Integer Mode: Audio pops during loud passages

Hi,

I’m playing an audio file that consistently pops at the same loud passages while playing on Audirvana w/Integer Mode On. This happens on both FLAC and AIFF formats of the same audio clip.
This doesn’t happen when I turn off Integer Mode.

Mac Mini (Late 2012 - 10.15.5)
Connected via USB to Schiit Audio Bifrost (1st Gen) connected to Integrated Amplifer and then speakers.
This does not happen when playing the same file in VLC or Audacity - USB - DAC- AMP

Audirvana Mac Version 3.5.43 (3573)
macOS 10.15.5 with 16384MB RAM

Trial version using demo license

SIGNAL PROCESSING:

Polarity Inversion:
	Globally: OFF
	Per track: OFF
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: 94.3893
Replay Gain: by album
SW volume control: OFF

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 2 folders
AUTO: /Users/mediaplayer/My Music/Music/HD Music
AUTO: /Users/mediaplayer/My Music/Music/Music
iTunes/Music library synchronization: not synchronized
Library database path: /Users/mediaplayer/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: 1768MB

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

Preferred device:
Speaker-Schiit USB Audio Device
Model UID:Schiit USB Audio Device:0D8C:0319
UID:AppleUSBAudioEngine:Schiit:Schiit USB Audio Device:14200000:1

Active Sample Rate: 44.1kHz
Hog Mode is off

Bridge settings:
Sample rate limitation: none
Sample rate switching latency: 1s
Limit bitdepth to 24bit: OFF
Mute during sample rate change: OFF

Selected device:
Local audio device
ID 0x29 Speaker-Schiit USB Audio Device Manufacturer:Schiit
Model UID:Schiit USB Audio Device:0D8C:0319 UID:AppleUSBAudioEngine:Schiit:Schiit USB Audio Device:14200000:1

6 available sample rates up to 192000Hz
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
Audio buffer frame size : 14 to 4096 frames
Current I/O buffer frame size : 512
Volume Control
Physical: No
Virtual: No
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 0x2a 2 channels starting at 1
24 virtual formats:
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 32 little endian Signed Integer 192kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 176.4kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 96kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 88.2kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 48kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 44.1kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 192kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 176.4kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 96kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 88.2kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 48kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 44.1kHz
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

36 physical formats
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 192kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 176.4kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 96kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 88.2kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 48kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 44.1kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 192kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 176.4kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 96kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 88.2kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 48kHz
2 ch Mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 44.1kHz
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 32 little endian Signed Integer 192kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 176.4kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 96kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 88.2kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 48kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 32 little endian Signed Integer 44.1kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 192kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 176.4kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 96kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 88.2kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 48kHz
2 ch Non-mixable linear PCM Interleaved 24 little endian Signed Integer 44.1kHz
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 : 3
Device #0: ID 0x36 Built-in Output Manufacturer: Apple Inc. Model UID: AppleHDA:88 UID: AppleHDAEngineOutput:1B,0,1,2:0
Device #1: ID 0x3d HDMI Manufacturer: Apple Inc. Model UID: AppleHDA:88 UID: AppleHDAEngineOutputDP:1B,3,1,2:0:{D94D-F303-01010101}
Device #2: ID 0x29 Speaker-Schiit USB Audio Device Manufacturer: Schiit Model UID: Schiit USB Audio Device:0D8C:0319 UID: AppleUSBAudioEngine:Schiit:Schiit USB Audio Device:14200000:1

UPnP devices found : 0

Try to turn the hog mode on.

How do you turn on Hog Mode? Is it the same as System Optimizer? It doesn’t look like Hog Mode is listed under the items to enable or disable. This is serious issue. The popping can damage speakers, right? I’m not playing my music loud. Again, this only happens when Integer Mode is On.

This has come up recently in another post several months ago. In this case, I do not have oversampling enabled - so it seems that solution was partial.

Has anyone from the Audirvana development and test team addressed this very issue?

Persists after updating to the latest Mac OS Catalina 10.15.7.

Hello @gjpmho,

Do you have the issue whatever the frequency you try to play?

Hi @Antoine,
the only way I was able to change the frequency was to turn on upsampling.
It doesn’t happen when I upsample to 48 khz.
I don’t have many files above 44.1 kHz. I did try one of those and couldn’t reproduce the popping, though it only happens at peak volume it seems.

Hi @Antoine,
This does not happen when Volume Leveling is set to “No Leveling” AND Integer Mode is enabled.

So the bug reproduces under the following conditions
Integer Mode = On
Volume Leveling = Preserve Album Dynamics
Note I performed Album ReplayGain analysis on all of my albums.

Hello @gjpmho,

Can you send us one of the file that you have the issue with at support@audirvana.com ?

Hi @Antoine,
Yes, email sent. I had to upload the file (200MB) to a dropbox account that I’ve shared.