HDMI I2S Roon compatible streamer

[sch8mid]

Yes and as mentioned : The Pi2aes in its Mercury incarnation , based on a Pi with the same Compute 4 module (Volumio) isnt even capable of DSD 64 over I2S. (Holo Audio Spring 3 DAC ) . Only Coax/USB works with DSD64.
So DSD /1024 over I2S .... maybe its the Red Nano fuse ?
In my understanding this is only possible with Linux kernel and drivers with non-standard patches . May someone shed a light on this ?
And no . No need of additional Micro/Super rendus or Ether regens.

 

[MacCali]

Yes and as mentioned : The Pi2aes in its Mercury incarnation , based on a Pi with the same Compute 4 module (Volumio) isnt even capable of DSD 64 over I2S. (Holo Audio Spring 3 DAC ) . Only Coax/USB works with DSD64.
So DSD /1024 over I2S .... maybe its the Red Nano fuse ?
In my understanding this is only possible with Linux kernel and drivers with non-standard patches . May someone shed a light on this ?
And no . No need of additional Micro/Super rendus or Ether regens.

I’ve never heard a dsd track and I am starting to wonder what it is with this format.

Is it really that much better? Where can I get an authentic dsd file. I’m running a d70s and I guess it will do 512 at least or whatever 5xx

 

[sch8mid]

Very difficult to say. I prefer not processed DSD , ( not converted p.e. to PCM for editing or distribution ) slightly over PCM . You need good equipment to hear it , but as usual peoples mileage may vary . You can often hear from DSD aficinados , that properly mastered SACD or DSD files lack that digital "sounding" and sound more analog. I second that , but not by far.
2 blind tests exist. (Germany and Japon) . Conclusion : Very few listeners could identify a PCM/DSD difference in the German group , where as in the Japanese group there were more people who were able to hear a clear difference in favour of DSD .
Caveat : DSD 512/1024 files are huge.

You can get native DSD here : https://www.nativedsd.com/
A streamer with DSD 1024 and a company who prefers DSD.

SDV 3100 HV Referenz Streaming DAC Vorverstärker

Eigentlich sind wir Wissenschaftler … … denn T+A bedeutet Theorie und Anwendung in Sachen Audio-Technik. Das heißt wir erdenken, fertigen und optimieren HiFi-Komponenten höchster Qualität mit dem Ziel, vollendete High-End-Produkte für unsere Kunden in alle

www.ta-hifi.de

 

[Superdad]

Than again why not just buy the smsl ddc for 70 dollars, I believe dsd capability is missing which is the only sacrifice

That SMSL does support DSD but it is just USB 'C' input. The OP is looking for a Roon-ready streamer, i.e. Ethernet input.

 

[Superdad]

Yes and as mentioned : The Pi2aes in its Mercury incarnation , based on a Pi with the same Compute 4 module (Volumio) isnt even capable of DSD 64 over I2S. (Holo Audio Spring 3 DAC ) . Only Coax/USB works with DSD64.

Try turning off the PLL in your Spring 3.

Pi2Design Mercury (V1) plays DSD (over DoP) via I2S just fine into my Holo Spring. I do so every day of the week.

 

[Stickler1]

I'm having a hard time finding a streamer that has:

a) I2S over HDMI
b) Is ROON compatible
c) Works with Denafrips DACs

I wonder if such a thing even exists? I'm not looking for a tinker board RPi solution. So far I've only seen the Sonnet Hermes (=Metrum Ambre) but these have I2S over RJ45.
Why not USB? Simple, already have had multiple SoTM boxes and still have a 200 Ultra Neo + sPS, just looking for a streamer for my second system and thought - why not I2S, perfect to compare with the SoTM.
Any ideas?

Magna Mano Ultra.

 

[MacCali]

Very difficult to say. I prefer not processed DSD , ( not converted p.e. to PCM for editing or distribution ) slightly over PCM . You need good equipment to hear it , but as usual peoples mileage may vary . You can often hear from DSD aficinados , that properly mastered SACD or DSD files lack that digital "sounding" and sound more analog. I second that , but not by far.
2 blind tests exist. (Germany and Japon) . Conclusion : Very few listeners could identify a PCM/DSD difference in the German group , where as in the Japanese group there were more people who were able to hear a clear difference in favour of DSD .
Caveat : DSD 512/1024 files are huge.

You can get native DSD here : https://www.nativedsd.com/
A streamer with DSD 1024 and a company who prefers DSD.

SDV 3100 HV Referenz Streaming DAC Vorverstärker

Eigentlich sind wir Wissenschaftler … … denn T+A bedeutet Theorie und Anwendung in Sachen Audio-Technik. Das heißt wir erdenken, fertigen und optimieren HiFi-Komponenten höchster Qualität mit dem Ziel, vollendete High-End-Produkte für unsere Kunden in alle

www.ta-hifi.de

I’ve been interested in playback designs, unfortunately that dac is really stupid expensive. OCD Mikey pointed out the engineer of that dac is the person who created DSD.

The dac itself will do internal conversion or some bs. Wasn’t too keen on details

Maybe some day. I will check that source. Maybe get some files to take a listen.

DSD 4x is what number? 256

 

[sch8mid]

Try turning off the PLL in your Spring 3.

Pi2Design Mercury (V1) plays DSD (over DoP) via I2S just fine into my Holo Spring. I do so every day of the week.
View attachment 258103View attachment 258104

Ever lasting story . Pll is off. No DSD at all with Mercury V1 and Holo Audio spring V3 . The manufacturer ships the Mercury streamer with 3 OS . You can choose Volumio , Roopie, and Moode. None of them will do DSD over I2S .
Superdad manipulations :
1. What you show here is a beta unit in Acryl case . 2. You use an exotic player with a modified Linux kernel. (Gentoo) . 3. You use Roone.
And you know exactly , that without these modifications noone managed to play DSD over I2S with Original Mercury and the Standard OS delivered by the manufacturer. And you fail again to show :
Mercury > Volumio >I2S - DAC (HoloSpring V3) > (DSD ?) This is the original scope of delivery by the manufacturer.

Same story years ago . Superdad :
We have spelled it out. We have shown how we deal with it. We have measured it. We will, when ready, publish some of those. But it won't matter to you flat-earthers. You are on the wrong side of history here people.

These publishings and measurements never happened.
Best
as

 

[sch8mid]

I’ve been interested in playback designs, unfortunately that dac is really stupid expensive. OCD Mikey pointed out the engineer of that dac is the person who created DSD.

The dac itself will do internal conversion or some bs. Wasn’t too keen on details

Maybe some day. I will check that source. Maybe get some files to take a listen.

DSD 4x is what number? 256

DSD comes in DSD x64 , DSD x 128 , DSD x512 , DSD x 1024 variations.

Even with a good chain it is difficult for me to hear any significant difference between DSD 128 and DSD 512 ,
and even the differences between a well mastered Redbook PCM –16 Bit & 44,1 kHz and DSD 64 are rather subtile.
Often the quality of the mastering is more decisive .
Good , but in German language :

Artikel: PCM im Vergleich zu DSD | digitale audio systeme

Artikel: Vergleich der Vor- und Nachteile von PCM und DSD als digitales Modulationsverfahren

digital-audio-systems.com

Best
as

 

[Superdad]

Ever lasting story . Pll is off. No DSD at all with Mercury V1 and Holo Audio spring V3 . The manufacturer ships the Mercury streamer with 3 OS . You can choose Volumio , Roopie, and Moode. None of them will do DSD over I2S .
Superdad manipulations :
1. What you show here is a beta unit in Acryl case . 2. You use an exotic player with a modified Linux kernel. (Gentoo) . 3. You use Roone.
And you know exactly , that without these modifications noone managed to play DSD over I2S with Original Mercury and the Standard OS delivered by the manufacturer. And you fail again to show :
Mercury > Volumio >I2S - DAC (HoloSpring V3) > (DSD ?) This is the original scope of delivery by the manufacturer.

Since you continue to be nasty about this towards me--on this forum and elsewhere--when I was just trying to help you out, I bought another microSD card (my others were bad), made a Volumio image ran the following test:

This is Volumio running on a Pi2Design (V1; only thing making it "beta" unit is acrylic case before their aluminum cases were ready) playing DSD64 (over DoP) via I2S to a Holo Spring DAC (original Spring, not Spring 2 or Spring 3).
No "fairytales."

 

[sch8mid]

I work with Volumio since the early days of RaspFi (2014) and the Raspberry Pi 2 .
Believe me , I know how to set it up.
And funny. - what you show here in this YT video is the basic unchanged setup screen, popping up after the first boot of Volumio.
And exactly with this setup it does NOT work.
Maybe it is your outdated Holo Audio Spring 1 DAC (OS and NOS) from 2017 or your Beta unit of the Mercury streamer .
My statement was : With HoloAudio Spring 3 (NOS only) and Mercury V1 - DSD over (I2S) does not work at all. And you know that , even in your sponsered forum there are posts with the same statements.
Last post , as I will sell the Mercury and rebuy my former RasPi 4 streamer that worked out of the box with DSD and the Holo DAC.
And primary : In future , I will avoid snakeoil fora like the devil avoids holy water .
Best
as

 

[sch8mid]

I work with Volumio since the early days of RaspFi (2014) and the Raspberry Pi 2 .
Believe me , I know how to set it up.
And funny. - what you show here in this YT video is the basic unchanged setup screen, popping up after the first boot of Volumio.
And exactly with this setup it does NOT work.
Maybe it is your outdated Holo Audio Spring 1 DAC (OS and NOS) from 2017 or your Beta unit of the Mercury streamer .
My statement was : With HoloAudio Spring 3 (NOS only) and Mercury V1 - DSD over (I2S) does not work at all. And you know that , even in your sponsered forum there are posts with the same statements.
Last post , as I will sell the Mercury and rebuy my former RasPi 4 streamer that worked out of the box with DSD and the Holo DAC.
And primary : In future , I will avoid snakeoil fora like the devil avoids holy water .
Best
as

Example from SbaF today ...and another one of many .... : I just received my Mercury V2 and I have the same issue with DSD over I2S. I am using RopieeeXL and a Holo Audio May L3 DAC. I am using the Mercury as a Roon endpoint. PCM plays fine. If my DSD playback is set to DoP, when the music is playing, all I hear is a hissing sound.

Posted by iguoh .

​

 

[Superdad]

Example from SbaF today ...and another one of many .... : I just received my Mercury V2 and I have the same issue with DSD over I2S. I am using RopieeeXL and a Holo Audio May L3 DAC. I am using the Mercury as a Roon endpoint. PCM plays fine. If my DSD playback is set to DoP, when the music is playing, all I hear is a hissing sound.

Looks like the issue is with your DAC. It is very clear from the Owners Manual of both Spring 3 and May that their I2S inputs support only "native" DSD and not DoP.

 

[sch8mid]

As posted by Jeff Zhu (developer of Holo Audio) :

 

[sch8mid]

As posted by Jeff Zhu (developer of Holo Audio) :

@ SuperDad - to help you out

and confirmed by DSD direct DATAbase (tested devices)

Last post .

 

[Superdad]

As posted by Jeff Zhu (developer of Holo Audio) :

That's just the stuff written for the reseller websites--by Tim Connor and Jeff Zhu. Mistakes happen.
Better to believe the very clear distinction on the specification table in your DAC's official Owner's Manual.

@ SuperDad - to help you out

and confirmed by DSD direct DATAbase (tested devices)

I personally know the folks who maintain that database--and I can assure you that the information in it did not come from testing all 500+ DACs that support DSD.

But hey, you own a Holo Spring 3. Have you ever, using ANY software or ANY computer, been able to send DSD via DoP to it through its I2S input?
Perhaps you should verify the capabilities of your own DAC before bashing the Pi2Design Mercury--which performs to its specifications.

To directly quote Michael Kelly, the designer of the Mercury, as he explained from the very beginning: "Mercury I2S output is ALWAYS PCM. DoP requires the DAC to unpack the DSD samples from the PCM frames."

 

[evert]

Magna Mano Ultra.

I beleive in this one. Also read someone in the Roon community prefering it to the Holo Red streamer.

 

[sch8mid]

My struggle to get even DSDx64 working with my Holo Spring 3 DAC over I2S reliable with one of the RasPi based Streamers (Mercury -SilentAngel - PIAES) has come to an end.

It took me 5 minutes to get DSD x512 with IFi Neo Streamer (I2S out) .
Best
as

 

[RvdH-NL]

I'm having a hard time finding a streamer that has:

a) I2S over HDMI
b) Is ROON compatible
c) Works with Denafrips DACs

I wonder if such a thing even exists? I'm not looking for a tinker board RPi solution. So far I've only seen the Sonnet Hermes (=Metrum Ambre) but these have I2S over RJ45.
Why not USB? Simple, already have had multiple SoTM boxes and still have a 200 Ultra Neo + sPS, just looking for a streamer for my second system and thought - why not I2S, perfect to compare with the SoTM.
Any ideas?

Best I use:
MagnaHiFi.com:
- Farad Mano Ultra Mk3
PSAudio.com:
- Airlens