DSD playback with Primare NP5

[Christoph_Roling]

Core Machine
ROCK / Intel NUC 10i7FNH 8GB/ Roon Version 1.8 build 795.

Network Details
Core is connected via ethernet to AVM Fritzbox 7590 router

Audio Devices
Network Streamer: Primare NP5 (Wi-Fi connection); connected via optical output to DAC (Chord Qutest).

For the Primare NP 5 I have made the following choices in the audio settings of the device: Fixed output (i.e. no volume control), native playback, sample rate 192 kHz. I do not see any other options, e.g. regarding DSD playback

Library Size
4000 tracks, streaming via Qobuz and from external harddrive connected to core

Description of Issue
I am playing a DSD file from an external harddrive connected to the core. The signal path indicates a conversion to PCM (see screenshot).

When I navigate to Device setup in Roon, I do not see an option regarding DSD playback (e.g. Native, DoP).

The DAC seems to indicate DSD playback, if I decipher the color scheme of the DAC correctly (see ‘viewing glass’ in the photos). Can you explain what the sample rate conversion does? Is DSD really being played? Thank you for providing any information on this issue.

[wklie (Peter Lie)]

Direct connect the DAC to the Roon Core via USB.

New streaming device from Primare - the NP5

I’ve had the NP5 for a couple weeks now and it’s great to use ROON at long last on my main system. Sound quality is very good using an Ares II as the dac. My only gripe is that the design brief alludes to it being able to handle DSD. It does not. There are no options on ROON or the prisma app to allow this. Very disappointing

[AceRimmer (Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!)]

@wklie

Direct connect the DAC to the Roon Core via USB.

That should allow dsd over dop up to 256 I think.
Only way to get dsd512 into it would be from a windows machine using the asio drivers.
But why bother?
Chord Quest converts it back to PCM so just feed it the best PCM possible.
I upsampled everything to 384 when I had my Qutest. That was before my Lumin T2 which I do feed dsd 512.

[wklie (Peter Lie)]

@AceRimmer

why bother?
Chord Quest converts it back to PCM so just feed it the best PCM possible.

If the user prefers the DAC algorithm of DSD to PCM conversion to Roon, or choose this brand specifically for its filter.

By the way, your Lumin T2 can output DSD256 DoP via USB to Chord DAC, or DSD64 DoP via BNC.

[Christoph_Roling]

Thank you for bringing up this comment.

The manual of the Primare mentions ‘‘DSD up to 128 (5.6 MHz)’’ under Audio Formats (p. 14), so I just assumed it would work. Apparently the statement in the manual is not correct?

Unfortunately, a direct connection of the Core and the DAC is too inconvenient in my setup. Thank you for giving some feedback on this issue.

[wklie (Peter Lie)]

Read the output formats on P.14.

[AceRimmer (Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!)]

The Chord is long gone, absolutely no need of another dac with the T2 which I feed directly into my ML585 via analog cables.
I upsample with Roon to dsd512.

[Christoph_Roling]

Thank you, so no DSD via SPDIF.

[Christoph_Roling]

This was a valuable lesson. I need to pay more attention to pcm and dsd compatibility on each individual digital output of a streamer. Thank you again for giving me directions.