Please help a newbie

Connection with external Audio Devices USB DAC
1

I recently signed up for a trial version. Using version 3.5.3 for Windows I think the sound is great - but there are a few items that I need help with before I purchase the license. I have my laptop connected to OPPO 105 DAC (non MQA). Using Tidal and playing the song Good News by Mac Miller the sample rate on the bottom right corner says 32/176.4 and the bottom left corner says 24/44.1 MQA. I am confused as the song is recorded in 24/44.1. Not sure how and where I am getting 32/176.4.
Couple of other issues:

  • playing songs on TIDAL I am not able to add them to my existing TIDAL playlists.
  • Is there any plans on adding a radio like Roon has - which plays songs to your likings

Thanks,

2

Hello @G-starRock,

Audirvana 3.5 integrates the MQA Core Decoder that performs the first unfolding (up to 88.2 or 96kHz) to benefit from the high resolution of the MQA audio files even without an MQA audio device. By MQA decision, the second unfolding (to 176.4 or 192kHz) can be performed only in a MQA renderer/decoder DAC.

Non MQA capable audio devices can benefit from the high resolution (doubled sample rate compared to the encoded file one) thanks to the MQA decoder integrated in Audirvana 3.
In this case, Audirvana brings, in addition to the general Sound Quality improvement, the decoding of the MQA file that would be played only at little above CD quality otherwise, losing all its high resolution benefits. Note that decoding the signal beyond twice the sampling rate of the encoded file (for the few rare recordings actually made above 96kHz) can only be done in a DAC MQA.

You then need to leave “Not MQA decoder” for your DAC in the Audio Settings, so that Audirvana performs the MQA decoding.

If you have a DAC that is “MQA decoder” then, you can select MQA decoder. That means that no audio processing done in Audirvana, as the DAC is doing all of the MQA decoding.
If you have a DAC that is “MQA renderer” then, you can select MQA renderer. That means MQA first unfolding done in Audirvana, and no other audio processing as the DAC is doing the other unfolding

The Blue color means that the file is “Studio authenticated”.
The Green color is for other MQA audio file.

1 Like
3

Check whether upsampling is enabled in Audirvana.

4

Thanks for the reply.
@bitracer - the upsampling is disabled in Audirvana
@ Damien - this still does not answer my question. Audirvana setting is at ‘Not MQA decoder’ but I am still seeing 32/176.4. Also for my 2nd question: playing songs using TIDAL I am not able to add them to my existing TIDAL playlists.

5

Do you have WASAPI selected? If so, try ASIO and see if it shows the proper bit/sample rate.

6

great point. I tried with ASIO (which is my preference) but still show bit rate of 32/xxxxx even though the music I am playing right now is 16/44.1.
I think I may have to pass on Audirvana. There is no way to play radio by clicking on the album in Tidal like the native player allows. Also - cannot add songs to my existing playlists. Unless someone tells me I am doing it wrong. Thank you for your help though.

7

Hello @G-starRock, The bottom right of Audirvana indicates the capability of your DAC. The bottom left is just here for the file format information.

image
image2240×1438 1.58 MB

8

@Antoine - my DAC does not support 32 bit processing. Puzzling.
Also - no one has any input on why Tidal radio does not work with Audirvana?

9

I don’t have any experience using a hardware player like your OPPO 105 as a DAC so I can’t offer in-depth advice in that area. I use a variety of smaller amp/DACs with the Audirvana software and they seem to work fine. I usually use their respective ASIO drivers, regardless of ASIO’s tendency to up-sample the bit rate, just so as to get the full array of PCM and DSD rates ASIO drivers enable. For some reason, in your case, both ASIO and WASAPI are up-sampling the bit rate.

I’ll just throw a bunch of stuff against the wall…

Do you have a standalone DAC you could try Audirvana with and see what the results are?

You’ve got the latest/correct ASIO drivers for the 105’s DAC?

Does the OPPO itself give any indication of incoming and/or processing bit/sample rate when its DAC is in operation when you’re playing through Audirvana? If so, can you also test it with just the regular Windows Tidal desktop app and see what it says? Could be the Audirvana software is simply glitchy in this interface area with the OPPO and is just showing the wrong bit-rate.

In Audirvana settings for your OPPO device, since it isn’t MQA, you could play around with the ASIO driver setup, make sure that Auto-detect MQA devices–switch OFF and DAC not detected…Not MQA

There’s no bit perfect on/off switch in the software so you can’t adjust that…
Play with the bridge devices connected to DAC settings, maybe Audirvana sees the OPPO as a bridge device?

Anyway, just though I would throw a few things out there didn’t mean to be long-winded Sorry no advice on the radio thing. Good luck and that OPPO is a nice piece of kit!

10

Well it says 32 bit because you’re using ASIO which is forced to output 32 bit via usb for whatever the reason. WASAPI would use correct 24 bit if selected.

Also your DAC in that IS 32 bit…The BDP-105 uses the same dual ES9018 Sabre32 Reference DAC chips as the BDP-95. If you look that chip up it is 32 bit…

How it works is left side app is shows what is streamed off site. then app unfolds first level no matter what basically for high res. And MQA DAC unfolds 2nd stage to upper level high res if able, which yours isn’t.

Maybe it’s listing yours 176.4 cause your dac is able to do that quality it just can’t do it via MQA. I’m not sure, it’s where I even made an account here to make sense of the made up voodoo that apps are doing with all this audio when it comes to MQA.

Another thing that pisses on the whole process is Tidal does not make know what the track is in the end. LIke it doesn’t list stuff as 192 , 96, or the SACD 88 or 176 options either so in the end you’re left with guessing what the hell is even going on in the end. And I feel that’s stupid and more than confusing in the end. This is listed on this software though when using Tidal it does tell you the end result formats res but not on Tidal’s actual app does it ever say.

I do like this software but I don’t see how it’s worth no $80, period.

11

Can you send me a copy of the “Debug Info” while you are connected to your Oppo? You can get it in Audirvana Settings>General>Debug Info

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

The tidal radio feature is not available in Audirvana since Tidal don’t allow his partners to use this feature except on their application.

12

@ Damien - thanks for your reply. Please see log report

Audirvana 3.5.3

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: OFF

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 1 folders
Manual: (OFFLINE) D:\Music
Library database path: C:\Users\Ghulam\AppData\Local\Audirvana\AudirvanaPlus\AudirvanaPlusDatabaseV2.sqlite

ACTIVE STREAMING SERVICES
Qobuz: Connected as
TIDAL: Connected as HIFI

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

Max. memory for audio buffers: 6536MB

Local Audio Engine:ASIO 2 driver version 794

Preferred device:
OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 ASIO Driver
Model UID:OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 ASIO Driver
UID:OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 ASIO Driver

Currently playing in Integer Mode:
Device: 2ch 32bits Integer, 8 bytes per frame 88.2kHz

Active Sample Rate: 88.2kHz

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
OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 ASIO Driver Manufacturer:
Model UID:OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 ASIO Driver UID:OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 ASIO Driver

6 available sample rates up to 192000Hz
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
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: Yes
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
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 88.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 176.4kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 192kHz

Local devices found : 2
Device #0: ASIO4ALL v2 Manufacturer: Model UID: ASIO4ALL v2 UID: ASIO4ALL v2
Device #1: OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 ASIO Driver Manufacturer: Model UID: OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 ASIO Driver UID: OPPO USB AUDIO 2.0 ASIO Driver

UPnP devices found : 0

13

I highlight a song and either right click on the 3 dots after the play icon or right click and go to add to playlist and all your Tidal playlists should come up.

14

Since you are using an ASIO driver you will get 32 bit. Oppo maybe made a workaround to ditch the 32 bit but indeed you can play 32 bit files on your Oppo with the ASIO driver.