DSP Up-Sampling features in Roon 1.3

I think it only does final “44.1 x” dsd rates no matter the source pcm sample rate.

Okay sounds good thanks. Our DAC only has a 22.579Mhz clock, so that’s a good thing :slight_smile:

Dear Andy,

Thanks for info, do new builds exist for ex. in the Google Play Store for downlood from there or must be downloaded from Roon page and placed in a usb stick to update on tablet with it ?
thanks for support
Pedro

The Android build in the Playstore and the iOS build on the AppStore are both up to date with Build 223.

That’s correct. @brian has mentioned that support for 48x rates is “in the queue.”

Hi @brian

If I have Auto Volume Leveling ON - can I safely set SDM gain adjustment to 0dB?

Or are they two completely separate things? As in Auto Volume Leveling is only working on the PCM format and SDM gain adjustment strictly on the DSD format?

Many thanks Andy, now clear .
regards
Pedro

Is anyone having issues upsampling multiples of 48 up to 11.29Mhz? I have a client that says all of his albums that are multiples of 24, have an error when upsampling to 11.29Mhz. Even the Tidal masters albums. But upsampling to any other DSD rate works fine. Also multiples of 44.1 work fine:

I have no issues doing this running the current versions of MacOS and Roon Server.

He’s running Roonserver on Arch. I still haven’t tried myself to see if I could duplicate the situation.

Wondering if others feel the same or have had the same experience… maybe it’s just my dac (Unison Research CDDUE) but I keep going back and forth with my opionion whether I prefer upsampling to DSD, PCM (max) or disable altogether and let the dac itself do its magic and that’s where I am at this moment (using the minimum phase filter).

DSD seems to give a fuller sound, but sacrificing detail and bottom end punch (need to turn the volume of my tube amp up too much, and I find the amp sounds better at less volume)… I find it curious that I’ve never really confirmed one way or another, which I prefer.

The one thing I can confirm is that the CD portion sounds superior than any file playback method. Just offers more open (airy) and detail (especially with piano and acoustic instruments and not so much a difference with rock stuff).

Every DAC is designed so uniquely that everyone’s user experience will be different. Best thing to do is use the settings that sound best to you in your system. You’re the only one who can provide that answer for you. :slight_smile:

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I just find it interesting that I keep going back and forth as it changes from time to time.

Setting SDM gain adjustment to 0dB should be safe regardless of volume leveling. That is the current default setting, IIRC.

The purpose of that setting is to tune away DSD modulator instability–which is mostly a theoretically problem if the SDM’s are designed properly. In other words, if you see instability, and the clipping indicator isn’t going nuts, it’s a sign that we should be fixing something.

We put that setting there–sort of–out of paranoia when we released the feature first. At this point (and especially now that we support processing DSD directly) it is almost always better to manage headroom issues in a unified fashion using the Headroom Adjustment screen. This avoids creating volume offsets that vary based on the content being played.

Also, as you have probably noticed–turning on Volume Leveling reduces the level to a point where clipping is extraordinarily unlikely.

Personally, I prefer to manage headroom in a unified fashion–and not specifically at the input to the SDM. So if I need to make adjustments, I do it in the Headroom Management section. I don’t think I’ll ever set that SDM gain adjustment to something other than 0dB.

Volume Leveling works on all content. SDM gain adjustment only works when there is an SDM involved in the signal path.

If you like consistent volume levels, it’s better to manage headroom in one place. If that is not your objective, then the SDM gain adjustment setting can be used to tune away instability (which shouldn’t be happening anyways).

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I’ve had to review my thinking regarding upsampling to PCM or DSD. I had been enjoying the space of DSD, but an audiophile friend of mine kept pulling funny faces when he was over recently. Then later, after making some changes, I found myself listening to PCM without realising it and I enjoyed the greater “punch”. I had to confess as much to Rene (@RBM) who finds PCM has more detail in the Jazz material he prefers. I believe Daniel (@Rugby) also prefers PCM.

The benefits of DSD upsampling to me are increased soundstage and no sibilance. But PCM does feel more direct and punchy. I’ve been swapping between the two lately depending on whether I’m in the room or wandering about and the nature of the material.

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Sadly, I’m at the point where each has their own benefits and am contemplating a DAC for PCM and another for DSD. On a side note, I just saw a 1024 DSD advertised.

Are you using a pure DSD DAC? Or is it a DAC primarily designed for PCM?

I’m using the Holo Audio Spring which has separate discrete resistor ladders for PCM and DSD. I use it in NOS mode leaving all the upsampling to Roon or HQP.

Okay. But most of the differences people observe between PCM and DSD is based on how their DAC handles the format, rather than the format itself. However most people attribute the differences to the format itself. Since 95% of DAC’s today that are DSD compatible use ASIC based SDM chips, DSD usually gets the rep of being softer sounding. The reason for this is overprocessing. You end up running the DSD through dual modulators, and filters which softens things up at the expense of ultimate dynamics. So it’s important to understand how your DAC works to understand what’s really happening.

Thanks for the explanation, sounds exactly what may happen with my DAC (without knowing the exact chips used inside).