Roon does not detect Denafrips Terminator Plus 12-1 (ref#C113MK)

Support
1

Hi! What’s not quite right with Roon?

· None of the above quite fits

None of the above quite fits

· None of these quite match

Tell us what's going on

· Roon does not see my Denafrips Terminator Plus 12-1

Tell us about your home network

· LHY AS6 switch to HiFI Rose Rs130 to Denafrips Gaia 12th

2

… because …

… sits in between and doesn’t report anything downstream back to Roon server.

3

and since there is a DDC downstream not even the HifiRose can be held accountable…

Where is Roon Server running?

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When I go into Roon settings “audio” I see the HiFi Rose RS130 and I see the Denafrips but right underneath it has it highlighted as unidentified. It’s asking me for the model or brand I tried typing Denafrips no luck tried Terminator no luck. Neither one shows up in the draw down menu for other DACs. I am trying to change the settings from PCM to DSD.

5

Hey @gbprint6559,

Thanks for writing in and for sharing your report! As @Marin_Weigel has mentioned, the reason Roon isn’t finding “Terminator” in the dropdown is that Roon identifies the endpoint (the device directly connected to your network or MacBook), not necessarily the DAC at the end of the chain. In your case, the Gaia is likely masking the Terminator’s specific identity, or the USB interface requires a manual handshake.

Because you are running RS130 → Gaia → Terminator, the chain is complex.

  • The RS130 is the Endpoint: Roon sees the Rose RS130. If you are trying to configure the DAC settings inside Roon, you are actually configuring how the RS130 outputs data.
  • The I²S Connection: If the Gaia is connected to the Terminator via I²S, ensure the I²S pinout on the Gaia matches the Terminator. If these are mismatched, the "handshake" won't happen, and Roon will never "see" the Terminator, it only sees the Gaia.
Since your goal is to change settings from PCM to DSD, you need to access the Device Setup regardless of the name:
  1. In Roon, go to Settings > Audio.
  2. Find the "Unidentified" device and click the Gears icon ⚙ next to it.
  3. Select Device Setup.
  4. Go to the Digital Signal Processing or General tab within that popup.
  5. Look for DSD Playback Strategy.
    • If you are connected via USB, you likely want Native (if on Windows/some Linux) or DoP (DSD over PCM) if you are on a Mac.
    • Note: Since your Roon Server is on a MacBook, you will almost certainly need to select DoP to get DSD to the Gaia/Terminator.

We’ll be monitoring for your reply, @gbprint6559 :folded_hands:

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Just curious, but I thought I²S isn’t bi-directional, so how would it be possible to signal the Terminator’s presence back to the upstream Roon server?

That said, the Gaia route should effectively be a dead end in that regard, no?

1 Like
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When using it now the i2s is coming from the GAIA out to the i2s in of the Terminator. When I do a tone test the right side is correct and left side is correct. I also did phase in a phase out and both are correct. And the light for i2s on the front panel of the Terminator on. So I think it’s working fine if I didn’t hear music then it would be out of sync. Please let me know if below makes sense.

Roon sees the RS130’s USB output port, not the Terminator DAC. This is why you are trapped in that “Identify Device” loop. The “Denafrips” name isn’t showing up because the RS130 is telling Roon, “I’m connected to a GAIA,” and the GAIA isn’t a “Roon Tested” endpoint with a profile.

How to break the loop with a DDC in the chain

Since Roon won’t let you past that screen, we are going to “lie” to Roon to get it to move on. This is a very common fix for DDC users:

  1. When the “Pick a Brand” list appears, search for “HiFi Rose”.

  2. Select the RS130 (even if it’s already identified as the streamer).

  3. Alternatively, pick “Auralic” or “Lumin” and just pick a random model.

    • Why? This just gives Roon a “container” to save the settings. It doesn’t change the actual audio data being sent.

  4. Once you hit Save, you will finally be back at the Audio Settings screen.

Crucial Step: Manual Configuration

Now that you are past the “Brand” wall, you must manually tell Roon what the GAIA/Terminator combo can do, or it will limit your sound quality:

  1. Click the Gear Icon next to the device > Device Setup.

  2. DSD Playback Strategy: Change this to DSD over PCM (DoP).

    • Note: Most DDCs require DoP to pass DSD through to the DAC properly.

  3. Max DSD Sample Rate: Set this to DSD256 (The GAIA and Terminator handle this perfectly; DSD512 can sometimes be finicky over DoP).

  4. Max Sample Rate (PCM): Set to 768kHz.

Now, go to MUSE

Now that Roon knows the “pipe” is big enough for DSD, go back to the Speaker Icon > MUSE > Sample Rate Conversion and turn on the PCM-to-DSD upsampling.

Is the GAIA connected to the Terminator via I²S (the HDMI-style cable)? If so, we should double-check the “DSD Channel Swap” setting, as DDCs often flip the left and right channels when upsampling to DSD. Would you like me to walk you through how to check that?

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Roon tested only means, that they’ve verified it’ll work with the users proper manual setup effort - and you’ve got to find that out for yourself!

So, Roon tested never has any “profile” assigned by Roon.

Roon’s agnostic regarding that device’s make, model, or capabilities.

What you’re seemingly expecting, does only work with Roon Ready certified, network attached devices.

And the manufacturers willingly have to go through the certification process, which is free of charge to them.

1 Like
9

Hello @gbprint6559,

Thank you for sharing those steps!

As @Marin_Weigel correctly pointed out, I²S is a one-way street. Because the Gaia and Terminator are not Roon Ready network devices, they simply cannot report their identity or capabilities back to the Roon Server. Roon is effectively blind to whatever is happening at the end of that chain.

Since Roon cannot auto-configure this specific uncertified hardware chain, manual setup is the only way forward. Those steps look very promising, so please give them a try!

10

Hi! What’s not quite right with Roon?

· None of the above quite fits

None of the above quite fits

· None of these quite match

Tell us what's going on

· I emailed your support team a couple of days and have not received anything back yet. I will cancel my subscription if I don’t receive help

Tell us about your home network

· Frontier

11

See reply to you question above.

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Now I got another issue “Waiting For Roon Server” how long do I wait should be dead by then. It was just working fine now I get this message and with no Roon support this is crazy. Can’t wait till my subscription is done next month will not sign up for this mess. I forgot never got anything back on help from ROON support that’s a complete joke. Asking you to post online for customers to solve the issues. And phone number just stays busy for hours called it and left it on redial and let ring until battery went to 10%.

13

You got two replies from Roon’s support.

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Hi @gbprint6559,

Sorry for any confusion here, but we’ve responded to each of your inquiries so far. Certainly, let us know where you may be referring to that which is unanswered here.

We don’t offer phone support at this time, so posting here on the community is the right spot to be for help. :+1:

Let us know if the manual setup may help you here. Thank you!

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