iFi uno DAC - color indication incorrect? on DAC

Audio Gear Talk iFi
1

Roon Core: Windows 10 build 1211
iFi uno DAC connected via USB
Drivers installed, device detected rebooted

I am playing MQA material to the DAC, but the DAC indicates PCM playback (yellow or green), but not MQA playback (Magenta).

The audio path indicates MQA Studio 176.4kHz, though.

Is this just a quircks of the device, or am I missing some setup?
image

2

Your audio path does not show Roon doing any decoding of the MQA. The source indicates that it is a 16/44.1 file that was created FROM a 176.4 source. The Authentication line is just saying “Yes, this is a real MQA file” and does not indicate a processing step.

Roon then sends the undecoded stream to the iFi. Are you sure you have MQA decoding turned on for that endpoint? You would find it in the Advanced Audio Settings for that device.

Now, if you want your device to do all the MQA steps, then it seems like Roon is set right and you have to investigate your device. Maybe something in a setting? What “mode” is it in? Maybe set Mode to OFF?

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3

Thanks for your explanation, very helpful! I have all device settings on their default, only set MQA capabilities to Decoder and render. So in total:

  • Private zone: off
  • DSD playback: native
  • MQA capabilities: Decoder and renderer
  • Volume control: Fixed volume
  • Resync Delay: 0ms

and in the advanced section:

  • Max sample rate PCM: up to 768kHz
  • Max bits per sample PCM: 32
  • Max sample rate (DSD): up to DSD512
  • Zone grouping delay: 0ms
  • Clock master priority: Default
  • Enable MQA core decoder: On
  • Use maximum Buffer size: Off
  • Use power-of-2 Buffer sizes: Off
  • Channel layout: 2.0
  • Multichannel mixing: dowmix as needed

Anything that stands out?

Concerning your “mode to OFF”: I am not sure what you mean here.

Thanks again and all the best

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4

Hi, Norbert

Did you do firmware upgrade?
I do not have the uno, but Zen Dac v2, Zen Dac Signature v2, Hip Dac v2. In all the firmware updates I did get the reminder that lights might be not as stated in the manual

5

Are you sure this is on? I ask because your signal path above indicates that it is not on. When Roon’s core decoder is on it will show in the signal path.

Are you having this issue with all MQA content or is it just this specific track/album?

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6

It shouldn’t really matter in the OP’s case if Roon’s core decoder is on or off, unless DSP is used or the DAC isn’t capable of core decoding, then Roon’s decoder must be on. Either way the DAC should still be able to handle rendering and indicate as such.

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7

Sometimes I do not turn off core decoder (after turning off DSP) and still get the dac reporting mqa and the core decoder is not visible on the path
Screenshot 2023-02-16 at 09.33.29

So the setting from MQA capability decoder and render does overrule the core decoder (that comes into play only with dsp or non mqa dacs). Usually I just turn off just to be sure.

8

I’m thinking that might be the OP’s issue then. I’m wondering if this DAC only does rendering and because it is set to both in Roon if that might be the problem? iFi’s site doesn’t seem to indicate if this DAC does both and the manual only references one MQA light (magenta) which is usually for ORSF (when something else is handling decoding).

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9

As far as I know, it doesn’t matter if Roon does the decoding or a fully capable MQA DAC does the decoding. Decoding is decoding. However, if you are using any Roon DSP, you need to let Roon do the MQA decoding. Therefore, just leave Roon MQA decoding on all the time.

If you have an MQA rendering DAC, it will do the rendering as long as Roon or the DAC does the decoding. It doesn’t matter which, so another reason to simply leave the Roon decoding on all the time.

I guess the only reason to turn off the Roon decoding is if you don’t like MQA and don’t want any decoding by Roon or the DAC. I can’t imagine why, but some people don’t want it.

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10

@Norbert_Preining your DAC does not support MQA decoding only rendering. It relies on the application playing the music from Tidal to apply software decode first. Turn on Roons MQA decoding in the advanced setting of device settings.

image
image750Ă—1334 63.1 KB

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11

So I would try all the settings for the MQA capabilities.

12

Then it is what I suspected and the OP needs to set capabilities to render only and core decoder on in Roon and that should fix it.

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13

Definitely turn on the Roon MQA decoding. I’m not sure it matters if the DAC is set for decoding and rendering or just rendering.

14

Thanks @Simon_Arnold3
that was the solution. I set MQA capabilities to “Render only” and left the Roon Core MQA on (it was already).
With that the DAC now goes into magenta mode and the audio path looks like below.
image

Thanks a lot again!

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