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[Dantos]

Greetings

While I mainly listen to PCM I do have DSD files.

When a DSD track starts *after* a PCM track preceding it (eg in a playlist) there is a loud high frequency PSSSSSTTT noise.

There is no such noise for subsequent DSD files, just the initial swap over to DSD from PCM.
There is no such noise swapping from DSD to PCM.

My USB DAC supports DSD via DoP. The ASIO driver settings inside MC allows "DSD bitstream in DoP format". It doesn't matter whether this is ticked or not. Still PSSSSTT.

What 'works' to stop the noise is turning off Bitstreaming DSD under tools>options> Audio Settings. However, the DAC then displays "PCM" as playing. With Bitstreaming ON it displays "DSD" with the corresponding sampling rate.


One other thing, This also happened with my previous DAC so I am thinking it is more an MC issue.

Anyone else experience this or know how to solve it?

Thanks in advance

D

[Awesome Donkey]

My guess would be that it's likely it's the DAC doing this. Some DACs make noise (like pops and whatnot) when changing bit-depths/sample rates and switching from PCM to DSD. My DSD DAC makes a popping sound when switching from my PCM DAC to the DSD DAC. But also make sure you have volume in the system set to 100% (also in MC, set it to 100%) as some DACs require this, otherwise you might get noise when trying to playback DSD.

If that's indeed the case that it's the DAC doing it when switching from PCM to DSD, the only way to 'solve' it is to convert everything to PCM to avoid the noise.

What kind of DAC is it? I'd recommend contacting the DAC manufacturer about this and see what they say.

[Screwdriver]

It's a common issue ... err, feature with some DACs. My Schiit Modi 2U does it, but my Topping D10 does not.

[kr4]

But also make sure you have volume in the system set to 100% (also in MC, set it to 100%) as some DACs require this, otherwise you might get noise when trying to playback DSD.

That is good advise in general if one plays mixed lists of both formats since MC cannot adjust volume for DSD (it is always 100%).  That may make for a jarring transition from PCM to DSD even without any "loud high frequency PSSSSSTTT noise."

[Dantos]

This is the second DAC in a row to manifest this PSSST noise switching to DSD. Has anyone found a workaround by manipulating a setting in MC ( eg I tried Tools/options/audio"playing silence at startup" for longer intervals)

But also make sure you have volume in the system set to 100% (also in MC, set it to 100%) as some DACs require this, otherwise you might get noise when trying to playback DSD.

That is good advise in general if one plays mixed lists of both formats since MC cannot adjust volume for DSD (it is always 100%).  That may make for a jarring transition from PCM to DSD even without any "loud high frequency PSSSSSTTT noise."

I don't understand. I use an ASIO driver which hands volume control directly to the DAC, No? Also I have "Volume mode" disabled so the volume slider is non operational.Besides, wouldn't Volume set at 100% exacerbate the loudness of the PSSST noise?

[Dantos]

It's a common issue ... err, feature with some DACs. My Schiit Modi 2U does it, but my Topping D10 does not.

Did Schiit fix this issue with like a firmware update or filter setting or something? Thanks

[JimH]

Lots of DAC's do it.  It's probably an issue with the chips used.

The solution, as said above, is to resample everything to the same bitrate and sample rate.

MC has an option to play leading silence.  It might be worth trying.

[Awesome Donkey]

I don't understand. I use an ASIO driver which hands volume control directly to the DAC, No? Also I have "Volume mode" disabled so the volume slider is non operational.Besides, wouldn't Volume set at 100% exacerbate the loudness of the PSSST noise?

Some DSD-capable DACs won't output music when bitstreaming DSD unless system (Windows Mixer) volume and internal (Media Center) volume are set to 100%. Usually they will output terrible screeching sounds if the volume is below 100%, hence why I mentioned that as a possibility. It being at 100% may be an issue (VERY loud) if you typically control volume in the application/OS mixer, but this is where having an external volume control (e.g. Schiit Sys) comes in handy.

Don't think Schiit does any sort of firmware/filter updates. They just provide drivers (which are more-or-less generic USB Audio Class 2.0 drivers + ASIO driver, usually made by C-Media). Also Schiit only had one DSD DAC, the Schiit Loki (before they reused the name for another product) which they discontinued. I have a Loki and it works fine other than the pop sound when changing from PCM to DSD. It also only works through WASAPI (no ASIO) with DoP.

[Dantos]

Lots of DAC's do it.  It's probably an issue with the chips used.

MC has an option to play leading silence.  It might be worth trying.

Yes, I was looking for this and experimented with the "play silence at startup" to no avail. Perhaps you are referring to "Track change", currently Gapped fade 0.7 sec ? I will try increasing this.Thanks

[Dantos]

Some DSD-capable DACs won't output music when bitstreaming DSD unless system (Windows Mixer) volume and internal (Media Center) volume are set to 100%. Usually they will output terrible screeching sounds if the volume is below 100%, hence why I mentioned that as a possibility. It being at 100% may be an issue (VERY loud) if you typically control volume in the application/OS mixer, but this is where having an external volume control (e.g. Schiit Sys) comes in handy.

Don't think Schiit does any sort of firmware/filter updates. They just provide drivers (which are more-or-less generic USB Audio Class 2.0 drivers + ASIO driver, usually made by C-Media). Also Schiit only had one DSD DAC, the Schiit Loki (before they reused the name for another product) which they discontinued. I have a Loki and it works fine other than the pop sound when changing from PCM to DSD. It also only works through WASAPI (no ASIO) with DoP.

Thanks. I have confirmed Windows is set at 100% and presume MC is at 100% using ASIO + Volume disabled option.

It raises the question what does bitstreaming actually do. I assumed it was a setting for "native" DSD playback as opposed to the carrier,DoP.

Disabling "Bitstreaming" in MC stops the pssst noise i.e with Bitstreaming set to "none". The strange thing is that with Bitsreaming set to None, and then proceeding to the device *driver settings* within MC the "DSD bitstreaming in DoP" option can be ticked or not, music still plays. Stranger is that the DAC displays PCM @ 352.8 kHz sampling rate (for a 2.8 MHz DSD file).So I wonder what the heck it is playing, a form of PCM or DSD??

[kr4]

I don't understand. I use an ASIO driver which hands volume control directly to the DAC, No? Also I have "Volume mode" disabled so the volume slider is non operational.Besides, wouldn't Volume set at 100% exacerbate the loudness of the PSSST noise?

I don't know what your DAC is or does.  All I am saying that is if the VC in use works with PCM but not with DSD (whether in a PC, Server or DAC), it is possible to get massive volume shifts when switching from PCM to DSD.   That said, I have never experienced the problems you describe, so no personal experience.

[dtc]

DoP using 1/16 of the DSD sample rate. So, 2.8MHz DSD uses 176 KHz PCM for DoP.

MC does conversion from from DSD to PCM  at 1/8th the DSD sample rate. So, 2.8 MHz DSD is converted to 352 KHz PCM.

When you are seeing 35 2Khz PCM on your DAC that is because MC is converting DSD to PCM.

[Dantos]

DoP using 1/16 of the DSD sample rate. So, 2.8MHz DSD uses 176 KHz PCM for DoP.

MC does conversion from from DSD to PCM  at 1/8th the DSD sample rate. So, 2.8 MHz DSD is converted to 352 KHz PCM.

When you are seeing 35 2Khz PCM on your DAC that is because MC is converting DSD to PCM.

Great explanation, thank you