Upsampling to DSD 64 with Benchmark DAC3 [USB Audio 1.1 default, switch to USB 2.0]

[allan (Allan Hsu)]

Excellent, that did the trick! I didn’t realize there were two different modes. Thank you.

I’m glad that worked for you. Benchmark ships the DAC3 in UAC 1.1 mode by default because it wasn’t until fairly recent patch levels of Windows 10 that it supported UAC 2.0 without additional drivers.

Now, if you don’t mind, what do the DSD settings mean, namely the 5th and 7th Order settings with or without CLANS? Which is best for my setup?

These settings have to do with the algorithms being used to convert from PCM to DSD. Here’s a post from @brian regarding how they work:

Can someone explain the CLANS noise shaper?

CLANS stands for “Closed Loop Analysis of Noise Shapers”. Inside the Sigma-Delta modulator–which converts multi-bit PCM to a 1-bit DSD signal–there is a component called a “noise shaper”. This is comprised mainly of a filter which pushes quantization noise inherent to 1-bit systems out of the audible range. Every system which produces a DSD stream (whether it be in software or in the mastering environment) must do some form of noise shaping. “Traditionally” designed noise shapers are essential…

My personal preference is for PCM over DSD (particularly single-rate), but you should figure this out for yourself, as it has a lot to do with the specifics of your equipment and your own personal preferences.

And should I be using Power of 2 buffer sizes with 16GB RAM?

This setting is mostly for working around buggy devices or drivers that misbehave otherwise. I wouldn’t touch it if you’re not having issues.