The qsound_hle.zip file is a necessary BIOS device file for MAME 0.201 and later, providing High-Level Emulation (HLE) for the QSound audio chip used in Capcom CPS-2 arcade games. It primarily contains the dl-1425.bin file and must be placed in the /roms folder, often holding the same data as qsound.zip. For more details, visit LaunchBox Community Forums LaunchBox Community Forums
We must address the elephant in the room. MAME does not endorse piracy. The discussion of mame qsound-hle.zip exists in a legal gray area. Mame Qsound-hle.zip
Since qsound.zip and qsound_hle.zip are often identical in content, you can simply copy qsound.zip and rename the copy to qsound_hle.zip to satisfy the emulator's requirements. mame/src/devices/sound/qsoundhle.cpp at master - GitHub The qsound_hle
MAME itself is legal open-source software. However, distributing or downloading any ROMs, including device files like qsound-hle.zip, may violate copyright laws unless you own the original arcade PCB and are making a personal backup for preservation under fair use (depending on your jurisdiction). Always respect intellectual property rights. MAME does not endorse piracy