DSD Codec encode to DoP not working

[JeffBDVS]

1. Music Converter v. 15.3
2. DSD Codec release 2
3. DSD sources; SACD .iso files, DSD64 .dsf and .dff files.

I configure dBpMC to embed DoP in the Codecs tab, Advanced Options. I have tried various sample rate settings, but it makes no difference in solving my problem, and all encoded .wav or .flac files seem to have 176 kbps anyway. I select an appropriate .dsf or .dff file for conversion, and then convert to .wav or .flac with no DSP modules added.

I have configured foobar2000 to play DSD audio through my external Oppo HA-2 DAC, using its own ASIO driver. SACD .iso files and native .dsf and .dff files play back perfectly, but my converted .wav or .flac files do not. All I get is hiss. Examining the waveform in Adobe Audition, I see the hiss that I hear in foobar.

Please let me know if I'm doing anything wrong, and if so, elaborate on the correct procedure to create DoP .flac or .wav files using dBpMC and the DSD codec.

Thanks,
Jeff

[Spoon]

Re: DSD Codec encode to DoP not working

Perhaps the dac is not capable of playing DoP?

176KHz is the correct frequency for DoP embedding. An audio editor would show noise as it is the dsd file not PCM.

[JeffBDVS]

Re: DSD Codec encode to DoP not working

Perhaps the dac is not capable of playing DoP?

Here's the spec item from Oppo's web site:
Input Format: Stereo PCM, Stereo DSD (DoP v1.1 or native)

Does that match up with what dBpMC creates?

Cheers,
Jeff

[JeffBDVS]

Re: DSD Codec encode to DoP not working

TL;DR -- The volume control in foobar2000 needs to be set to maximum when playing back DoP .flac or .wav files.

I read on the <a href="https://roonlabs.com/">Roon Labs</a> forum that someone was having a problem similar to mine but with a different DAC. A Roon engineer replied with this information:

"...we've seen a number of DACs that only play properly when volume control in the USB driver is at 100%...If you have volume control anywhere else in the chain, it's worth confirming that's not attenuating the volume either."

I had the volume in foobar set to about 75%. As soon as I set it to 100%, the problem DoP .flac and .wav files from dBpMC played perfectly. Seriously -- who would expect that the player's volume control would be so important to the playback chain? And why would it only affect DoP files and not .dsf, .dff or .iso files? Someone way smarter than me will have to answer those questions.

Cheers,
Jeff