Comparison

Systemline 7 vs HQPDcontrol v4

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Systemline 7

Control your multiroom music system from your iOS device. Stream music from various online services and your personal library. Customize your home screen and group zones for party mode.

Highlights
  • Multiroom music system control
  • Stream from online services
  • Personal music library browsing
  • Customizable home screen
  • Zone grouping for party mode
  • On-the-fly playlist creation
  • Restricted access features
Features
Read full description

The S7 NetMusic App is designed exclusively for use with the Systemline S7 multiroom music system. The S7 NetMusic App is optimised for iOS7 and is compatible with iOS8. Turn your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad in to a powerful multiroom controller usable anywhere in your home A number of special integration features have been included to make it readily usable with 3rd party control systems including KNX™, Lutron™, Control 4™ & Crestron™. This includes ‘punch through’ from the 3rd party App, support for automatic zone selection and a convenient return-path back to the 3rd party App that opened it. The first thing that greets you is the home screen, which could not be simpler. The home screen displays the time (with alarm function) and direct ‘one-touch’ selection of any favorite, which can be a radio station, album or playlist (stored on the NetServer or via a Music-on-demand service). There is also the option of an in-App purchase to add a fully featured Player function to your Controller. This is ideal for headphone listening or to Stream to compatible speakers. S7 NetMusic is a universal App for both iPhone and iPad, so you only have to purchase the App once. The main menu is fully customizable, so you can decide what services you want and position them in your order of preference. This is through a simple drag-and-drop process. One of the main features of this App, is its speed of operation. It is also simple and intuitive to use. You can easily browse your ‘My Music’ folder 

by Albums, Artists, Genres etc. or simply search for the music of your choice. There are a whole host of on-line services available through a wide choice of ‘Plug-ins’ including BBC iPlayer Radio
™, Qobuz 
™ , Spotify
™ , Deezer
™ , YouTube
™, Tune-In
™ and many more. And for consistency, these services are presented and controlled in the same way as your own stored music library
.
 Zones can be grouped together for party mode, or a number of separate groups can be created, all using a simple drag-n-drop process. Each zone within the group can be separately controllable, together with a master volume for each group. There is also a button to turn all zones off. There is a powerful on-the-fly playlist to which you can add tracks and then edit the playlist as you require, again by a simple drag n drop process. The playlist can then be saved and add to favorites if required. There is a restricted access feature, which can be used to limit certain devices from being able to control specific zones. For example, you may not want a teenage son or daughter making music selections or controlling the volume of NetMusic in your master bedroom. One of the deployment options for S7 is for the use of an iPod Touch or iPad as an in-wall control device. Consequently, considerable attention has been given to this functionality. The iPod Touch implementation is not only designed to work comprehensively in landscape mode, it benefits , as does an iPad, from being able to be woken up by a single touch of its screen. There is no need to access the home button.

About

HQPDcontrol v4

Control your high-quality audio playback and upsampling from your mobile device. Browse your music library, manage playback queues, and adjust audio processing settings remotely. Seamlessly connect to your HQPlayer setup for an intuitive audiophile experience.

Highlights
  • Library browsing by artist, album, genre, and directory
  • Full playback transport controls
  • Real-time audio format and processing display
  • Queue management with drag-and-drop reordering
  • Remote adjustment of HQPlayer audio settings
  • HRA catalog browsing and streaming
  • Automatic HQPlayer instance discovery
Features
Read full description

HQPDcontrol is the remote control for HQPlayer — the renowned high-quality audio player and upsampler. Turn your iPhone or iPad into a powerful, intuitive control surface for your audiophile setup. LIBRARY BROWSING Browse your music collection by artists, albums, genres, directories, or playlists. Search across your entire library instantly. View album artwork, track details, and digital booklets. Choose between grid and list views with configurable column layouts optimized for both phones and tablets. PLAYBACK CONTROL Full transport controls with real-time track information, album art, and a detailed audio format display showing sample rate, format (PCM/DSD), and the processing pipeline. Scrub through tracks, adjust volume, and monitor audio levels with a multi-channel meter view featuring peak indicators. QUEUE MANAGEMENT View and edit your playing queue with drag-and-drop reordering. Add tracks, albums, or entire playlists. Clear the queue or save it as a playlist for later. Jump to the currently playing track with a single tap. HQPLAYER SETTINGS Adjust HQPlayer's audio processing parameters directly from your device. Change filters, modulators, and other settings in real time without interrupting playback. HRA CATALOG ACCESS Browse and search the HRA (HIGHRESAUDIO.com) streaming catalog directly from the app. Manage your HRA playlists and send streaming URLs to HQPlayer for playback — HQPDcontrol acts purely as a remote control, with all audio processing and playback handled by HQPlayer. AUTOMATIC DISCOVERY HQPDcontrol automatically detects HQPlayer instances on your network. Just launch the app and connect — or configure the connection manually if preferred. DESIGNED FOR AUDIOPHILES • Real-time audio level meters with multi-channel support • Detailed format and conversion information display • Support for PCM and DSD formats • Album booklet/liner notes viewer (PDF) • Library statistics and storage overview • Dark and light themes • Left-handed mode • Responsive layout for all screen sizes HQPDcontrol requires a running instance of HQPlayer on your network. No audio is streamed through the app — all playback is handled entirely by HQPlayer. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Systemline 73 screens
HQPDcontrol v44 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HQPDcontrol v4 at 3.9 against Systemline 7's 1.0. HQPDcontrol v4 also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 50%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 9 months). Systemline 7's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Systemline 7 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and HQPDcontrol v4 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

HQPDcontrol v4 holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HQPDcontrol v4 has 10 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Systemline 7's written reviews are positive against 83% of HQPDcontrol v4's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Systemline 7 ships an update every 9 months, HQPDcontrol v4 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Systemline 7 versus HQPDcontrol v4: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSystemline 7HQPDcontrol v4
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)3.9 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings110 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB53 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperPenguinLovesMusic.comAles Prochazka

Customer experience

Systemline 7

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

HQPDcontrol v4

All ratings10 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Systemline 7

One-time1
  • Playback and Squeezebox Support$9.99
2 purchases

HQPDcontrol v4

Subscriptions2
  • HQPDcontrol v4 (M)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • HQPDcontrol v4 (A)7 Days trial$12.991 Year

Questions

Is Systemline 7 free?
Systemline 7 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is HQPDcontrol v4 free?
HQPDcontrol v4 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Systemline 7 or HQPDcontrol v4?
HQPDcontrol v4 is rated higher. Systemline 7 averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while HQPDcontrol v4 averages 3.9 from 10 ratings.
Do Systemline 7 or HQPDcontrol v4 have ads?
Neither Systemline 7 nor HQPDcontrol v4 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Systemline 7 or HQPDcontrol v4?
Systemline 7 ships an update every 9 months, and HQPDcontrol v4 every 2 weeks. Most recently, Systemline 7 was updated on October 13, 2026 and HQPDcontrol v4 on October 8, 2026.

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