What pipelineSDM does is splits the cpu load evenly over all the cores of your CPU. What SDM direct does is bypasses an extra stage of filtering required for volume control etc with DSD. If playing a DSD track with SDMdirect enabled, your getting a pure feed from the track without any of the HQplayer filtering manipulating the sound. It's the purest way possible to listen to DSD sourced from a PC. When it's enabled while resampling PCM to DSD, it's an extra layer of sound degrading, CPU load increasing processing disabled.
It's the same difference as going through the SDM/SRC section of the AK4490 chip, rather than bypassing and going direct to the low pass filter.
What many people don't realize is HQplayer is not just another media player. It's a replacement for processes that normally happen inside resource constrained DAC chips. Only it does a much better job. So if you have a DAC like the GG that allows you to bypass the internal processing of a DAC chip, you have exactly the type of DAC HQplayer was intended for. So unless you do things Bruce's way with the $3800 Pyramix mastering pack DAW, your not going to hear better sound from your GG.
And also make sure "none" is checked under SDMpack. As well as the ASIO driver for the Amanero. This is the only way you'll get the Amanero to do DSD 256. As it will be streaming DSD natively with this setting.
It couldn't do it without stuttering with Windows 8.1.
