Only Static when playing DTS Audio files

Hi Everyone. I am new on Roon enviroment so forgive me if this question has already been answered in some other thread.

I rescued an old Vaio Laptop, it’s an AMD E-350 at 1.6Ghz with 8GB on RAM running Ubuntu 20.04. I performed the Roon server instalation for Linux as the documentation indicates and everything is running smoothly.

I am sending the files via Airplay to a SMSL DP3 Digital Player/DAC, also, no issues there.

My only problem is with DTS 5.1 audio files, I have not many of them, but the ones I have (mostly classical music ripped directly from de original source) When I try to play this files I only get static,

Any ideas what could be happening? How can this be fixed, or if it can be fixed?

Again, those files are just 6 or 7 folders so it’s not a great deal, but i’d like to make them play if it’s possible.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Although the DTS surround tracks have a .wav file extension, they must be decoded by a DTS surround capable unit. Clearly, your player/DAC does not have this capability and you hear hiss.

Edit: there is conversion software such as ffmpeg or xmedia recode should you wish to take the time and effort. Although, that will result in a multi channel file which may be incompatible with Airplay.

A couple things have to happen to play DTS files. First, the file must be sent bit perfect (NO alterations) to the player. Second, the player must offer DTS decoding.

Thank you for your response! I think It may be Airplay, since the DP3 can read the DTS files if I attach my hdd directly to it.

Anyway, they"re a few folders to worry much about.

Thank you again.

As far as my understanding, all files sent via AirPlay are first transcoded to ALAC as two channel 44.1kHz, so you’ll never get the actual DTS file over to your DAC.

It’s almost the same thing as trying to send audio from a TV into a speaker via digital output - if the speaker doesn’t process Dolby or Bitstream, then you’ll just get static as well - but have the TV convert into 2.0 PCM, it’ll be fine. But the TV is able to take multichannel Dolby and down mix it into 2.0 PCM - that’s why it works. AirPlay doesn’t correctly down mix from DTS into 2.0 PCM, which is why it doesn’t work. If you’re able to down mix into 2.0 PCM before the file hits Airplay transcoding, then it may well work.

Thanks for the tip, I will try to configure it that way, hopefully will work.

No, that is not the issue. DTS WAVs physically are two channel 16 bit 44.1 kHz PCM audio that logically carry multichannel encoded audio.

Years ago, AirPlay with the original model AirPort Express mini TOSLINK output could convey bit perfect two channel 16 bit 44.1 kHz PCM audio – including DTS WAV audio. But something in the intervening years changed with more recent AirPlay receivers and/or Roon’s unofficial AirPlay implementation.

AJ