Kernel streaming DSD limitations

[Gorch]

@Jacob again: Same situation with WASAPI.

Dry setting. Device hard set to 192 kHz.

Song started:

Debug info for WASAPI:

Audirvana Studio 1.11.0 (11100)

Windows 10 (19043) with 16GB physical RAM

Connected account of : Dirk Fokken

SIGNAL PROCESSING:

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

UPSAMPLING:
r8brain not in use
r8brain filter parameters
Bandwidth = 64.5357%
Stop band attenuation 135.357dB
Phase linear

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

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 1 folders
AUTO: D:\OneDrive\Musik\BibliothekHiRes
Library database path: C:\Users\gorch\AppData\Local\Audirvana\Audirvana\AudirvanaDatabase.sqlite

Remote Control server:
Listening on 192.168.178.36 on port 55464

ACTIVE STREAMING SERVICES
Qobuz: Connected as Qobuz Studio

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

Max. memory for audio buffers: 10738MB

Local Audio Engine: WASAPI

Preferred device:
Line (Steinberg UR44C)
Model UID:MMDEVAPI\AudioEndpoints
UID:\?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{7bb05b7a-e9c4-4c27-9cb6-96e6de3d6ddf}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}

Currently playing in Integer Mode:
Device: 2ch 24bits Integer, 6 bytes per frame 192kHz

Active Sample Rate: 192kHz

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

Selected device:
Local audio device
Line (Steinberg UR44C)
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Model Name: Line (Steinberg UR44C)
Model UID: MMDEVAPI\AudioEndpoints
UID: \?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{7bb05b7a-e9c4-4c27-9cb6-96e6de3d6ddf}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}

1 available sample rates up to 192000Hz
192000
Volume Control
Physical: No
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 24bit little endian 192kHz

Local devices found : 2
Device #0: Lautsprecher (Realtek High Definition Audio) Manufacturer: Microsoft Model UID: MMDEVAPI\AudioEndpoints UID: \?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{826f7587-53d6-4cde-a678-3ef81a039f91}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2} Model Name: Lautsprecher (Realtek High Definition Audio)
Device #1: Line (Steinberg UR44C) Manufacturer: Microsoft Model UID: MMDEVAPI\AudioEndpoints UID: \?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{7bb05b7a-e9c4-4c27-9cb6-96e6de3d6ddf}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2} Model Name: Line (Steinberg UR44C)

UPnP devices found : 0

---

[Jacob]

Does Audirvana with the driver setting on 176.4 convert to 176.4 instead of 44.1? It seems to me to be a issue in the decoder conditions. The situation to play a dsd file to a device that only supports 192khz is not very common.

[Gorch]

@Jacob

What if you set the device to 176.4?

No difference in behaviour except for the different frequency.

Alternatively, ASIO4ALL v2:

[Gorch]

@Jacob

The situation to play a dsd file to a device that only supports 192khz is not very common.

What’s the issue on buying higher resolution file formats even though the current device is not supporting that resolution? Technically it’s all about conversion. Some day in the future DSD512 would be standard and cheaper to get in terms of available devices. Audio I buy now would sound even better in the future. Normally, it is the other way round.

Adding: Looking at the Qobuz catalog, 192 kHz still is a rare bird. At least for what I listen to on daily basis.

[Gorch]

[Jacob]

When using KS in 176.4 the file is still converted to 44.1 and upsampled to 176.4?

Probably only Damien or Antoine can explain why this is happening.

[Agoldnear]

@Gorch

Even thoug you would have converted manually to say 176.4 kHz, it doesn’t mean that the file would be 1:1 streamed in the audio processing of Audirvana.

@Gorch I’m a headphone-centric audiophile and down-convert stereo DSDxxx files to PCM 24/352.8kHz so to apply 112dB’s “Redline Monitor” HTRF DSP and subsequently modulate to DSD128 via SoX… I listen to Binaural DSD in the ‘native’ recorded Fs… The ability to have both down-conversion of stereo DSDxxx to PCM 352.8kHz in concert with the application of plug-in DSP, presents value to me, if this is possible… something I will experiment with…

If you are listening to down-converted DSDxxx, the best Fs (and maybe the default Fs) is 176.4kHz and the Steinberg DAC should be configured to a maximum Fs 176.4kHz in this listening scenario.… For other PCM production work, 192kHz or less is a matter of production choice… If you are going to modulate any PCM production work to DSDxxx, the best production Fs is 176.4kHz as all of the DSDxxx sample-rates are multiples of 44.14kHz (64x, 128x, 256x, 512x 1024x)

The reason for off-line down-conversion of DSDxxx to PCMxxx is to remove the burden from the Audirvana Studio audio-engine, which, from my experience produces an audible improvement in contextual sound-quality elements… In my opinion, the less the audio-engine is burdened by DSP, the better it performs… This is true with the majority of DAW audio-engines, running completely on the personal computer platform… It is different for vertically integrated hardware/software DAW platforms, like PYRAMIX and ProTools, etc…