ultraRendu cannot serve native DSD512 to Ayre QX-Twenty with USB2 upgrade

Support
1

Roon Core Machine

Windows 11, Threadripper 2, 128GB RAM, 4090 RTX

Networking Gear & Setup Details

Cat5 Ethernet to Hyperoptic router and Cat8 to ultraRendu

Connected Audio Devices

USB cable to Ayre QX-5 Twenty DAC with DSD512 Native upgrade

Number of Tracks in Library

Irrelevant

Description of Issue

I’ve acquired an ultraRendu with the Little Green Computer branded power supply. The chain is:

(MacbookPro M1 Max or Windows 11 with 64-thread Threadripper 2, 4090 RTX and NVME 4x running Roon core+HQP Server) → Eithernet → router → Ethernet Cat8 → ultraRendu → Ayre QX-5 DAC with a “USB2” upgrade that should be capable of DSD512 native

The steps/symptoms:

  1. Switch on the DAC, switch on ultraRendu: the DAC shows USB DSDx8 (good sign, never did that when connected to MacMini)

  2. Add Roon Ready and HQP NAA to ultraRendu as apps

3a. Leave Roon Ready settings as is without setting Native DSD

4a DSD DoP plays up to DSD256

3b Set Roon Ready to DSD Native

4b DSD as option disappears completely from Roon ultraRendu and it all is upscaled to 768kHz.

3c Now pick HQP NAA on ultraRendu

4c Connect up Roon to HQP on the same machine.

5c Set SDM pack to none and max 48x512 with 48 bits set or 44x512 (either)

6c The playback never starts and gives up after about 11 seconds. Subsequent opening of HQP settings results in HQP dying.

3d Use DoP DSD256 on HQP, it all works well.

I can post any printouts from the DAC diags or from RoonReady diags on SonicOrbiter if that could help.

Sorry for a long post but can anyone help please?

2

Welcome to the Roon community, @Alex_Kozlenkov.

DSD512 requires a PCM sample rate well in excess 768 kHz, and your kit may not support this.

3

uR supports up to DSD512 and PCM to 768khz according to their specs.

That is for hardware version 1.3, so I don’t know if it applies to the unit @Alex_Kozlenkov has. In my experience with the microRendu and ultraRendu, they benefit from keeping them on the most recent OS version, and some updates (v2.8 for example) may require a purchase so that they can send it on a microSD card.

4

If that’s the case, then DSD512 over PCM isn’t possible; only native DSD. I wonder if Roon recognizes the Ayre as standard, which only support DOP (DSD128).

5

Thanks guys!

This was the latest on the DAC side: Native DSD Issue with OpticalRendu - sonicorbiter.com - Forums. It looks as though my officially upgraded Ayre DAC should work with DSD512 native but only works without issues with DoP DSD256. I think it would be beneficial for someone knowledgeable to examine the Roon diags and see if perhaps the DAC ID is unexpected or DAC is not reporting things as it should: something like this.

6

By plugging the Ayre to a Windows computer, find out and tell me the USB VID and PID in USB DAC driver properties.

7

Right, OK, interesting, will do that later today and report. The HQPlayer owner suggested I also see if the latest ultraRandu OS can be installed on a separate microSD card and see if the device support becomes available or more complete.

On another point, yes, Ayre are only claiming narive DSD512, not via PCM.

8

Hi Peter,

Thanks for this suggestion. I am hoping these might be the ones you requested:

USB\VID_21B4&PID_0232&MI_02
USB\VID_21B4&PID_0232&REV_0200&MI_02

Both of the above lines appear under “Hardware IDs”.

9

It is not recognized by mainline Linux kernels and therefore most Linux streamers (although Lumin does) do not recognize that as Linux native DSD compatible. For this to have any chance of working, your streamer Linux kernel needs to be modified to recognize it.

10

To update you,when using the Ayre ASIO driver from Windows, I have full success:

The Roon ASIO Audio source is showing:

DSD playback stratgey: Native
Max playback speed: 512

Also, playing something on the ASIO output from HQPlayer locally is successful with DSD512 SDM=none with

24.576M / 1 / 2 shown

Now, how can make this work from ultraRendu?

11

You should try the forum you linked to instead.

12

I am still awaiting the moderator to unlock me, not sure what I’ve done wrong. On the positive front, the HQPlayer NAA OS is being updated with the device details to accept Native DSD.

Moderator, I am happy for this thread to be closed. However, if your assistance is needed for the SonicOrbiter guys to make Roon Ready work with this DAC, could I perhaps ask you to help them accordingly?

Many thanks everyone!