Audirvana not playing DSD 512 files

Audio Formats DSD
1

Hello Damien, I just downloaded Jazz at the Pawnshop (512 fs) from NativeDSD.com. 27.2 GB of files! Loaded all files - drag and drop - into the Play Queue, selected WASAPI, Upsampling To DSD 256 (the maximum possible?), tried playing multiple tracks manually…hit play, after 5 seconds, the file starts to play, then stops. After 5 seconds, plays for 5 seconds, stops. Then an Error Message: Audirvana has exited unexpectedly. Would you like to see a dump in Explorer?

I thought DSD was supposed to be the best thing since sliced bread, now not so sure anymore. Good old-fasioned 16-bit, 44.1kHz, 24-bit, 96 kHz files are working fine. Thanks for any ideas.

2

Hello @amko,

Do you have the same issue when you don’t have upsampling activated?

3

That is correct Damien, I selected deactivated just to check, same track selection, but also same behavior (start/stop) as my explanation above.

I am now playing a DSD 64 - 18 files. Flawless.No issues whatsoever. Upsampling to DSD64. It is superb! Welcome your advice on 512 fs, though. Thank you

4

Hello all, I am still waiting for some help on this issue. Should I not receive any response I would have to reconcile myself to not purchasing DSD 512 files. I have gone thru all upsampling options in Audirvarna. No luck so far.

5

Can you send me a copy of the “Debug Info” while you have the issue? You can get it in Audirvana Settings>General>Debug Info

Note: By clicking on the Debug Info button, Audirvana automatically copies all its content, all you have to do is paste it in response to this message

6

You shouldn’t be purchasing files in DSD512. It’s pointless. That resolution is reserved for upsamplers. Stick to whatever is the original recording resolution, DSD64, DSD128 and if you really have to DSD256.

Which DAC you have?

7

Hi Damian, here is the Debug Info:

Audirvana 3.5.45

SIGNAL PROCESSING:

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

UPSAMPLING:
SoX not in use
SoX filter parameters
Bandwidth at 0dB = 99.5
Filter max length = 30000
Anti-aliasing = 100
Phase = 66

AUDIO VOLUME:
Max allowed volume: 100
Replay Gain: None
SW volume control: ON

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 1 folders
AUTO: C:\Users\Amit\Music
Library database path: C:\Users\Amit\AppData\Local\Audirvana\AudirvanaPlus\AudirvanaPlusDatabaseV2.sqlite

ACTIVE STREAMING SERVICES

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

Max. memory for audio buffers: 1194MB

Local Audio Engine:WASAPI

Preferred device:
Speakers (iFi (by AMR) HD USB Audio)
Model UID:Speakers (iFi (by AMR) HD USB Audio)
UID:\?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{9ae4e340-b23d-49cf-97a9-40823b749783}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}

Active Sample Rate: 48kHz

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
Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio) Manufacturer:
Model UID:Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio) UID:\?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{e0f3cd42-fafd-4eb5-ad49-518c281e8c2c}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}

4 available sample rates up to 192000Hz
44100
48000
96000
192000
Volume Control
Physical: Yes
Virtual: No
MQA capability
Auto-detect MQA devices: Yes
Not a MQA device, user set to not MQA
DSD capability: Unhandled
Device audio channels
Preferred stereo channels L:0 R:1
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: No

1 output streams:
Number of active channels: 2, in 1 stream(s)
Channel #0 :Stream 0 channel 0
Channel #1 :Stream 0 channel 1
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 20bit little endian aligned high in 32bit chunk 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian aligned high in 32bit chunk 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 20bit little endian aligned high in 32bit chunk 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian aligned high in 32bit chunk 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 20bit little endian aligned high in 32bit chunk 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian aligned high in 32bit chunk 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 192kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 20bit little endian aligned high in 32bit chunk 192kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian aligned high in 32bit chunk 192kHz

Local devices found : 1
Device #0: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio) Manufacturer: Model UID: Speakers (Realtek High Definition Audio) UID: \?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{e0f3cd42-fafd-4eb5-ad49-518c281e8c2c}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}

UPnP devices found : 0

8

Bitracer, hello. Yes, I see your point, in fact I have been sticking to the lower res files, DSD64, 128 - one or two 256. I’m new to this world of hi-res, just wanted to explore, so the 512.

I have the iFi NEO iDSD Ultra HD DAC + headphone amp. Plays all hi-res except DSD1024.

9

Greetings Damien. Do I never buy a 512 fs album?

I need to make a choice, I see a couple of Mahlers on NativeDSD.com I am interested in. I guess I stick to DSD64, because that is how they were recorded. Unless you advise otherwise…waiting. Thanks.

10

Yeah, NativeDSD only recently started upsampling files as a cash grab.
I was told by the guys themselves last year before all of these changes that they were running low on cash and needed new ways to support themselves.

11

Ignorant of any benefit upsampling in that fashion would bring to the listener, I believe this could be legally objectionable.
Farmers are heavily fined when watering their milk. And most, if not all providers are exposing themselves to punitive sanctions when they mislead or lie on the nature or substance of their goods.
It makes me think that music editors should not be legally allowed to sell downloads at a resolution superior to the recording format.
Unless someone can explain to me if there is a benefit to the listeners.

12

So their “higher rates program” is basically them running the file they obtained from the label through HQ Player and selling the output. Anyone with a HQ Player license can do this themselves. IIRC HQ Player with some funky settings allows you to do a million tap filter, much like the Chord M-Scaler. Could there be a sonic benefit, possibly. But NativeDSD do a pretty good job at hiding which sample rates are provided by the label and which are their upsampling.

Some of the Labels themselves are also to blame here IMO. My favourite label 2xHD switched some time last year from DSD256 reel transfers to DXD (PCM) reel transfers. They are now taking this PCM output and upsampling/remodulating to DSD256 and providing it to their partners.
The only way to notice this is to read the “Additional Information” NativeDSD provides.

13

Hi

Very interested in what you say here. I notice that NativeDSD show an ‘Original Recording Format’ on each of their offerings. Do you think this is inaccurate or is it that they are offering ‘upsampled’ versions for more money? There would seem to be no real point in paying extra since you can’t put extra resolution into a file.

14

Today’s question - not so serious, but irritating all the same: I downloaded a DSD album from NativeDSD.com. 3 tracks, using their downloader. When I looked for the album in the Audirvana Library, I see only track 2 of 3. I thought the download was corrupted in some way, and re-downloaded the entire album (3 tracks). Again checked the Library. And again, only track 2 of 3. Am I missing something. Has something like this happened to you. Thanks for any advice.

15

Are you on Windows? Is the missing file larger than 2GB?

16

Hi, bitracer, I am on Win10 and 2 of the 3 tracks I mentioned are indeed over 2 GB. But that is not the issue. In an earlier instance, I could at least see all tracks (including +2GB tracks) in the initial playlist. I could then move the tracks to the play queue. Here I do not know how to add the large-size tracks to the initial list/play queue.

17

Hello all, any solution.

18

Looks like this is an instance of Windows files > 2GB not showing up in Audirvana at all now, not just being able to be played at all. If I do not see the +2GB file in Audirvana at all, no chance of dragging em to the playlist, yes?

19

Apologies if I am misunderstanding the issue…but you can still drag tracks from File Explorer into a playlist or the play queue of AS and listen to them.

I was able to do this with my DSD512 files that were larger than 2 GB. It’s not an elegant solution, as no metadata is recognized. But it’s the best I’ve been able to manage with both AS and 3.5.

I do regret being naïve and going down the uber-high resolution rabbit hole. I’m in full agreement with bitracer about original recording resolution. But while the 22.56MHz format of a given recording might not sound better than another lower resolution version of the same recording, the former is still perfectly fine to listen to. So while I won’t be purchasing any further DSD512 albums, I have a handful of them in my music library and I find Audirvana’s inability to see a significant number of those files, as they are often larger than 2 GB, rather absurd and something that no other playback software suffers from.

20

Hello all. I have been using Audirvana ver. 3.5 in Win10 for several months to interface with QOBUZ, and also play DSD files. Like others have reported, Audirvana for Win is unable to recognize large files. That’s true for some of my DSD256 and most of my DSD512. (Note: the Mac OS version that my son uses in his system does not suffer that file size issue.) I purchased HQPlayer for large files (it works great), and was hoping that Audirvana Studio would fix the file size problem for Windows. My trial version of Studio suffers the same limitation, So far, I have not seen an official recognition and fix ETA from Audirvana. Sadly, I uninstalled Studio and won’t try it until large files can be played. Til then, ver. 3.5 and HQPlayer will serve my needs. One advantage of HPPlayer is that it can pass through DSD without conversions, and another advantage it]s that it offers several HQ options for up-converting FLAC to DSD.

I respectfully disagree that 512 and 256 DSD files are a waste of money. Each one offers an increasing level of clarity compared to 128 and 64. Admittedly the difference between 256 and 512 files is subtle in my system, and is more obvious when using a high-end DAC, but only during careful listening. I have done comparisons with Chord QUTEST and DAVE DACs that are both 512-capable, and the 256/512 difference was not surprisingly easiest to hear with the DAVE.

My understanding from NativeDSD’s website is that recordings cannot be made natively in 512. NativeDSD uses high-end software and equipment to upscale files 512. To my ears, their process does work, but again it’s subtle in my system. For what it’s worth, I also invest in 512 only when the original recording was 256 or DXD.