DCS clock frequency problem

[tguzeloglu]

Are you aware of the below:

"FAQ: Playing DSD files from a NAS drive running Minimserver, why does the sound drop out periodically?

This can happen if you play a DSD file and then (at some point) change the frequency of the clock to which the Upsampler’s Network interface is locked. As the Network interface is asynchronous, this change seems to throw Minimserver’s DoP packaging routine out of sync. The solution is to re-boot the NAS drive. If you want to experiment with different clock frequencies, we suggest that you disconnect the Network cable from the Upsampler first."

In addition to the above FAQ response from DCS I can tell you that I could never get minimserver to stream 24/96 or 24/192 content to my DCS upsampler.

Is there a solution to this?

[simoncn]

(18-03-2015 12:31)tguzeloglu Wrote:  Are you aware of the below:

"FAQ: Playing DSD files from a NAS drive running Minimserver, why does the sound drop out periodically?

This can happen if you play a DSD file and then (at some point) change the frequency of the clock to which the Upsampler’s Network interface is locked. As the Network interface is asynchronous, this change seems to throw Minimserver’s DoP packaging routine out of sync. The solution is to re-boot the NAS drive. If you want to experiment with different clock frequencies, we suggest that you disconnect the Network cable from the Upsampler first."

I was not aware of this and I have had no contact from dCS about this issue. The DoP packaging format used by MinimStreamer is based on the sample frequency of the DSD source file (DSD64 or DSD128) and I don't understand why this should be affected by any configuration change in a downstream player component.

It is likely that I don't understand what the DCS upsampler is doing and how its network interface and clock interacts with MinimStreamer. Can you provide any information that would improve my level of understanding?

Have you experienced this problem yourself?

Quote:In addition to the above FAQ response from DCS I can tell you that I could never get minimserver to stream 24/96 or 24/192 content to my DCS upsampler.

Is there a solution to this?

What exactly happens when you try to do this?

What is the format of the content you are streaming (e.g., FLAC, WAV, ALAC, etc.)?

Are you using any MinimStreamer transcoding settings?

Which UPnP control point are you using?

[tguzeloglu]

I have experienced this yes. Actually I have successfully streamed DSD files on DoP and normal 44.1 files. However whenever I tried to stream sth at the multiples of 48 I had periodic (every 3-4 seconds) dropouts. So I searched for the problem on the internet and I found this on the dCS web site FAQs.

Thus, My problem is not limited to what dCS describes above.

I own a vivaldi upsampler. And I am using QNAP as my NAS, with the latest minimserver and packages.

I am using dCS's own control point.

All the content I have is ALAC, other than DSD files, which are dff files.

[tguzeloglu]

Today I will try MinimServer to transcode ALAC to WAV, and will see if that solves the problem. But I doubt so.

[simoncn]

(18-03-2015 13:26)tguzeloglu Wrote:  I have experienced this yes. Actually I have successfully streamed DSD files on DoP and normal 44.1 files. However whenever I tried to stream sth at the multiples of 48 I had periodic (every 3-4 seconds) dropouts. So I searched for the problem on the internet and I found this on the dCS web site FAQs.

Thus, My problem is not limited to what dCS describes above.

I own a vivaldi upsampler. And I am using QNAP as my NAS, with the latest minimserver and packages.

I am using dCS's own control point.

All the content I have is ALAC, other than DSD files, which are dff files.

Please produce a debug log for the 48 multiples dropout problem using an ALAC file with no transcoding, as follows:

1) From the minim icon, select 'Show log'
2) In the log window, change the logging level to Debug
3) In the log window, click Clear
4) Leave the log window open
5) Play a 48 multiple file for about 15 seconds or until you have heard two dropout/resume cycles, noting the times of the dropouts
6) In the log window, click 'Save as' to save a log file
7) In the log window, change the logging level back to Info
8) Zip the log file and attach it to a post here with details of the times of the dropouts

Many thanks!

[simoncn]

(18-03-2015 13:26)tguzeloglu Wrote:  I have experienced this yes. Actually I have successfully streamed DSD files on DoP and normal 44.1 files. However whenever I tried to stream sth at the multiples of 48 I had periodic (every 3-4 seconds) dropouts. So I searched for the problem on the internet and I found this on the dCS web site FAQs.

What clock settings are you using in the Vivaldi?

[tguzeloglu]

I use vivaldi clock, and when I stream x48 I use 48kHz, actually vivaldi clock automatically switches to 48 when it senses that the data is coming at 96 or 192. And I can see that it locks on the upsampler's display. However, when there are dropouts clock icon on the upsampler's display flickers as well.

[tguzeloglu]

Problem solved, atleast for me, it seems converting ALAC to WAV24 solves the issue. I therefore suspect that dCS cannot play ALAC above 44.1, and they are not communicating it clearly.

[simoncn]

(19-03-2015 13:12)tguzeloglu Wrote:  Problem solved, atleast for me, it seems converting ALAC to WAV24 solves the issue. I therefore suspect that dCS cannot play ALAC above 44.1, and they are not communicating it clearly.

It is slightly tricky to read the sample rate and bit depth from an ALAC file because this information occurs in two places in the file. For resolutions higher than 16/44.1, these two places have different values and only one is correct. It sounds like the dCS code isn't reading this information correctly.