Upsampling PCM but not DSD

Hi all. Is it possible to upsample PCM to higher rate PCM but to play DSD direct, without changing Settings every time?

Thanks

You can select “Custom” in the Sample Rate Conversion drop-down and select a specific output rate (and format) for every source material rate (and format). Does that answer your question?

@joel That’s not playing DSD direct. Headroom specified for PCM upsampling would still be applied.

Flagging @brian for clarification here…

Gentlemen

I am embarrassed to say that as I use Roon + HQP I have realised that the question I asked relates to the HQP options, not the Roon options.

Please accept my apologies for starting a “wrong” hare running.

Philip

1 Like

Turn on DirectSDM in HQPlayer’s second settings dialog, can’t remember what it’s called. The right main screen drop down needs to be set to Auto if upsampling PCM to PCM or SDM if upsampling PCSM to SDM.

Thanks Jeff

It is now upsampling PCM, but before it was playing PCM at native sampling rate. I can’t see that I have changed any settings!! Just out of interest, what settings should I choose if I DIDN’T want to upsample?

Cheers

Philip

“None” in the left of the 3 dropdowns. But in that scenario just use Roonbridge instead.

Forgetting HQP for a moment, couldn’t you just set up custom upsampling in Roon and define it the way the OP wants?

Thanks Jeff and Danny2. Issue resolved from my point of view!

No. As I said Roon doesn’t have a true Direct DSD mode. When you upsample you need headroom. As soon as you turn on headroom management in Roon it affects DSD as well, even if you tell it not to upsample DSD as Joel advised.

if you leave headroom management turned off and are fine with intersample clipping, DSD can make it through unmolested.

I’d like to have a direct DSD mode too.
There’s non sense to have custom upsampling and to have no chance to bypass headroom mangement to have a bitperfect flow for what you choose not to upsample.
Maybe there could be an option to link headroom and upsampling so that if you choose not to upsample for example DSD 64 headroom would not be applied to that format.