Hi,
I use the Ian Canada Mono DAC with the Reclocker Q7 on a Raspberry PI 3b. The software platform is from RopieeeXL in order to play HQPlayer and/or Roon.
The situation is that:
1e The max conversion rate is limited to 192K.
2e Only PCM format is supported and DSD is not.
What could cause this limitations>
RopieeeXL is configured with the DAC HAT Raspberry PI (I2S). If I choose the Audiophonics Sabre 90x, then the PCM rate goes to 384K. But even so no DSD.
Anyone any idea what the optomal settings are for the Ian Canada Mono DAC with HQPlayer?
Thank you,
Jan
I use the Ian Canada Mono DAC with the Reclocker Q7 on a Raspberry PI 3b. The software platform is from RopieeeXL in order to play HQPlayer and/or Roon.
The situation is that:
1e The max conversion rate is limited to 192K.
2e Only PCM format is supported and DSD is not.
What could cause this limitations>
RopieeeXL is configured with the DAC HAT Raspberry PI (I2S). If I choose the Audiophonics Sabre 90x, then the PCM rate goes to 384K. But even so no DSD.
Anyone any idea what the optomal settings are for the Ian Canada Mono DAC with HQPlayer?
Thank you,
Jan
IIUC, RPi GPIO Bus uses a clock generator to drive the I2S bus frame clock signal (LRCK). For Native DSD, LRCK becomes one of the DSD channel data signals. Apparently the clock generator doesn't support that. Therefore the only way to send DSD over RPi GPIO bus is via DoP protocol (DSD over PCM). In that case the PCM stream must not be altered in any way or the DSD data will be corrupted. The volume controls must be set to full volume level, and no device passing audio should be allowed to resample the audio stream (as some OS can do under some conditions). Unfortunately DoP is inefficient so the maximum DSD sample rate is cut in half as compared to using Native DSD.
For that and other reasons some people prefer to use RPi to stream over USB bus to a USB dac, instead of using the GPIO bus.
For that and other reasons some people prefer to use RPi to stream over USB bus to a USB dac, instead of using the GPIO bus.
Hallo Markw4,
Thank you for your explaination. Does this mean that a Raspberry and DAC HAT based on I2S, never can play native DSD?
rgrds, Jan
Thank you for your explaination. Does this mean that a Raspberry and DAC HAT based on I2S, never can play native DSD?
rgrds, Jan
Yes, that would be my understanding. Probably some way to get DoP working though. Also IIRC, Ian's FIFO_Pi boards can convert DoP to Native DSD. In addition, seem to recall that ES9038Q2M has a built-in DoP decoder. Of course, ES9038Q2M does not appear to play DSD in bit-perfect form. Looks like it converts DSD to some type of PCM so that the internal volume control can still work. Perhaps it remodulates to DSD it after that, don't know.
OTOH, AKM dacs I am familiar with have a DSD 'volume bypass' mode that allows skipping that conversion step.
OTOH, AKM dacs I am familiar with have a DSD 'volume bypass' mode that allows skipping that conversion step.
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