I’m trying to get native DSD playback on LS50WII. KEF Roon ready device is enabled DSD is enabled says up to 256. But only pays back as enhanced pcm 192. I can’t find anyway to play native. I can play DSD native over a dlna server view local network through another application, so I’m not sure why I can’t playback native DSD through roon.
Hi Nathan and welcome to the forums.
Some devices internally play DSD as high rate PCM.
My Arcam SA30 converts DSD128 to PCM 192 and there isn’t anything you can do about it.
Roon makes the provider show this in the signal path to let us know about it.
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There is no way to get KEF LS50 Wireless II to play DSD. It is not compatible with the speakers’ inherent DSP. All audio gets converted to PCM, either externally or internally.
AJ
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I moved this to the Audio Gear Talk KEF category.
Thanks I thought I was doing something wrong.
Anyone know if Ropieee pi with a mojo to ls50 Aux would do DSD. Would it be worth it?
It would work, but be aware that the LS50 will reconvert the analog signal from the Mojo to PCM first and finally back to analog. Not worth it, I guess.
Your best avenue is to make sure that the interspeaker link the LS50WII is wired and let Roon convert any DSD to 192kHz PCM so no other conversions are necessary. That – or just let the LS50 figure out the conversion by themselves and enjoy the music. They’re great speakers as they are.
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I never knew these were converting to pcm, even through Aux.
DSD sounds pretty good still converted. But you’re right they are great speakers even red book can sound very good on these.
If Roon didn’t make them tell you, you really wouldn’t know. I started buying a few DSD 128 albums (at Octave records) and besides my Matrix Audio Mini I Pro 3, nothing in my setup deals with DSD properly (the MA really does work nicely with DSD and sounds better having everything upscaled to DSD128).
A Raspberry Pi with a analogue hat might do the trick for you as it converts it to RCA, but I don’t imagine it’s going to change the sound you hear at the end of the line at all, and will become a little more complex in setup.
Oh no you have fallen down the DSD rabbit hole and upsampling.
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No I wanted to buy a couple of DSD albums, I probably won’t buy many more now, but they do sound fabulous.
I have always upsampled to DSD128 on the Pro 3 as it just sounds better having tried various things. I do the same on my Zen Stream and DAC but not with anything else.
Generally I’m much more interested in HQP upsampling, I just never have the time to follow through with my testing (it’s on my retirement list 
)
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