for the HI-Player full-featured music player developed by "Zhang Wuji." The testing environment is Apple's MacBook Pro (2019) model, which uses an X86 Intel processor. Since the laptop only has Type-C ports, the BLOG owner connected it to a HAGiBiS hub via a USB cable, and then linked it to the DAC. For comparison, the BLOG owner's HIFI-PC was directly connected to the DAC. Please refer to the table below for the specific evaluation environment:

	PC	Macbook
Power	Antec HCG650	Battery
Filtering	Jinglesi ATX Filter Kit Motherboard + CPU + GPU	HAGiBiS hub（HAGiBiS usb cable）
Power cord	BlackWire Power Cord	/
CPU/GPU	7800X3D+3060TI	Intel Core i7
USB	Matrix ELEMENT H LHY Audio Linear Power Supply + Cadis DC Wire	TYPE-C
Software	Windows+HQPLAYER	MacOS+HI-Player
USB cable	Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7	Wireworld Platinum Starlight 7

PC：PC-USB-DAC
MAC：MACBOOK-USB-HUB-USB-DAC

It’s important to note that because the two software programs use different filtering methods, the evaluation process was approached differently. For HQPlayer, the filter selection was based on the blogger’s personal experience, while for HI-Player, the filters were tested one by one according to the recommendations in the manual—and yes, they were truly tested one by one! If the two players had similar filters, those were specifically compared as well. Given the sheer number of filter adjustments made during the listening process, it wasn’t feasible to document every single one. Instead, this evaluation focuses on the blogger’s overall impressions and summary of the characteristics of the two software programs.

Here’s the thing: because of the complexity of filtering, you can pretty much dial in a sound that’s close to your ideal style. But here’s the catch—the style that suits you best might not necessarily be the one that best showcases the player’s quality and timbre. So, the following analysis is based on the blogger’s subjective opinion, aiming to highlight the characteristics of the two software programs and reflect the sound comparison in their optimal states.

III. Evaluation Pieces/Scoring Method

The tracks selected are those frequently listened to by the BLOG owner, with a listening preference that is approximately 70% Japanese music and 30% large-scale orchestral works. Therefore, the selection of tracks will lean significantly towards Japanese music. The scoring criteria are derived from a simplified version of Liu Hansheng's "Twenty Essentials for Audio," with a maximum score of 10, though the highest score typically given is 9 (ultra-flagship). An 8 indicates outstanding performance in the scoring category (flagship), a 7 signifies excellent performance in this category (mid-range), a 6 means it can be normally appreciated (entry-level), a 5 indicates it can be normally listened to, and scores below 5 are not commented on. For a more detailed evaluation scheme, please refer to this link.

IV.Test begins

	PC/HQPlayer	Macbook/HI-Player
Sound Quality / Timbre	8/10	7.5/10
Frequency / Balance	7.5/10	7.5/10
Transient / Dynamics	7.5/10	7.5/10
Resolution / Detail	7.5/10	8/10
Density / Weight(BODY)	8/10	8/10
Transparency / Airiness	7/10	6.5/10
Soundstage / Imaging / Spatiality	7/10	7.5/10
Character / Proportion	7/10	7/10
Total Score	7.44/10	7.44/10

1、Song：Unfinished，Singers：秦勇（QinYong）/Game Science/8082Audio，Album：Black Myth: Wukong OST

Now, Unfinished has definitely become a regular in the BLOG owner’s evaluation system. By the way, Unfinished’s performance at the 2024 Bilibili New Year’s Eve Gala was absolutely stunning. But let’s get back to the evaluation. HQPlayer and HI-Player offer two distinct sound textures. HI-Player leans more toward smoothness and fluidity, though it misses some of the finer details in the weathered voices of male singers. On the other hand, HQPlayer really shines when it comes to mid-frequency details, delivering a more mature and refined performance of vocals, vibrato, and nasal tones.

That said, if we shift our focus away from vocals, HI-Player actually has a slight edge in low-frequency depth, texture, and body compared to HQPlayer. Even after tweaking the filters on the PC repeatedly, the BLOG owner couldn’t quite match the low-frequency effect that HI-Player achieves on the MacBook.

Overall, for songs with deep male vocals—especially those that highlight vocal details and singing techniques—HQPlayer definitely delivers a more nuanced performance. HI-Player’s strength, however, lies more in its solid low-end foundation, and it’s expected to really shine with instruments like piano, cello, and drums.

2、Song：大火（Blazing Fire），Singers：Jess Lee，Album：感谢爱人（Thank you my love）

When it comes to female vocals, HI-Player’s sense of linearity starts to shine. Without the need to overemphasize vocal details, HI-Player delivers a smooth and seamless listening experience, completely free of any roughness. The midrange texture feels somewhat similar to the BLOG owner’s CD player system. In the high and ultra-high frequencies, HQPlayer tends to sound brighter and slightly harsher, while HI-Player has a noticeably more polished and refined feel. That said, if you switch to a non-female vocal recommended filter on HI-Player, it can also produce a brighter sound, though the vocals may lose some of their smoothness. Ultimately, the choice between the two will come down to your personal listening preferences and judgment.

3、Song：鼓诗（Drum Poem），Singers：阎学敏（Yan Xuemin），Album：炎黄第一鼓（The Premier Drum of Chinese Heritage）

This track is a staple in HIFI test playlists, but many listeners aren’t sure how to appreciate it. Let’s take this chance to break it down. Drum Poem is a masterpiece by Yan Xuemin, a renowned Chinese percussionist, created during the 1980s when Chinese percussion music was in a creative rut. Yan aimed to blend traditional percussion with modern musical ideas, breaking through creative barriers and showcasing Chinese drumming to the world. In this piece, he stripped away lyrics and accompaniment, focusing solely on the timbre of drums—like the paigu, dagu, xiaogu, bangu, and timpani—and the performer’s rhythm and power. The result is a pure, poetic composition that paints a vivid, narrative-driven scene with nothing but drum sounds.

Now, why spend so much time explaining how to appreciate this piece? Because it’s one of the best tracks to showcase HI-Player’s capabilities. Its wide soundstage creates a breathtaking scene of roaring drums amidst swirling sand, while its excellent resolution and dynamics layer different drum sounds into a rich, detailed narrative. The deep, full bass captures the overwhelming power of a hundred drums in unison. Past reviews have described the piece as a tribute to Chinese civilization, a reverence for nature and life, a quest for philosophical truths, and an expression of harmony between heaven and humanity. Whether you hear these grand themes or not, there’s no doubt the piece lives up to its praise. At its core, HIFI is about creating a stage for such emotional experiences—and HI-Player, as one of the foundational tools, has the qualities to deliver that stage.

V. Functionality/Ease of Use

We’ve already compared the sound quality of the two players, and they’re pretty much on par. To sum it up, HQPlayer excels in the high frequencies and offers more midrange detail, while HI-Player delivers a thicker, more powerful low end and a slightly wider soundstage. Since the testing environments weren’t identical, this conclusion isn’t entirely rigorous, but it does suggest that the two players perform at a similar level.

In terms of functionality, both focus on upsampling, supporting PCM-PCM, DSD-DSD, PCM-DSD, and DSD-PCM modes without any hidden flaws or missing features. Even their menu structures are quite similar. For streaming, HQPlayer uses its own NAA protocol, which is now supported by many HIFI network/streaming players. HI-Player, on the other hand, supports universal protocols like AirPlay, DLNA, and SqueezeBox, offering better compatibility with a wider range of devices. However, since most HIFI network/streaming players already support NAA, HI-Player’s broader streaming options don’t give it a significant edge in the HIFI community. Since this test primarily used USB transmission, we won’t delve into the bridge functionality of the two software.

Now, let’s talk about playability. Both HQPlayer and HI-Player offer an extensive range of filter adjustments and different tuning strategies for various upsampling scenarios. For those who haven’t tried HI-Player yet, it’s worth checking out the manual to get a feel for its rich features. What’s particularly noteworthy is its user-friendliness for English speakers. Unlike HQPlayer, which provides almost no filter explanations (even online resources are scarce), HI-Player’s manual is incredibly detailed—almost spoon-feeding you the differences between each filter. This level of thoughtfulness is where HI-Player outshines HQPlayer in terms of usability.

VI. Summary

The BLOG owner has communicated with the creator of HI-Player, and it’s clear that HI-Player isn’t just a simple wrapper built on ffmpeg. From its core playback engine to its filtering and streaming support, everything was developed independently from scratch, including a dedicated set of interfaces. This is likely one of the reasons HI-Player can deliver high-quality audio playback and compete with HQPlayer.

That said, HI-Player is still in its early stages of development (as of January 2025, it’s been about two years in the making), so it lags far behind HQPlayer in terms of multi-platform support. As of New Year’s Day 2025, HI-Player is only available on macOS, but the creator has mentioned active efforts to develop versions for Windows and iOS. In the future, there may even be a system like HQPlayer Embedded for more hardcore HIFI enthusiasts.

Additionally, according to the creator, HI-Player is very resource-efficient. It’s not only power-saving (though that’s not particularly meaningful) but also has much lower hardware requirements compared to HQPlayer. For software like HQPlayer and HI-Player that focus on upsampling, the BLOG owner believes this has a positive impact on sound quality. Upsampling itself is very demanding on CPU and GPU resources, and factors like high clock speeds, heat, cooling, and vibrations can significantly affect audio quality. This has been observed in past reviews of X86-based streamers, where some enthusiasts even disable hyper-threading, lock CPU frequencies, or use fanless aluminum chassis to achieve better sound (and higher prices). This is also one of the mainstream tuning approaches for some PC HIFI manufacturers.

Finally, there’s the pricing strategy. HQPlayer uses a one-time licensing model, currently priced at $249. Without purchasing a license, playback is limited to 30 minutes. HI-Player, on the other hand, uses a base + subscription model: $1.9 unlocks the 30-minute playback limit, while $19.99 grants a year of unlimited access. Both pricing models have their own focus, and the BLOG owner won’t judge which is better.