Some FLAC and ALAC 24/176MHz DSD files not played by Roon

Core Machine (Operating system/System info/Roon build number)

Network Details (Including networking gear model/manufacturer and if on WiFi/Ethernet)

System 1 : Roon Nucleus/Synology DS916+/dCS Network Bridge (main board ver. 1.02, Net board ver. 501, app. Ver. 1.4.10)/ dCS Vivaldi DAC 2.0/ Vivaldi Clock (dual AES connection + external clocking )

System 2: Roon Nucleus/Synology DS916+/Lumin T2 (ver. 6.1.8)

Audio Devices (Specify what device you’re using and its connection type - USB/HDMI/etc.)

Description Of Issue
Almost all 24/176 MHz FLAC and all ALAC files are not recognized as DSD files by DAC and are not played by system Nr.1.

All 24/176 MHz FLAC and all ALAC DSD files are not played by system Nr 2. Lumin D2 app plays this files without any problems.

Tag of the DSD FLAC file not played by any system :slight_smile:
LAC file not played : Artist 馬友友
Title Mark O’Connor: Appalachia Waltz (solo cello version)
Album Solo [SACD]
Track 1/16
Disc
Genre 古典音樂
Year 1999
Rating
Composer MARK O’CONNOR
Size 178,17 MB (34% Compressed)
Original Size 267,46 MB
Length 4 minutes 24 seconds
Channels 2 (stereo)
Sample Rate 176,4 KHz;
Sample Size 24 bit
Bit Rate 8 467 kbps (DVD)
Encoder FLAC reference libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917
Encoder Settings
Audio Quality Perfect (Lossless)
Contains CRC, ID Tag [Vorbis Comments]
Channel Mapping
File 01. Mark O’Connor- Appalachia Waltz (solo cello version)
Type FLAC Audio [.flac]
AUDIOFORMAT : DSD

Roon does not support DoP file, it only supports DoP as an output format. Lumin does support DoP file i.e. DSD encapsulated in a PCM container.

You need to convert the DoP file to dsf format by VinylStudio if you have to play them using Roon.

Thank you for explanation. But it is still puzzling why some identical DoP (24/176MHg FLAC in DSD format) files are played by dCS system and some are not. For example tag of the file :
FLAC file played correctly

Artist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio
Title Sweet Georgia Brown
Album Live At The Misty [SACD]
Track 1/4
Disc
Genre 爵士音樂
Year 2006
Rating
Composer
Size 380,96 MB (34% Compressed)
Original Size 572,92 MB
Length 9 minutes 27 seconds
Channels 2 (stereo)
Sample Rate 176,4 KHz;
Sample Size 24 bit
Bit Rate 8 467 kbps (DVD)
Encoder FLAC reference libFLAC 1.2.1 20070917
Encoder Settings
Audio Quality Perfect (Lossless)
Contains CRC, ID Tag [Vorbis Comments]
Channel Mapping
File 01. Sweet Georgia Brown
Type FLAC Audio [.flac]
AUDIOFORMAT : DSD

Hi @Jerzy_Gorny,

Thanks for reaching out to use here. I can double check with the technical team, but I don’t believe DSD encapsulated in PCM is supported in Roon.

Instructions for using VinylStudio to convert DoP file to DSF:

In VinylStudio, import the DoP files, make sure that they’re detected as DSD. In the tab for Save Tracks, click More (do not click the Save Tracks button ), choose Convert Recording Format and DSF. After the conversion is done, close VinylStudio and launch Mp3Tag to copy the tags from the DoP files to the newly generated DSF files.

When you try to play the converted files, turn down the volume in case there is any error or setting issue.

Thank you once again for instructions. Unfortunately VinylStudio does not recognize imported DoP files as DSD files so I cant convert them. Imported DoP files are displayed as FLAC files.

Hi @Jerzy_Gorny,

I spoke with the technical team and they confirmed that DSD in FLAC is not supported in Roon.

As others have mentioned, if you would like to play this media using Roon you will need to convert your FLAC-DSD files into regular DSD-DSF or DSD-DFF files.

This is not true, or at least wasn’t a year or two ago. I converted a big pile of DoP-FLAC files to DSF using it.

What do you mean by “are not played” anyway. DoP-FLAC only works if it is simply sent bit-perfect to a compatible DAC input. Roon can do that - I’ve done it (USB to Meridian 818). They were recognised by the DAC as DSD files, and were played through Roon.

What Roon can’t do is send them to all endpoints in a format-agnostic way. This is a pretext of Roon - that all files should play on all zones - so that DoP-FLAC doesn’t allow it makes it pretty damn uninteresting for Roon users and (I imagine) for the Roon team.

Roon plays some DoP FLAC files and some don’t. Unfortunately from more than 150 of my DoP FLAC albums Roon sends to my DAC no more than 10 identified as DSD and played correctly. There is no clear difference between DoP FLAC files identified and not identified by Roon as DSD files. VinylStudio also is not able to identify DoP FLAC files , so conversion to DFF or DSF format is so far not possible. The new dCS app Mosaic (Network Bridge+Vivaldi DAC) also can’t play DoP files. Only Lumin app plays all my DoP FLAC and ALAC files.

I think you need to clarify what you mean by “can’t play”. Roon can pass them bit perfectly which is all you need. When Roon “can’t play” them is it passing them bit perfectly? Can you show a path screenshot?

If VinylStudio can’t convert them they may just be bad files.

For DoP file, the quoted statement is true only for DAC, not necessarily true for a Roon Ready RAAT Player that relies on the PCM/DSD designation carried in RAAT.

I believe without Roon’s built-in support for DoP file, DSD-to-PCM conversion for playback to PCM-only devices or on-board audio, DSP processing and volume levelling cannot be done either.

Looks like you are right. However it doesn’t explain why some DoP FLAC files are detected as DSD files and some are not in this setting?

Statement “can’t play” means : no music in my speakers only quiet hum. My DAC (Vivaldi) display shows 16/176MHz instead DSD.

As I mentioned before DoP FLAC files played by dCS app Mosaic (Network Bridge+Vivaldi with USB connection) also failed.

VinylStudio converts only those DoP FLAC files to DFF or DSF format, which can be identified and sent by Roon to the DAC as DSD files. There aren’t corrupted files because Lumin identifies and plays them correctly as DSD . So VinylStudio and Roon have probably the same problem with this DoP FLAC files.

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