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DSD DFF not auto switching Bitrate on DAC [Solved]

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eapfoto:
Hello. I can get PCM bitrates to correctly switch between tracks on my DAC (Marantz HD-DAC1), but for some reason MC31 no longer auto switches to correct bitrates on DSF and DFF tracks (or whatever you call them when using DSD). For example, if I play a DFF64 file, it shows up at the DAC as 176.4, not DSD 2.8 like it used to. And if I try to play DSF64 files I just get an error saying Unsupported. What am I doing wrong to be able to switch seamlessly between PCM and DSD formats with auto bitrate switching. Screenshots attached with current settings. I haven't used MC for a couple months, no system changes or updates, but now it does't work like it used to. Appreciate any help!

Awesome Donkey:
My guess after looking at your images is it's trying to use the default CoreAudio audio output instead of the HD-DAC1 audio output. Go to MC's Options > Audio > Audio Device and select the HD-DAC1 from the dropdown menu. Then below that make sure DSD bitstreaming is enabled and volume (both system volume and volume in MC) is set to 100% otherwise it could fail to bitstream DSD.

eapfoto:
Thanks for your help. When I go to Audio Device, everything on that list is followed by the name [Core Audio]. See new pic attached. There doesn't seem to be an option to choose anything without Core Audio. My other DAC also plugged in shows up on that list, the RME-ADI2, but same issue. Is there a way to turn off Core Audio if that is the culprit causing this problem?

Any other thoughts that might help? Thanks again!

eapfoto:

--- Quote from: eapfoto on May 30, 2024, 05:28:21 pm ---Thanks for your help. When I go to Audio Device, everything on that list is followed by the name [Core Audio]. See new pic attached. There doesn't seem to be an option to choose anything without Core Audio. My other DAC also plugged in shows up on that list, the RME-ADI2, but same issue. Is there a way to turn off Core Audio if that is the culprit causing this problem? Also, if I have DSP Studio open during playback, down at the bottom of the window it correctly shows Source as 2.8Mhz/64-bit (DSD), but then next to that is shows Internal as 176.4 PCM. Seems like it's recognizing the DSD material, but not passing it through as-is without resampling.

Any other thoughts that might help? Thanks again!

--- End quote ---

Awesome Donkey:
CoreAudio is the driver and part of macOS, it can't be turned off. I meant make sure it's not set to the (Default) (CoreAudio) as that can cause issues. But looking at the images it looks like that's fine and set to the HD-DAC1.

How's the HD-DAC1 connected to the Mac? USB? I've looked at the manual and it doesn't mention if the HD-DAC1 supports DSD via DoP, which is required for macOS as native DSD output isn't possible. I'll assume it does, hopefully.

Generally there's a few things required to get DSD playback working on macOS.

1) Open the MIDI Audio Setup app and set the output to your DAC and set it to the highest bit-depth and sample rate. This is required by a lot of DACs to get DSD output working.
2) Make sure DSD bitstreaming is enabled under MC's Options > Audio. This is needed otherwise you'll see this behavior of converting DSD to PCM and outputting that.
3) Make sure both system volume and MC's volume is set to 100% otherwise it won't work or you'll hear just noise.
4) Use USB or DLNA (maybe ethernet too, not sure if that works on macOS). It won't work if it's connected via HDMI though.

If all else fails, you can try unchecking the integer mode option (which is in the second screenshot you posted above).

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