White noise/static/glitches when connected to Chord Mojo 2 via USB (Win 11 64-bit)

Studio Device connectivity
1

Original post: 26/02/2025

As explained in an earlier post (Radio Paradies issiue is back - #2 by DW2023), I have been having major issues with a newly acquired Chord Mojo 2, which I am troubleshooting with Chord - glitches/white noise/static when playing content; PCM 192kHz and above plus DSD (64, 128 & 256), which are my requirements. No issues with PCM content at lower sampling rates.

I sent the Mojo 2 to Chord, to have an update applied, but no joy. I then sent a few tracks (WAV, FLAC, ALAC & DSD) that I used for testing/troubleshooting the issue. Today, I was sent a “new” driver (for Windows). Uninstalled the previous driver (Windows-10-768KHz-driver) and installed the new one, but now DSD256 does not play at all, and the static/white noise/glitching occurs on PCM 96kHz as well.

I am now awaiting further feedback from Chord.

@jspending thanks for your reply: Radio Paradies issiue is back - #3 by jspending
If you have any further info I am all ears…

Update: 01/03/2025
So, after having rolled back the Mojo 2 driver to the original, which I downloaded from Chord’s website, and whilst waiting for Chord’s response on the next steps, I thought I would try another player.

I updated my foobar2000 (32-bit) installation to the latest version. I only used to run its Dynamic Range Meter plugin but never used fooobar2000 as a player.

Lo, and behold, ALL tracks play fine via foobar2000! It appears that the Audirvana + Mojo 2 combination is the problem. As such, I would welcome some insights as to why this is so, and whether anyone else has had issues using Chord DACs with Audirvana running under Windows 11 (64-bit). Here is the latest Debug Info:

So, after having rolled back the Mojo 2 driver to the original, which I downloaded from Chord’s website, and whilst waiting for Chord’s response on the next steps, I thought I would try another player.

I updated my foobar2000 (32-bit) installation to the latest version. I only used to run its Dynamic Range Meter plugin but never used fooobar2000 as a player.

Lo, and behold, ALL tracks play fine via foobar2000! It appears that the Audirvana + Mojo 2 combination is the problem. As such, I would welcome some insights as to why this is so, and whether anyone else has had issues using Chord DACs with Audirvana running under Windows 11 (64-bit). Here is the latest Debug Info:

Debug Info - ASIO:

Audirvana Studio 2.9.99 (20999)

Windows 11 (26100) x86_64 with 32GB physical RAM

Connected account of : D W

NETWORK
Status: available
Available network interfaces:
Ethernet ({51959ec5-45c7-4887-a30b-cebd29244cec}) is private
Local Area Connection ({de6fd4c8-e0b6-4d7f-a5be-6e08818b4687}) is private
Windows Defender Firewall status for this instance of Audirvana Studio
Active profile types: all
Private profile:
Firewall: enabled
Inbound: allowed
Outbound: allowed
Notifications: enabled
Public profile:
Firewall: enabled
Inbound: blocked
Outbound: allowed
Notifications: enabled
Third party firewall installed and registered in place of Windows Defender:
AVG Antivirus

SIGNAL PROCESSING:

Polarity Inversion:
	Globally: OFF
	Per track: OFF
DSP NOT ACTIVE

UPSAMPLING:
r8brain not in use
r8brain filter parameters
Bandwidth = 99.5%
Stop band attenuation 218dB
Phase linear

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

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 5 folders
AUTO: D:_CD_Rips
AUTO: D:_SACD_Rips
AUTO: D:_TestDSD
AUTO: D:_TestPCM
AUTO: D:\DW_Work\Private\Music
Sort and display order: en
Library database path: C:\Users\dulan\AppData\Local\Packages\Audirvana.Audirvana-4118-9684-d80dbb7827cd_q3nymrkmej12j\LocalCache\Local\Audirvana\Audirvana\AudirvanaDatabase.sqlite

Local audio files fingerprinting
Tracks with no MBID: 3566

Remote Control server:
Listening on 192.168.178.20 on port 58562

ACTIVE STREAMING SERVICES

APPEARANCE SETTINGS:
UI theme: dark
Font size: regular
Language: English
Show album covers in tracks list: yes
Source list sorted:
Local
My Music
Radios
Streaming
Podcasts
Startup view: Local Library: Artists
Show local extended in source list: yes
Use media keys: yes
Use media keys for volume control: yes
Use legacy Bonjour protocol: no
Number of paired remotes: 3
Remote pairing code required: yes
Screen saver disabled: yes

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

Active method: Local

Max. memory for audio buffers: 16328MB

Local Audio Engine: ASIO 2
Driver version 2
Use max I/O buffer size: ON

Preferred device:
ASIO Chord 1.05
Model UID:ASIO Chord 1.05
UID:ASIO Chord 1.05

Currently playing in Integer Mode:
Device: 2ch 32bits Integer, 8 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:ASIO Chord 1.05
Manufacturer:
Model name: ASIO Chord 1.05
Model UID: ASIO Chord 1.05
UID: ASIO Chord 1.05

12 available sample rates up to 1536000Hz
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
352800
384000
705600
768000
1411200
1536000

Volume Control
Physical: No
Virtual: No
Max volume alert: Enabled

MQA capability
Auto-detect MQA devices: No
Not automatically detected, user set to not MQA

DSD capability
DSD via PCM 1.0

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: 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
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 352.8kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 384kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 705.6kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 768kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 1411.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 1536kHz

Local devices found : 4
Device #0: ASIO Chord 1.05
Manufacturer:
Model UID: ASIO Chord 1.05
UID: ASIO Chord 1.05
Model name: ASIO Chord 1.05
Device #1: USB DAC ASIO
Manufacturer:
Model UID: USB DAC ASIO
UID: USB DAC ASIO
Model name: USB DAC ASIO
Device #2: Vinshine DENAFRIPS USB DAC
Manufacturer:
Model UID: Vinshine DENAFRIPS USB DAC
UID: Vinshine DENAFRIPS USB DAC
Model name: Vinshine DENAFRIPS USB DAC
Device #3: Zorloo USB Audio ASIO Driver
Manufacturer:
Model UID: Zorloo USB Audio ASIO Driver
UID: Zorloo USB Audio ASIO Driver
Model name: Zorloo USB Audio ASIO Driver

UPnP

UPnP network interface
Selected Network interface: Ethernet
Available Network interfaces:
Local Area Connection
Ethernet

UPnP devices found : 1
Device #0: Technics SL-G700M2
UID: uuid:fb8a569b-37af-454d-ad02-4d3fc60ba1bf
Location: http://192.168.178.32:16500/fb8a569b-37af-454d-ad02-4d3fc60ba1bf.xml
Manufacturer: Technics
Model name: Technics-SL-G700M2

Chromecast

Chromecast devices found : 2
Device #0: SMSL AD18 [Kitchem]
ID: DnsSd#Chromecast-Audio-af4343c61a69ab82b905f704427fe20f._googlecast._tcp.local#0
Model name: Chromecast Audio
Device #1: Technics SL-G700M2
ID: DnsSd#Technics-SL-G700M2-7a8e385c2c225e28b7ee022036985563._googlecast._tcp.local#0
Model name: Technics-SL-G700M2

Debug Info - WASAPI:

Audirvana Studio 2.9.99 (20999)

Windows 11 (26100) x86_64 with 32GB physical RAM

Connected account of : D W

NETWORK
Status: available
Available network interfaces:
Ethernet ({51959ec5-45c7-4887-a30b-cebd29244cec}) is private
Local Area Connection ({de6fd4c8-e0b6-4d7f-a5be-6e08818b4687}) is private
Windows Defender Firewall status for this instance of Audirvana Studio
Active profile types: all
Private profile:
Firewall: enabled
Inbound: allowed
Outbound: allowed
Notifications: enabled
Public profile:
Firewall: enabled
Inbound: blocked
Outbound: allowed
Notifications: enabled
Third party firewall installed and registered in place of Windows Defender:
AVG Antivirus

SIGNAL PROCESSING:

Polarity Inversion:
	Globally: OFF
	Per track: OFF
DSP NOT ACTIVE

UPSAMPLING:
r8brain not in use
r8brain filter parameters
Bandwidth = 99.5%
Stop band attenuation 218dB
Phase linear

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

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 5 folders
AUTO: D:_CD_Rips
AUTO: D:_SACD_Rips
AUTO: D:_TestDSD
AUTO: D:_TestPCM
AUTO: D:\DW_Work\Private\Music
Sort and display order: en
Library database path: C:\Users\dulan\AppData\Local\Packages\Audirvana.Audirvana-4118-9684-d80dbb7827cd_q3nymrkmej12j\LocalCache\Local\Audirvana\Audirvana\AudirvanaDatabase.sqlite

Local audio files fingerprinting
Tracks with no MBID: 3566

Remote Control server:
Listening on 192.168.178.20 on port 58562

ACTIVE STREAMING SERVICES

APPEARANCE SETTINGS:
UI theme: dark
Font size: regular
Language: English
Show album covers in tracks list: yes
Source list sorted:
Local
My Music
Radios
Streaming
Podcasts
Startup view: Local Library: Artists
Show local extended in source list: yes
Use media keys: yes
Use media keys for volume control: yes
Use legacy Bonjour protocol: no
Number of paired remotes: 3
Remote pairing code required: yes
Screen saver disabled: yes

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

Active method: Local

Max. memory for audio buffers: 16328MB

Local Audio Engine: WASAPI
Use max I/O buffer size: ON

Preferred device:
Digital Output (Chord Async USB 44.1kHz-768kHz)
Model UID:USB\VID_245F&PID_0815&REV_0197
UID:?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{9a1f302d-7581-45ba-a416-69d9ed1ce247}#{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:Digital Output (Chord Async USB 44.1kHz-768kHz)
Manufacturer: Chord Electronics Ltd.
Model name: Mojo2
Model UID: USB\VID_245F&PID_0815&REV_0197
UID: ?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{9a1f302d-7581-45ba-a416-69d9ed1ce247}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}
USB Vendor ID: 0x245f
USB Product ID: 0x0815

10 available sample rates up to 768000Hz
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
352800
384000
705600
768000

Volume Control
Physical: No
Virtual: No
Max volume alert: Enabled

MQA capability
Auto-detect MQA devices: No
Not automatically detected, user set to not MQA

DSD capability
DSD via PCM 1.0

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 24bit little endian 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 88.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 88.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 88.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 176.4kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 176.4kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 192kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 192kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 352.8kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 352.8kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 384kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 384kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 705.6kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 705.6kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 768kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 768kHz

Local devices found : 2
Device #0: Speakers (Conexant ISST Audio)
Manufacturer: Conexant
Model UID: INTELAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_14F1&DEV_2008&SUBSYS_103C837D&REV_1001
UID: ?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{7d8994d1-b433-440b-845b-31b4a94a5f00}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}
Model name: Intel High Definition Audio
Device #1: Digital Output (Chord Async USB 44.1kHz-768kHz)
Manufacturer: Chord Electronics Ltd.
Model UID: USB\VID_245F&PID_0815&REV_0197
UID: ?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{9a1f302d-7581-45ba-a416-69d9ed1ce247}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}
USB Vendor ID: 0x245f
USB Product ID: 0x0815
Model name: Mojo2

UPnP

UPnP network interface
Selected Network interface: Ethernet
Available Network interfaces:
Local Area Connection
Ethernet

UPnP devices found : 1
Device #0: Technics SL-G700M2
UID: uuid:fb8a569b-37af-454d-ad02-4d3fc60ba1bf
Location: http://192.168.178.32:16500/fb8a569b-37af-454d-ad02-4d3fc60ba1bf.xml
Manufacturer: Technics
Model name: Technics-SL-G700M2

Chromecast

Chromecast devices found : 2
Device #0: SMSL AD18 [Kitchem]
ID: DnsSd#Chromecast-Audio-af4343c61a69ab82b905f704427fe20f._googlecast._tcp.local#0
Model name: Chromecast Audio
Device #1: Technics SL-G700M2
ID: DnsSd#Technics-SL-G700M2-7a8e385c2c225e28b7ee022036985563._googlecast._tcp.local#0
Model name: Technics-SL-G700M2

2

Try changing ‘Sample rate limitation’ to 768kHz in “Bridge settings” and your ‘DSD via PCM’ protocol to DoP 1.1. in “DSD capability”

I also suggest lowering your playback preload memory allocation to 4GB or 6GB.

If you are using EQ DSP in the Mojo box, and boosting frequencies and adding gain, you may be clipping the Mojo DAC…

:notes: :eye: :headphones: :eye: :notes:

3

@Agoldnear, thanks for the tips.

I did try them out but no change: still glitching/static from PCM 192kHz to DSD256.

Having said that, rather interestingly, the maximum I can set 'Maximum sample rate is 384kHz, not 768kHz as one expects.

Audirvana with ASIO - Max sample rate available is 384kHz
Audirvana with ASIO - Max sample rate available is 384kHz1366×720 110 KB

Note that this is when Chord’s ASIO driver is used. Why is the PCM sample rate showing 1,536 when it should be 768?

Given the glitching/static occurs when using both ASIO & WASAPI, I don’t think this is the root cause of the issue.

Any other insights or tips?

4

Chord up-converts all signals internally to high sample-rate PCM and then decimates the resulting signal to multi-bit DSD-wide for output… 1411.2kHz is equivalent of 2x 705.6kHz… 705.6kHz is the DoP 1.1 PCM carrier sample-rate for 1-bit 11.2MHz (DSD256)
…1536kHz is the equivalent of 2x 768kHz…
Set the ‘Bridge settings’ Maximum sample rate to the 384kHz limitation.

Try using Audirvāna’s software volume control to lower the output by -3dB or -6dB… If any of these changes do not work for your system, then you will need to get more insight from one of the Chord Mojo users here on the forum… It appears in your case the “Plays with” settings are not working…

I don’t know how to do this in Windows, but you would want to put your Mojo DAC as the highest priority on the USB bus hierarchy.

EDIT:
With a PCM limitation of 384kHz, the highest 1-bit DSD sample-rate transmittable via DoP would be 5.6MHz (DSD128).

:notes: :eye: :headphones: :eye: :notes:

5

Note:
There are no native PCM 768kHz recordings… any products that may be available are up-sampled iterations of lower-sample rate PCM encodings or decimations of native 1-bit DSD recordings.

:notes: :eye: :headphones: :eye: :notes:

6

Google is your frenemy… try “google windows 11 with external dac audio issues”

7

Do you mean the issues caused by the Jan 2025 security updates to Windows 11 that resulted in DACs compatible with the USB 1.0 standard (as opposed to USB 2.0) failing to function as expected? If so, all DACs I have tried so far I believe adhere to the USB 2.0 specification, and all work fine with my installation of Audirvana Studio, except the Chord Mojo 2. The list of DACs tested over the last few months without issues, playing PCM 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 192kHz plus DSD64, DSD128 & DSD256 (except Ztella) without any issues, which are my requirements:

  • Denafrips Ares II DAC (NOS & OS) & Iris DDC (headphone system)
  • Zorloo Ztella (up to DSD128)
  • iBasso DC04PRO (up to DSD256)
  • Cayin RU7 (up to DSD256)

Further, using an Eversolo DMP-A6 Master Edition as transport and playing via the Mojo 2 is also fine, as is with foobar2000 running on the same laptop as Audirvana connected to the same Mojo 2 (using the same Chord ASIO driver & USB cable), hence why I have narrowed this down to the combination of Audirvana Studio + Chord Mojo 2 combination being the issue.

I am looking to get a setup for when I am on the move and do like the Mojo 2 very much, over the Zorloo Ztella, Cayin RU7, and iBasso DC04PRO, which I tested before settling on the Mojo 2. Granted the price/performance ratios don’t match, but the Mojo 2 is leagues ahead of the others, so worth it, except for this issue of using it with Audirvana Studio.

I also see that the Windows 11 security updates issue has been reported here: Windows 11 DAC issues, Microsoft is working on a fix

8

I am aware of what the Mojo 2 does once it receives the content, but it seems that the issue is ‘what’ it receives as input, and perhaps how. I have heeded Rob Watts’ (designer of Chord DACs) advice and avoided upsampling content sent to the Mojo 2.

Tweaking the various parameters you have listed in your responses above has not, so far, made a difference. A few more questions:

  1. What is the rationale for reducing the ‘Track pre-load’ size to 4GB or 6GB? I would have thought the only thing that it would do is reduce the latency from hitting play to hearing the track being played, which is not an issue for me. I would rather dedicate as much RAM as necessary to Audirvana (from the 32GB).

  2. What is the reason for setting the ‘Maximum sampling rate’ to 384kHz, since playback appears to be at DSD256 (11.2MHz) anyway - the Mojo 2 indicates that it does receive a DSD stream (via its indicator light), but not the actual sampling rate - see below:

    Audirvana with ASIO - Max sample rate available is 384kHz
    Audirvana with ASIO - Max sample rate available is 384kHz1366×720 92.8 KB

  3. I did try DoP to v1.1 as well, but no joy. Where can I find a good explanation of the differences between DoP v1.0 & DoP v1.1?

So far, I am only interested in playing back the following sampling rates:
44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, and 192kHz plus DSD64, DSD128 & DSD256, since I have recordings (downloads & CD/DVD/SACD/DVD-A rips) in these sampling rates.

9

This is exactly what reducing the playback pre-load memory allocation does… You are freeing more RAM for System level operations and synergetic fundamental Audirvāna operations where latencies are reduced across the memory bus and registers due to an abundance of free System RAM.
There is no rational reason to allocate more pre-load memory than 4GB or 6GB in your case.

Note the bold text in the report data when using ASIO Chord 1.05… Audirvana only sees 384kHz capability in the Bridge settings… The incongruences pose a question as to the Windows 11 DAC connection potentials playing into these behaviors you are experiencing…

Selected device:ASIO Chord 1.05
Manufacturer:
Model name: ASIO Chord 1.05
Model UID: ASIO Chord 1.05
UID: ASIO Chord 1.05

12 available sample rates up to 1536000Hz
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
352800
384000
705600
768000
1411200
1536000

If Audirvāna sees the DAC as capable to 384kHz, where 352.8kHz is the DoP 1.1 PCM carrier sample-rate for 1-bit 5.6MHz (DSD128) it is apparent that when a DSD256 (11.2MHz) signal is presented, the DAC does not play it properly or at all… If it does play the file, the DAC may be having difficulty handling the de-embedding of the 1-bit 11.2MHz PDM signal from the 705.6kHz DoP carrier sample-rate and producing artifacts in this processing.
Note that 1411.2kHz is the DoP 1.1 PCM carrier sample-rate for 1-bit 22.4MHz (DSD512)
You should also be able to play 352.8kHz files properly.

I don’t believe you are the only Chord Mojo 2 user of Audirvāna and I hope one of those folks will provide more insight for you… The next question: "What does Chord say about the behavior you are experiencing? "

Here :point_down:
https://www.dsd-guide.com/dop-open-standard

:notes: :eye: :headphones: :eye: :notes:

10

If in fact your intentions are to send all PCM files directly to the DAC without up-sampling, make sure that you have the up-sampling module algorithm (r8Brain) disabled/deactivated in that playback scenario… When playing DSD files, the up-sampling module is bypassed as expected. :wink:

11

Of course, it is - you are stating the obvious…

12

Okay… Good luck…
:notes: :eye: :headphones: :eye: :notes:

13

Just dropping by to see if anyone had used Resplendence Software - LatencyMon: suitability checker for real-time audio and other tasks to see if there are any of these types of issues popping up…

And as a reference, I ran for around an hour from my windoz 11 pc across my LAN connection (not USB) to my streamer and Chord Qutest without any issues… So I think this is a USB and/or Driver issue…

14

The biggest gain one can have with having enough RAM (at least with MS Windows) is that it will prevent memory paging (or swapping), even though it is to SSD - my laptop has a 2TB SSD dedicated to Windows 11, installed applications, and page file (pagefile.sys) so no bottlenecks there, but realistically, with 32GB RAM there is no swapping. As such, I am happy to dedicate as much of the 32GB RAM to Audirvana so that all low-level (or register-level) operations are performed efficiently. I never see RAM exceeding 32-35% though, with CPU utilisation pegging at roughly the same level when playing DSD256 content. As such, my laptop never struggles when Audirvana is running. I am not sure whether Audirvana is using that extra RAM for its exclusive use, but, if not, then perhaps an option to assign RAM for Audirvana’s exclusive use may be useful.

The Debug Info reported earlier reflects the original settings, which shows the highest PCM sample rate as 1536000 (but seems wrong, as it should be 768kHz, which is shown correctly when WASAPI is selected). The last screenshot above shows off a PCM sample rate of 384 after I set the max. sample rate per your advice. As such that screenshot was to illustrate the point that, irrespective of the max PCM sample rate setting, DSD256 content will play (and not be limited to DSD128 as you pointed out above), albeit with the glitching/white noise as it was with the original settings (irrespective of DoP 1.0 or DoP 1.1 is set). With the original settings, Audirvana does recognise the full potential of the Chord Mojo 2, and all other DACs I have tried so far (a list can be found in an earlier post, including DSD1024 for the Ares II).

Indeed, I sure hope someone can shed some light on the issues, especially if they have experienced even a hint of any issues with their Mojo 2.

I haven’t heard back since I sent Chord the following report, which is a comparison between the two Windows drivers with regard to the issues experienced:

cdh76864.sys (v1.0.57.0 - Original) ---- cdh76864.sys (v1.0.69.0 - New)

PCM 44.1kHz - no issues ---- PCM 44.1kHz - no issues
PCM 96kHz – No issues ---- PCM 96kHz – slight glitching
PCM 192kHz – glitching & white noise ---- PCM 192kHz – glitching & white noise
DSD64 – glitching & white noise ---- DSD64 – glitching & white noise
DSS128 – heavy glitching & white noise ---- DSS128 – heavy glitching & white noise
DSD256 – unplayable: static & white noise ---- DSD256 – does not play at all

I have now rolled back to cdh76864.sys v1.0.57.0. The ASIO driver is the same v1.0.5.

Excellent, thanks. Time for some bedtime reading.

15

Super, thank you for that. As I have reported above the gravity of the issues noted change with the version of driver installed - it may be that the later driver is still not ready, but still awaiting Chord to get back to me.

Coincidentally, I had downloaded and installed Free USB Analyzer but have yet to test it as it needs a fair bit of time. There appears to be no ill effects with playback, and the aforementioned issues still remain, so will see how I how I get on with the analysis.

1 Like
16

Obviously, If you have no problem playing these file formats and sample-rates on your other DACs then it appears something is going-on with the Chord box or perhaps the USB interconnect.

For reference… My playback platform is a Mac Studio M2 Max with 64GB of RAM… I allocate 8GB of playback pre-load memory… my playback is flawless… I modulate all PCM files (up-to DXD 352.8kHz) to 1-bit 5.6MHz DSD128 in r8Brain after HRTF Audio Units plug-in processing, as DoP1.1 via USB 3.0 to my DAC… My library drive is an external SSD hanging on the USB 3.0 bus. I cruise at around 5-10% CPU operational overhead.
My previous platform was a MacBook Pro 2.7GHz quad core i7, with 16GB of ram where I used 4GB of playback pre-load memory with excellent results…
This not my first rodeo with digital-audio playback and I am here to say more System RAM is better… no need to allocate a pile of RAM for pre-load buffering. It is better to free the memory bus of interrupts.

:notes: :eye: :headphones: :eye: :notes:

2 Likes
17

Not quite, since the issues occur ONLY when the following combination of devices and software/hardware are in the chain:
Audirvana Studio (v2.9.99) => Chord Windows Drivers (v1.0.57.0 & v1.0.69.0) + Chord ASIO Driver (v1.0.5) => USB (A → C) Cable => Chord Mojo 2

The following combinations work without any issues:
foobar2000 (v2.24.2) 32-bit => Chord Windows Drivers (v1.0.57.0 & v1.0.69.0) + Chord ASIO Driver (v1.0.5) => USB (A → C) Cable => Chord Mojo 2

Eversolo DMP-A6 Master Edition => USB (A → C) Cable => Chord Mojo 2

NOTE: The same tracks (shown below) and USB Cable were used in all tests.

image
image1058×301 20.5 KB

As such, it is clear that the issues occur when Audirvana, coupled with Chord’s drivers, is in the chain.

@Antoine, do you have any views or feedback on what can be the cause? Would appreciate a steer on what the possible root cause may be. Thanks.

18

This is from the WASAPI report…

Is this Conexant driver updated? Does removing this software change the behavior? It may be competing with Audirvāna for core audio API’s.

=====

We see in the debug report only the ‘ASIO Chord 1.05’ as the UID of the selected device and as ‘Device #0’ in the "Local devices found’ listing… It appears that the Chord Mojo hardware ID is not identified… We see your other DAC UID’s describing the hardware device attached… As I alluded previously, if your other DACs playback files as expected via Audirvāna, it is obvious there is a connectivity anomaly with the Chord box.

If you are using a USB hub or connecting all your DACs to the laptop via the USB ports, try connecting the Chord DAC alone, directly to your laptop so to eliminate any USB bus potentials in the context of Audirvāna playback.

What happens when you disable ‘Integer Mode’ playback?

:notes: :eye: :headphones: :eye: :notes:

1 Like
19

Okay, in order to isolate this issue, I have now removed the Conexant HD Driver (installed by Windows), and ensured that both ASIO & WASAPI settings are the same as far as permissible.

The debug info was captured while playing one of the PCM test tracks at a sampling rate of 192kHz - NO CHANGE to the issues identified earlier. Further, the glitching/static seems to get worse when I work on the laptop (i.e. use the keyboard, mouse, etc) - this exactly is my use case since I will be working on the laptop while Audrvana is playing music via the Mojo 2 (i.e. casual listening). Audirvana plays via a dedicated headphone system (Iris DDC → Denafrips DAC → SPL Phonitor 2 amp) which plays fine, if required, up to and including DSD1024.

Pasted below are the two lots of Debug Info following these changes:

ASIO:

Audirvana Studio 2.9.99 (20999)

Windows 11 (26100) x86_64 with 32GB physical RAM

Connected account of : D W

NETWORK
Status: available
Available network interfaces:
Ethernet ({51959ec5-45c7-4887-a30b-cebd29244cec}) is private
Local Area Connection ({de6fd4c8-e0b6-4d7f-a5be-6e08818b4687}) is private
Windows Defender Firewall status for this instance of Audirvana Studio
Active profile types: all
Private profile:
Firewall: enabled
Inbound: allowed
Outbound: allowed
Notifications: enabled
Public profile:
Firewall: enabled
Inbound: blocked
Outbound: allowed
Notifications: enabled
Third party firewall installed and registered in place of Windows Defender:
AVG Antivirus

SIGNAL PROCESSING:

Polarity Inversion:
	Globally: OFF
	Per track: OFF
DSP NOT ACTIVE

UPSAMPLING:
r8brain not in use
r8brain filter parameters
Bandwidth = 99.5%
Stop band attenuation 218dB
Phase linear

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

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 5 folders
AUTO: D:_CD_Rips
AUTO: D:_SACD_Rips
AUTO: D:_TestDSD
AUTO: D:_TestPCM
AUTO: D:\DW_Work\Private\Music
Sort and display order: en
Library database path: C:\Users\dulan\AppData\Local\Packages\Audirvana.Audirvana-4118-9684-d80dbb7827cd_q3nymrkmej12j\LocalCache\Local\Audirvana\Audirvana\AudirvanaDatabase.sqlite

Local audio files fingerprinting
Tracks with no MBID: 3593

Remote Control server:
Listening on 192.168.178.20 on port 58692

ACTIVE STREAMING SERVICES

APPEARANCE SETTINGS:
UI theme: dark
Font size: regular
Language: English
Show album covers in tracks list: yes
Source list sorted:
Local
My Music
Radios
Streaming
Podcasts
Startup view: My Music: Albums
Show local extended in source list: yes
Use media keys: yes
Use media keys for volume control: yes
Use legacy Bonjour protocol: no
Number of paired remotes: 3
Remote pairing code required: yes
Screen saver disabled: yes

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

Active method: Local

Max. memory for audio buffers: 8128MB

Local Audio Engine: ASIO 2
Driver version 2
Use max I/O buffer size: ON

Preferred device:
ASIO Chord 1.05
Model UID:ASIO Chord 1.05
UID:ASIO Chord 1.05

Currently playing in Integer Mode:
Device: 2ch 32bits Integer, 8 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:ASIO Chord 1.05
Manufacturer:
Model name: ASIO Chord 1.05
Model UID: ASIO Chord 1.05
UID: ASIO Chord 1.05

12 available sample rates up to 1536000Hz
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
352800
384000
705600
768000
1411200
1536000

Volume Control
Physical: No
Virtual: No
Max volume alert: Disabled

MQA capability
Auto-detect MQA devices: No
Not automatically detected, user set to not MQA

DSD capability
DSD via PCM 1.1

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: 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
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 352.8kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 384kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 705.6kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 768kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 1411.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 1536kHz

Local devices found : 4
Device #0: ASIO Chord 1.05
Manufacturer:
Model UID: ASIO Chord 1.05
UID: ASIO Chord 1.05
Model name: ASIO Chord 1.05
Device #1: USB DAC ASIO
Manufacturer:
Model UID: USB DAC ASIO
UID: USB DAC ASIO
Model name: USB DAC ASIO
Device #2: Vinshine DENAFRIPS USB DAC
Manufacturer:
Model UID: Vinshine DENAFRIPS USB DAC
UID: Vinshine DENAFRIPS USB DAC
Model name: Vinshine DENAFRIPS USB DAC
Device #3: Zorloo USB Audio ASIO Driver
Manufacturer:
Model UID: Zorloo USB Audio ASIO Driver
UID: Zorloo USB Audio ASIO Driver
Model name: Zorloo USB Audio ASIO Driver

UPnP

UPnP network interface
Selected Network interface: Ethernet
Available Network interfaces:
Local Area Connection
Ethernet

UPnP devices found : 1
Device #0: Technics SL-G700M2
UID: uuid:fb8a569b-37af-454d-ad02-4d3fc60ba1bf
Location: http://192.168.178.32:16500/fb8a569b-37af-454d-ad02-4d3fc60ba1bf.xml
Manufacturer: Technics
Model name: Technics-SL-G700M2

Chromecast

Chromecast devices found : 2
Device #0: SMSL AD18 [Kitchem]
ID: DnsSd#Chromecast-Audio-af4343c61a69ab82b905f704427fe20f._googlecast._tcp.local#0
Model name: Chromecast Audio
Device #1: Technics SL-G700M2
ID: DnsSd#Technics-SL-G700M2-7a8e385c2c225e28b7ee022036985563._googlecast._tcp.local#0
Model name: Technics-SL-G700M2

WASAPI:

Audirvana Studio 2.9.99 (20999)

Windows 11 (26100) x86_64 with 32GB physical RAM

Connected account of : D W

NETWORK
Status: available
Available network interfaces:
Ethernet ({51959ec5-45c7-4887-a30b-cebd29244cec}) is private
Local Area Connection ({de6fd4c8-e0b6-4d7f-a5be-6e08818b4687}) is private
Windows Defender Firewall status for this instance of Audirvana Studio
Active profile types: all
Private profile:
Firewall: enabled
Inbound: allowed
Outbound: allowed
Notifications: enabled
Public profile:
Firewall: enabled
Inbound: blocked
Outbound: allowed
Notifications: enabled
Third party firewall installed and registered in place of Windows Defender:
AVG Antivirus

SIGNAL PROCESSING:

Polarity Inversion:
	Globally: OFF
	Per track: OFF
DSP NOT ACTIVE

UPSAMPLING:
r8brain not in use
r8brain filter parameters
Bandwidth = 99.5%
Stop band attenuation 218dB
Phase linear

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

LIBRARY SETTINGS:
Sync list: 5 folders
AUTO: D:_CD_Rips
AUTO: D:_SACD_Rips
AUTO: D:_TestDSD
AUTO: D:_TestPCM
AUTO: D:\DW_Work\Private\Music
Sort and display order: en
Library database path: C:\Users\dulan\AppData\Local\Packages\Audirvana.Audirvana-4118-9684-d80dbb7827cd_q3nymrkmej12j\LocalCache\Local\Audirvana\Audirvana\AudirvanaDatabase.sqlite

Local audio files fingerprinting
Tracks with no MBID: 3593

Remote Control server:
Listening on 192.168.178.20 on port 54863

ACTIVE STREAMING SERVICES

APPEARANCE SETTINGS:
UI theme: dark
Font size: regular
Language: English
Show album covers in tracks list: yes
Source list sorted:
Local
My Music
Radios
Streaming
Podcasts
Startup view: My Music: Albums
Show local extended in source list: yes
Use media keys: yes
Use media keys for volume control: yes
Use legacy Bonjour protocol: no
Number of paired remotes: 3
Remote pairing code required: yes
Screen saver disabled: yes

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

Active method: Local

Max. memory for audio buffers: 8128MB

Local Audio Engine: WASAPI
Use max I/O buffer size: ON

Preferred device:
Digital Output (Chord Async USB 44.1kHz-768kHz)
Model UID:USB\VID_245F&PID_0815&REV_0197
UID:\?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{9a1f302d-7581-45ba-a416-69d9ed1ce247}#{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:Digital Output (Chord Async USB 44.1kHz-768kHz)
Manufacturer: Chord Electronics Ltd.
Model name: Mojo2
Model UID: USB\VID_245F&PID_0815&REV_0197
UID: \?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{9a1f302d-7581-45ba-a416-69d9ed1ce247}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}
USB Vendor ID: 0x245f
USB Product ID: 0x0815

10 available sample rates up to 768000Hz
44100
48000
88200
96000
176400
192000
352800
384000
705600
768000

Volume Control
Physical: No
Virtual: No
Max volume alert: Enabled

MQA capability
Auto-detect MQA devices: No
Not automatically detected, user set to not MQA

DSD capability
DSD via PCM 1.1

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 24bit little endian 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 44.1kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 48kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 88.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 88.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 88.2kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 16bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 96kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 176.4kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 176.4kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 192kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 192kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 352.8kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 352.8kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 384kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 384kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 705.6kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 705.6kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 24bit little endian 768kHz
2 ch Integer PCM 32bit little endian 768kHz

Local devices found : 2
Device #0: Digital Output (Chord Async USB 44.1kHz-768kHz)
Manufacturer: Chord Electronics Ltd.
Model UID: USB\VID_245F&PID_0815&REV_0197
UID: \?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{9a1f302d-7581-45ba-a416-69d9ed1ce247}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}
USB Vendor ID: 0x245f
USB Product ID: 0x0815
Model name: Mojo2
Device #1: Speakers (Conexant ISST Audio)
Manufacturer: Conexant
Model UID: INTELAUDIO\FUNC_01&VEN_14F1&DEV_2008&SUBSYS_103C837D&REV_1001
UID: \?\SWD#MMDEVAPI#{0.0.0.00000000}.{08e19c84-dd8f-4b5e-8e55-831eb4cc8497}#{e6327cad-dcec-4949-ae8a-991e976a79d2}
Model name: Intel High Definition Audio

UPnP

UPnP network interface
Selected Network interface: Ethernet
Available Network interfaces:
Local Area Connection
Ethernet

UPnP devices found : 1
Device #0: Technics SL-G700M2
UID: uuid:fb8a569b-37af-454d-ad02-4d3fc60ba1bf
Location: http://192.168.178.32:16500/fb8a569b-37af-454d-ad02-4d3fc60ba1bf.xml
Manufacturer: Technics
Model name: Technics-SL-G700M2

Chromecast

Chromecast devices found : 2
Device #0: SMSL AD18 [Kitchem]
ID: DnsSd#Chromecast-Audio-af4343c61a69ab82b905f704427fe20f._googlecast._tcp.local#0
Model name: Chromecast Audio
Device #1: Technics SL-G700M2
ID: DnsSd#Technics-SL-G700M2-7a8e385c2c225e28b7ee022036985563._googlecast._tcp.local#0
Model name: Technics-SL-G700M2

20

Seems evident that Chord needs to provide you a solution…

:notes: :eye: :headphones: :eye: :notes: