Artefacts when playing from attached SSD drive

[klausdirvana]

I have stopped using Audirvana on my laptop because of big issues with artefacts. Maybe there is a solution for my problem?

Here is my setup:

• MacBook Pro with macOS 10.15.5 with 8192MB RAM (more details in the debug section at the bottom)
• Audirvana Mac Version 3.5.38 (3568)
• 1 TB SSD drive connected via USB-C
• Beyerdynamic Amiron with Impacto DAC (connected to the MacBook’s USB-C port)

The SSD drive contains all my music in a /Music directory (mainly FLAC files). I let Audirvana monitor the /Music directory.

I do not use iTunes/Music, and Audirvana does therefore not sync the iTunes library.

Sysoptimizer settings:

• Optimize for audio playback - YES
• Audirvana priority - VERY HIGH
• Deactivate Spotlight - NO
• Deactivate Time Machine - NO
• Deactivate iDevice recognition - YES

Audirvana has scanned the SSD drive, and all looks good on the surface.

When I start playing back any song, I get lots of highly annoying artefacts that make listening to music so unpleasant that I am back to using VLC again (which has zero problems with artefacts). I tested it in various setups, the artefacts appear even when no other app is running and I don’t do anything with the laptop (except pressing play).

What could be the problem here?

I don’t want to stop Spotlight, because it is my work laptop, and I need it all the time. Same applies to Time Machine. Anyway, VLC has no problems… so I would hope Audirvana copes as well.

Any ideas?

DEBUG INFO:

SIGNAL PROCESSING:

Polarity Inversion:
Globally: OFF
Per track: ON
Effects plugins NOT ACTIVE

UPSAMPLING:
SoX with Power Of Two upsampling
SoX filter parameters
Bandwidth at 0dB = 99.5
Filter max length = 30000
Anti-aliasing = 100
Phase = 66

AUDIO VOLUME:
Max allowed volume: 78.4441
Replay Gain: None
SW volume control: ON

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 1 folders
AUTO: /Volumes/1TB_SSD/
iTunes/Music library synchronization: not synchronized
Library database path: /Users/Admin/Library/Application Support/Audirvana/AudirvanaPlusDatabaseV2.sqlite

ACTIVE STREAMING SERVICES

=================== AUDIO DEVICE ========================

CoreAudio audio path, buffer I/O frame size: 512

Max. memory for audio buffers: 2436MB

Local Audio Engine:
Exclusive access: Enabled
Integer mode: Enabled

Preferred device:
Impacto
Model UID:Impacto:2E50:0001
UID:AppleUSBAudioEngine:beyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KG:Impacto:717398011665:1

Active Sample Rate: 96kHz
Hog Mode is off

Bridge settings:
Sample rate limitation: none
Sample rate switching latency: none
Limit bitdepth to 24bit: OFF
Mute during sample rate change: OFF

Selected device:
Local audio device
ID 0x7a Impacto Manufacturer:beyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KG
Model UID:Impacto:2E50:0001 UID:AppleUSBAudioEngine:beyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KG:Impacto:717398011665:1

8 available sample rates up to 384000Hz
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
352800
384000
Audio buffer frame size : 29 to 4096 frames
Current I/O buffer frame size : 512
Volume Control
Physical: Yes
Virtual: Yes
MQA capability
Auto-detect MQA devices: No
Not a MQA device, user set to not MQA
DSD capability: Unhandled
Device audio channels
Preferred stereo channels L:1 R:2
Channel bitmap: Ox3, layout:
Channel 0 mapped to 0
Channel 1 mapped to 1

Audio channels in use
Number of channels: 2
Use as stereo device only: No
Simple stereo device: Yes

1 output streams:
Number of active channels: 2, in 1 stream(s)
Channel #0 :Stream 0 channel 0
Channel #1 :Stream 0 channel 1

Stream ID 0x7b 2 channels starting at 1
24 virtual formats:
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Float 384kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Float 352.8kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Float 192kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Float 176.4kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Float 96kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Float 88.2kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Float 48kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Float 44.1kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 384kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 352.8kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 192kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 176.4kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 96kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 88.2kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 48kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 44.1kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 384kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 352.8kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 192kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 176.4kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 96kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 88.2kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 48kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 44.1kHz

32 physical formats
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 384kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 352.8kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 192kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 176.4kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 96kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 88.2kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 48kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 44.1kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 384kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 352.8kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 192kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 176.4kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 96kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 88.2kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 48kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 44.1kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 384kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 352.8kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 192kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 176.4kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 96kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 88.2kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 48kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer aligned low in 32bit 44.1kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 384kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 352.8kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 192kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 176.4kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 96kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 88.2kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 48kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 16 little endian Signed Integer 44.1kHz

Local devices found : 6
Device #0: ID 0x76 BenQ LCD Manufacturer: Apple Inc. Model UID: AppleGFXHDA:0 UID: AppleGFXHDAEngineOutputDP:f803:0:{D109-801D-00005445}
Device #1: ID 0x7a Impacto Manufacturer: beyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KG Model UID: Impacto:2E50:0001 UID: AppleUSBAudioEngine:beyerdynamic GmbH & Co. KG:Impacto:717398011665:1
Device #2: ID 0x6b Externe Kopfhörer Manufacturer: Apple Inc. Model UID: Codec Output UID: BuiltInHeadphoneOutputDevice
Device #3: ID 0x56 MacBook Pro Lautsprecher Manufacturer: Apple Inc. Model UID: Speaker UID: BuiltInSpeakerDevice
Device #4: ID 0x66 PLT V6200 Series Manufacturer: 55 Model UID: 55 152 UID: bc-f2-92-c7-76-19:output
Device #5: ID 0x2e Screenflick Loopback Manufacturer: Araelium Group Model UID: com.araeliumgroup.screenflick.loopback UID: com.araeliumgroup.screenflick.loopback

UPnP devices found : 0

[RunHomeSlow]

Try turning off upsampling in dac prefs… little speaker icon on bottom right of main window

[klausdirvana]

That solved it!

Thank you so much – the artefacts are gone now, and I’m back using Audirvana