Pi4 / digi2 pro / dac magic 200m Wrong Bit Rate? Always 96khz

Help and Support Help
#1

Volumio Information

Volumio Version: buster version as of 9/14/21
Hardware: rpi4 / digi2 pro / Cambridge dacmagic 200m
DAC:see above

I try i2s digi and it plays.
I2s digi + pro doesn’t work

When I use dsd native playback my dac always states I’m playing 192 files, never the correct sample rate. On 44 or 96 files they register properly on the dac.

I feel I’m likely not getting all the quality of the files. The music doesn’t sound bad mind you, it just likely isn’t sending a clean bitstream down. My Astell & Kern SR15 plays via usb into the unit perfectly and the files play at native DSD resolution (or at least the lights on my DAC correspond to the correct bitrate).

Help?

Thanks

Cambridge DacMagic 200M not playing DSD
#2

Are you using S/PDIF, co-ax or USB?

1 Like
#3

SPDIF. It seems that I’m confused as to what SPDIF and TOSLINK can send out. Am I to understand correctly that whatever comes out of either of the digital outputs will register as 192kHz?

If I’m playing a DSD512 file…what am I losing playing them this way through my DAC?

Should I find another way to do this? Should I just USB out?

Thanks in advance!

#4

Definitely try USB. 192k PCM, which is DoP64, is the best you can get. The standard for S/PIDF and TOS link is actually 96k but pushing it to 192k is common.

#5

I have a 200M also, and there’s a known problem playing DSD via USB.

See this topic.

#6

I do not use DSD so I cannot offer too much but, does the GUI allow you to select the native DSD option?

#7

I just asked this in the wrong forum, oops… Try again:

I do not use DSD so I cannot offer too much but, does the GUI allow you to select the native DSD option?

#8

Yes, but then there is no sound. The reason is in the topic that I’ve linked above.

The solution depends on Cambridge Audio, and it seems they have other priorities, despite being a simple solution to implement…

#9

Apologies. Sorry @Rockphotographer you do not seem to have any options. Cambridge audio have made there marketing decision. Give them a negative review every chance you get. Have you many DSD512 files? You may be able to convert to PCM. There is software available.

#10

Turns out usb works perfectly with the dac magic !

I’m a little pissed I didn’t know enough to not buy the digi 2 pro. Course it might be debatable that I can hear the difference between dsd64 or 128 and 192k.

512 is likely far different but upon a/b’ing the two….hard to say.

#11

So it’s good news, apart from wasting cash on the digi 2 pro?

#12

Totally hahah. Course I’m still not sure some content sounds better via the spdif into my dac. Course if it’s dsd 256/512 ….that’s likely better over usb.

I may end up buying the Allo usbridge player with the digi one signature board….best of all options but it’s 400-600 bucks depending if I buy the spdif out at first sigh…

The hifi itch is never fully scratched haha!

#13

You are better of with USB, asynchronous USB like the DAC Magic 200.

S/PIDF-TOS is officially limited to 24/96 though a lot can run at 24/192k. There is also the problem of jitter with S/PIDF-TOS. Some RPi HATs are good at suppressing it at the source and some DACs do a better job dealing with high jitter coming from the streamer but, jitter seems to be a problem with a lot of the gear on the market.

Asynch USB gives you higher bit rates and no jitter. I mean that jitter is down to the DAC characteristics only, which is usually pretty good. Also, a lot of USB DACs give you a HW volume control option not available in S/PDIF-TOS.

The Allo usbridge was on my short list when I was upgrading. I’ve gone the USB path but the Allo is a good unit.

#14

So, you’re geting DSD light on the 200M from raspberry/volumio via USB?

I’ll be testing mine tonight again, but I’ve tried it a month ago and it did not work…

Can you please tell the volumio version and 200M firmware version?

TIA

#15

Weird…
First time I’ve changed from “DSD over PCM” to “DSD Direct”, it shows a “Error in saving settings”, but playing a DSD track the 200M shows the correct LEDs.
Went to dinner, come back, and it’s doing what have always done; no DSD light. Changing the settings again always produce the same error message and did not show DSD light again.
After a reboot, with the setting on “DSD over PCM”, changing to “DSD Direct”, shows the error but I have the DSD light, and I’ve been playing all kind of files, DSD, FLAC, WMA, always with the correct LEDs lighting up.
I’ll see tomorrow if it has some kind of consistent logic that can be reproduced…

Cambridge DacMagic 200M not playing DSD
#16

Yep mine is the latest volumio version and latest firmware. Working like a charm. Dsd light changes based on content and it’s sounding great!

#17

I have a Cambridge Dac Magic, Allo Boss 1.2 and also Hifiberry Dac2HD. I did some testing : all connected with Vandenhul cables to Rotel preamp, each B&W 802 loudspeaker connected to its own Rotal amp. I can assure you that Cambridge Audio sounds great. Why give them a negative review what I read in this forum ??? Do people sometimes listen to music or do they watch the figures from labs ? Sorry, probably my amps cost more than the ‘test equipment’…but what matters to me is …how does it sound ? Hifiberry Dac2HD sounds great and DacMagic is a top product !

#18

All that is very well. But if a piece of equipment is not technically performing as it should, I think it’s not all that crazy to try to understand why and correct it, even if the sound quality is perfect (wich never is).

#19

Hi,
not sure how some of the posters claim DSD direct is working.
Perhaps they mistake it for DOP (DSD over PCM).

All DSD native (sometimes called DSD “direct” or DSD “raw”) capable devices need to be registered by an entry in the linux usb audio driver’s quirk table to “unleash” DSD native data streams, for the DacMagic 200M that would mean “22e8:dac2” (Vendor ID:Product ID).
With the Cambridge DacMagic 200M this is not the case, not anywhere in kernel versions between 4.19.y and 5.14.y.
Volumio for RPi uses kernel 4.19.y, x86 uses 3.18.25 (betas: 5.4.y PI and x86 5.10.y)
Based on my communication with their support team, Cambridge knows and considers it as a future development task.

Surely DSD over PCM (DOP) will work and probably sound excellent.
Don’t know how the 200M led lights behave with DOP.

For those who believe their leds and claim DSD direct does work, show us the contents of

cat /proc/asound/card5/stream0

while playing what they think is DSD64 or DSD128 native material.
The result should be obvious, give me a surprise otherwise :grinning:

#20

My dacmagic 200m is working dsd direct via usb and led’s are indicating the proper type of dsd file as the files I’m playing.

Don’t know what to tell ya.