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Author Topic: DSD files on Pono  (Read 13157 times)

kepstein

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DSD files on Pono
« on: February 13, 2015, 07:35:24 am »

The Pono's newest firmware brings DSD support.  I tried to load my DSD files, but they were converted to FLAC.  How do I avoid this happening.
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JimH

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2015, 07:37:39 am »

The Pono's newest firmware brings DSD support.  I tried to load my DSD files, but they were converted to FLAC.  How do I avoid this happening.
In the Handheld options, try adding the extension.  Check the conversion settings there.  Let us know what you find.  Thanks.
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Frobozz

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2015, 02:46:54 pm »

I had to manually add dff and dsf to the supported file types and then it worked fine.

Plug in the PonoPlayer and get it recognized so you can see the player and drives in PonoMusic World
Under PonoPlayer Drives & Devices select the internal drive
At the top of the screen is "Sync Now" "Recheck Sync" and "Options"
Select "Options"
Open up the Files, Paths, & More settings
Add dff and dsf to the supported file types
The supported file types will now look like this "flac;mp3;wav;aif;aiff;m4a;aac;dsf;dff"

Do the same for the microSD card drive on the PonoPlayer to add dsf and dff to the supported file types
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kepstein

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2015, 04:16:54 pm »

Thanks, that worked.
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shieber

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2015, 01:12:11 pm »

Is there a way to do this automatically for every SD card?
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JohnT

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #5 on: February 23, 2015, 02:49:12 pm »

The new build (20.0.75) supports DSD sync to the PonoPlayer.
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John Thompson, JRiver Media Center

jonboy71

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #6 on: April 05, 2015, 07:33:17 pm »

I purchased Alan Parsons Project, The Turn Of A Friendly Card from Acoustic Sounds.  Track 6 is stopping playback on my Pono player at around the 4 minute mark.  This is a long track, so wondering if it might be an issue with Pono player or do I have a corrupt file? 
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REShaman

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #7 on: April 05, 2015, 11:28:09 pm »

I purchased Alan Parsons Project, The Turn Of A Friendly Card from Acoustic Sounds.  Track 6 is stopping playback on my Pono player at around the 4 minute mark.  This is a long track, so wondering if it might be an issue with Pono player or do I have a corrupt file? 

My experience has been with FW 1.05 playing DSD that some files cut off and do not play to the end. I believe Pono Music support is aware. But the problem persists. Open a support ticket and add your requests to the pile. Note not all DSD files of length just certain files. What the difference is that makes the difference has not been clarified nor remedied. Very disappointing.

Enjoy the music,
Richard
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Charles Hansen

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2015, 01:05:46 pm »

I purchased Alan Parsons Project, The Turn Of A Friendly Card from Acoustic Sounds.  Track 6 is stopping playback on my Pono player at around the 4 minute mark.  This is a long track, so wondering if it might be an issue with Pono player or do I have a corrupt file? 

Not only is Pono aware of the problem, they have already fixed it. They are just waiting for the next firmware update to include that fix. (Nobody wants to have a string of endless firmware updates to fix one single problem.)

In the meantime the work-around is to convert the file from .DFF format to .DSF format (or the other way around, I can't remember). If you do an internet search you will find software that can do this for you. One is the Philips format and the other is the Sony format. The Sony format has better metadata support.

Hope this helps,
Charles Hansen
Ayre Acoustics, Inc.
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REShaman

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #9 on: April 24, 2015, 12:54:51 pm »

Not only is Pono aware of the problem, they have already fixed it. They are just waiting for the next firmware update to include that fix. (Nobody wants to have a string of endless firmware updates to fix one single problem.)

In the meantime the work-around is to convert the file from .DFF format to .DSF format (or the other way around, I can't remember). If you do an internet search you will find software that can do this for you. One is the Philips format and the other is the Sony format. The Sony format has better metadata support.

Hope this helps,
Charles Hansen
Ayre Acoustics, Inc.

Dear Charles,

Thank you for the good news. The work-around, at least for me, is not satisfactory. As the work around for converting AIFF files into FLAC for those files that were listed in the main music directory but on the Pono Player screen were neither displayed or playable. In any case, glad it has been addressed and will made available to us as it has taken considerable time. I'll ignore your meta comment that borders on the hyperbole about nobody wanting a string of endless firmware updates to fix one single problem as there have been more than one and for some time. Speaking for myself, I would prefer frequent firmware updates to lengthy interim where problems that are discoverable by us users in milliseconds accompany software updates after the update. If we can discover them immediately so should beta testers or the engineers who write the software. I understand that not everyone has every impediment discovered.

And yes, it helps to be so informed by you about the intended firmware updates.

With appreciation,
Richard
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JimH

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #10 on: April 24, 2015, 12:57:54 pm »

I don't think Charles has the ability to change the schedule of firmware updates.  Neither does JRiver.  It's up to Pono to decide when to do it, and they need to err on the side of stability, not feature changes.
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brucknerdoc

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2015, 09:40:01 am »

Not only is Pono aware of the problem, they have already fixed it. They are just waiting for the next firmware update to include that fix. (Nobody wants to have a string of endless firmware updates to fix one single problem.)

In the meantime the work-around is to convert the file from .DFF format to .DSF format (or the other way around, I can't remember). If you do an internet search you will find software that can do this for you. One is the Philips format and the other is the Sony format. The Sony format has better metadata support.

Hope this helps,
Charles Hansen
Ayre Acoustics, Inc.

Contrasting opinion here. Sure, an endless string of FW updates would be annoying if all we were talking about is a feature or tweak or two here and there. But in the case of this DSD issue, we're talking about a problem in basic functionality that should be fixed with a FW update ASAP. It is disappointing enough that DSD support has been clumsily released without this issue being vetted in testing beforehand. But if a fix is available, not releasing the update until some other time in the future makes me wonder if Pono cares about the user experience here. Plenty of companies release an update just for a single issue if that problem critically hampers the basic functionality of the product. This is an issue of stability over features and to delay the release of the solution to handicapped playback of DSD files is disappointing. This is analogous to Charles releasing his QB-9 update for DSD, only to find out that it didn't fully work - and the fix would be coming down the road with the next feature-set upgrade.

BTW, since I use DSF files exclusively and have experienced this problem, the workaround must not be to convert DFF to DSF.
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REShaman

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2015, 08:10:26 pm »

Contrasting opinion here. Sure, an endless string of FW updates would be annoying if all we were talking about is a feature or tweak or two here and there. But in the case of this DSD issue, we're talking about a problem in basic functionality that should be fixed with a FW update ASAP. It is disappointing enough that DSD support has been clumsily released without this issue being vetted in testing beforehand. But if a fix is available, not releasing the update until some other time in the future makes me wonder if Pono cares about the user experience here. Plenty of companies release an update just for a single issue if that problem critically hampers the basic functionality of the product. This is an issue of stability over features and to delay the release of the solution to handicapped playback of DSD files is disappointing. This is analogous to Charles releasing his QB-9 update for DSD, only to find out that it didn't fully work - and the fix would be coming down the road with the next feature-set upgrade.

BTW, since I use DSF files exclusively and have experienced this problem, the workaround must not be to convert DFF to DSF.

Well stated. I concur with the perspective articulated by brucknerdoc in this post. Personal accountability on our part as customers, investors, beta testers etc., also require us to relate our experience accurately and without attitude. The truth of our assertions has a perspective that merits courteous attention.

My experience is the same as brucknerdoc. I also use DSF exclusively as well as AIFF.

My need for proper exercise does not require that I respond to every meta comment made by those who have authority and responsibility and obliquely lecture us in what feels to me to be defensive (another word -- arrogant, impertinent or presumptuous -- came to my mind but that would only require even more exercise on my part) and by defensive, I refer to choosing the meaning of our communications to infer we are spoiled brats who are ungrateful for what we've been provided; and, not getting our way in a time frame that is unreasonable, we expect our innovators to drop everything and feed us on demand.

It makes no sense that the tone and content from some who have authority and responsibility when combined project an attitude that misses what was so readily pertinent and easily discoverable before the release of multiple firmware updates that have yet to cure certain persistent impediments ameliorated with work-arounds that are more like jerk-arounds.

For once, I would love to hear some who have authority and responsibility offer some meta comments on the order of a compassionate and empathetic nature for our patience, patronage and persistence. I have witnessed at another forum similar exchanges and prudently stayed out of them. As I will hereafter given the wake of exchanges left behind that are now becoming common to this errand.

Hope this helps,
Richard
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phatgaz

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #13 on: May 18, 2015, 12:20:07 pm »

Hi All,

Just got a pono player and listening to dsd (dsf) files happily at the moment. (good job Mr C. Hansen!)

Amost all of my DSD sources are sacd rips from a PS3, and since I have been using foobar2000, I tend to leave the rips as (scarlet book) .iso files.  So far I have only used dsf files on the pp split from the iso using a free 'sonare' tool.

Can the JRiver software take in a sacd ISO and automatically produce ponoplayer compatable .dsf files ? 

peace,
Gareth.

P.S.
Be cool if the ponoplayer could/might have new firmware to play .iso directly ?   
 
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Frobozz

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #14 on: May 18, 2015, 03:19:09 pm »

It is possible to use JRiver to split an SACD ISO to separate tracks.  But you don't want to do that.  Any conversions or processing of DSD in JRiver will go through a PCM step because the converter and DSP only know PCM.  The DSD split wouldn't be pure because of the PCM step in the middle.

Best to use third-party tools to split the SACD ISO to separate tracks.  Tools that do all of the conversions in DSD.  Then import that split album into PonoMusic World.  Then sync that split album to the PonoPlayer.
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phatgaz

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #15 on: May 18, 2015, 06:11:23 pm »

Ithe converter and DSP only know PCM. 

OK,thanks for the info.   so JRiver isn't the place to play DSD files from the PC either ?   I guess the main home dac (mytek) will still be run by foorbar

I wondering if dsf files can have album art as part of the meta data ?  I have one album with the wrong art, despite manually putting a Folder.jpg of the preferred art with the tracks.

now need to battle with sd cards - I think I should upgrade to usb3 and a usb3 card reader, or leave the PP to load data overnight !

Cheers,

Gareth.

PS, just made myself a balanced cable for my senn. hd600's  (chopped a stock senn. hd650 cable). i think it sounds a bit better! cool.   (12 quid for the cable and 2.60 for the plugs)
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JimH

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #16 on: May 18, 2015, 08:10:46 pm »

I don't think this is quite accurate.  MC handles DSD as well as it can be done.
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Frobozz

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #17 on: May 19, 2015, 05:58:13 am »

OK,thanks for the info.   so JRiver isn't the place to play DSD files from the PC either ?   I guess the main home dac (mytek) will still be run by foorbar

JRiver (and PonoMusic World) will play DSD files and SACD ISO files fine, and can play those files as DSD with no PCM getting mixed in.  Play your DSD and SACD ISO files using JRiver to your Mytek.  It will do it right and do it well.

The potential problems come in when you want to do conversions or splitting the SACD ISO to separate track files within JRiver.  Then you may end up doing an unexpected PCM step that may compromise what you may have thought would be a pure DSD to DSD file conversion.
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wisker3600

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #18 on: January 10, 2018, 02:31:11 am »

I have never downloaded a DSD file. Is it possible to do this with version 22, using an OppO HA-2 and a HP Pavilion? Also will the Pono player support DSD? I don't want to waste the money and end up with a Flac file. Thanks!!
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wisker3600

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #19 on: January 10, 2018, 04:25:52 am »

I bought The Best Of Johnny Winter DSD and downloaded it to my library  and Pono player. When I went to play it on my computer using JRiver it said it could not play this in DSD. If I wanted to I could change it to make it play. Now I am wondering if I am playing in DSD or 176Hz??? Any idea??? It sounds GREAT!!
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Awesome Donkey

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2018, 05:42:13 am »

To play it back on a PC with MC you either a) have to have a DSD-capable DAC and enable DSD bitstreaming or b) convert it to PCM and play it back this way. If you don't have a DSD-capable DAC, in my opinion buying DSD albums would be a waste of money versus hi-res FLAC downloads.
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JimH

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Re: DSD files on Pono
« Reply #21 on: January 10, 2018, 06:30:15 am »

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