File types not supported

foxint

Hi Guys...

I am new and tried to search the forum, but could not find any answers. So please do not shoot me....But I am having trouble playing certain file types....and I really do not understand.

Pi3 with Digi+ connected to an external DAC with Optical cable. I did a survey of my files and if they played or not. I am a little confused with what I have found...so can anyone explain why they cannot be played on the rune?? I can play all these on Media Monkey.

OK...my table did not copy.....

Stereo 16bit 441. kHZ 0 kbps - OK
Stereo 16bit 44.1 kHz 835 kbps - OK
Stereo 24bit 192 kHz 4885 kbos - No Sound
Stereo 24bit 192 kHz 3792kbos - No Sound
Stereo 24bit 48 kHz 1388 kbps - OK
Stereo 24bit 96 kHz 2014 kbps - BAD

So from my investigation anything above 48 kHz is no good??
Why can I hear a track (like the first one) with 0 kbps? Yes I have no idea what kbps

I got this from the Play Screen.

D

hondagx35

Hi foxint,

your Digi+ can surely play all files up to 192kHz/24bit.

But we do know nothing about your DAC, so please specify type and brand.

Why can I hear a track (like the first one) with 0 kbps? Yes I have no idea what kbps

This is the actual bitrate as stated from MPD.
Forget it for now, this will change in the future (see here).

Frank

foxint

Hi Frank

Thanks.

I can play all my files on the same hardware using Media Monkey. For the record my DAC is a Little Dot (Chinese)

From the links, the kbps I did not understand, but you said forget it...so I have

But still have the kHz issue.

Thank you
D

hondagx35

Hi foxint,

But still have the kHz issue.

Have you also tried the electrical (COAX) output? Toslink (optical) is not always the best solution.
The sample rate accepted by the DAC can be limited. Please check the settings on your Little Dot.

Frank

foxint

Hi Frank
Sorry I do not have a coax. The DAC is automatic and it "should" detect the rates.

I am confused....if using the same hardware Media Monkey can play all the flac files, then it must be the Rune software???

D

hondagx35

Hi foxint,

i'm also confused!

You got Media Monkey running on your Pi, great.

Frank

rikardo1979

maybe the Media Monkey decode/transcode your music and sent in different format out to your DAC?

foxint

Hi Frank.

Nice to have you back.

No I did not get Media Monkey to work on the Pi...it is on my Win-10 PC.

Can MM run on the Pi. The MM people said no.

BUT...and this is a big but - Rune sounds so mcuh better. Well on the files is plays.

So MM works on ALL files while Rune seems to work on 44.1 and less.

So what is the go bro?

D

PeteB

As rikardo suggested, MM is probably resampling your files.
Look up the spec for your DAC, or post a link to a specification page/document, and someone will help you.
48K is not likely to be the limit, but 96K may be the maximum you can play.
If so, there are ways of "forcing" conversion to a compatible rate.
An optical cable is definitely NOT a good way to play files over 96K 24-bit, even if by some miracle it works, this is not good.

foxint

Guys
Thanks for the comments. I am not reall understanding much of it.

http://www.littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=814&sid=94cb590ad8dd0324477cd9b0166268b3

This my DAC.

This may not be correct, but: if Rune is able to play 96/192k files, what have I done wrong or need to do to make it play?

My next stupid question:

Why is optical not good? I thought optical is immuned from RF interference. So why is copper better, surely we are dealing with digital and optical would be best??? My brain must be fried from the Aussie sun...

D

rastus

foxint wroteI am new...

No, you are not "new", Posts: 72... Joined: 29 Mar 2016, 15:36... not new. Old now, very old, like me.

foxint wroteSo please do not shoot me....

Bang! Bang!

foxint wrotePi3 with Digi+ connected to an external DAC with Optical cable. I did a survey of my files and if they played or not. I am a little confused with what I have found...so can anyone explain why they cannot be played on the rune??

So from my investigation anything above 48 kHz is no good??

The Digi+ can play 16bit/44.1kHz - 24bit/192kHz files, so can RunAudio... it may be your external DAC that cannot play them, or the source may be the reason (your NAS, or NAS connection). Maybe the files are truncated themselves.

foxint wroteFor the record my DAC is a Little Dot (Chinese)...

I do not know this brand of DAC, could you please supply a website link to the manufacturer? This would help greatly, thanks.

foxint wroteSorry I do not have a coax.

You may not have a coax cable, but your Digi+ does have a coax connector, doesn't it? And, does your external DAC have a coax connector also?

foxint wroteThe DAC is automatic and it "should" detect the rates.

I'm sure it 'should', but does the external DAC support the rates? More information on the external DAC is required!

foxint wroteI am confused....

You reckon... please supply the information asked so we are not confused also. Until you do, we will be confused too. See, you've gone and got Frank confused now! And that doesn't happen often. Not easy to do either.

foxint wrote...then it must be the Rune software???

No, it's not the RuneAudio software... but I'll tell you what it really is if you don't supply the information asked for.

foxint wroteNo I did not get Media Monkey to work on the Pi...

Thank goodness, because that would've confused Frank a whole lot more.

foxint wroteCan MM run on the Pi.

No it can't.

foxint wroteThe MM people said no.

See, they were correct.

foxint wroteBUT...and this is a big but - Rune sounds so mcuh better.

We know, and there's no BUT about it. And you won't know if if it does (or doesn't) sound better if you don't help us to help you.

foxint wroteSo MM works on ALL files while Rune seems to work on 44.1 and less.

No, RuneAudio runs ALL the file sizes listed above.

foxint wroteSo what is the go bro?

We do not know, you tell us... external DAC brand, model, and a link to the manufacturers website please.

Oh, and while I'm at this.... which Digi do you have connected to your Raspberry Pi 3?

Is it this one?

HifiBerry Digi+
* Dedicated S/PDIF interface chip supports up to 192kHz/24bit resolution
* Bit-perfect output, audio data stream will not be modified in any way
https://www.hifiberry.com/digiplus/

Or this one?

HiFi Digital Sound Card 2B+ (DigiPI: PiFi Digi+ v1.0)
* Using WM8804G chip from Wolfson Microelectronics, with 16-24 bit, 192kHz PCM interface, I2S interface.
* I2S DAC interface – digital output directly.
http://www.geekroo.com.au/products/1664

Or a different one? If the Digi you have is different then please tell us the brand, model, and manufacturers website please...

PS: What type of file are you trying to play? FLAC? WAV? MP3? Everything and anything? And, have your tried to play the exact same files from a USB flash drive as you do from your NAS?

PeteB

foxint wroteWhy is optical not good? I thought optical is immuned from RF interference. So why is copper better, surely we are dealing with digital and optical would be best??? My brain must be fried from the Aussie sun...

Not fried, or not just yet (no worse than Arizona sun)...
Although, I am not at all sure a brain should be operated upside down...

Optical and coax have their advantages. This is why we have both. If one were superior to the other, we would only have one interface.

Coax is capable of higher/cleaner clock rates. At 176K or 192K Coax wins. However as you said, there is no ground isolation, and the potential for ground loops, conducted noise, RF interference etc.

Optical uses an extra circuit at the sending and receiving end to convert from an electrical signal to optical and back. If this circuit is affordable (and they all have to be cheap, not just affordable), then there is a much greater degradation in the signal, increased jitter, and therefore higher error rate. Under 96K it does not matter. Over 96K, the signal can degrade so much that the DAC cannot correct it, and the audio quality suffers.

rastus

PeteB wroteCoax is capable of higher/cleaner clock rates. At 176K or 192K Coax wins. However as you said, there is no ground isolation, and the potential for ground loops, conducted noise, RF interference etc.

Well.... "galvanic isolation" does spring to mind here. Though I may be wron.... wron... incorrect about that.

"At the heart of the Little Dot DAC_I are the Wolfson Micro's high quality 24-bit 192Khz WM8740 DAC chip, WM8805 ultra-low jitter (50ps) digital transceiver chip, and the ultra-low distortion LM4562/LME49720/LME4910. A dual crystallizer re-clock circuit ensures a synchronized and jitter-free signal!"

rastus

PeteB wroteAn optical cable is definitely NOT a good way to play files over 96K 24-bit, even if by some miracle it works, this is not good.

Well... I have a miracle. Or, I'm hard of hearing... and I'm not dismissing this as an option.

PeteB

rastus wroteWell.... "galvanic isolation" does spring to mind here. Though I may be wron.... wron... incorrect about that.

Optical has inherent galvanic isolation. Coax only has it if isolated using tiny transformers (too expensive for most consumer audio). See:

https://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/appNote/AN134REV5.pdf

This used to be the gold standard of studio-grade digital audio transmission. I built a couple circuits, about 15 years ago. Still have one, added to an old TurtleBeach streamer.

@[deleted]: Nice DAC at the price! From the link you posted, yes there is an answer!

...Secondly, you can choose the maximum sampling rate. You can choose between 96 kHz and 192 kHz. Press the FUNC button to choose, then on the INPUT button to save the configuration...

Do that and it will probably work. Select 96K for the optical cable, or, spend $10 on a coax cable, even $5 for a cheap one, and enjoy your hi def files!

foxint

Guys
Thank you for the replies. I am totally confused. May we start again?

http://www.littledot.net/forum/viewtopi ... b0166268b3 - this is my DAC. I have HiFi Berry Digi+. Since the Digi+ has both RCA and Optical I choose optical as it easier for me as I have a long enough optical and no copper cable that will reach. I am not really understanding the arguements for/against optical. But can we use optical since this what I have.? I have a SSD attached to the Pi via USB 3.0

I played these files via the Raspberry Pi 3 and the Digi+ and this was the result:

Stereo 16bit 441. kHZ 0 kbps - OK
Stereo 16bit 44.1 kHz 835 kbps - OK
Stereo 24bit 192 kHz 4885 kbos - No Sound
Stereo 24bit 192 kHz 3792kbos - No Sound
Stereo 24bit 48 kHz 1388 kbps - OK
Stereo 24bit 96 kHz 2014 kbps - BAD

What do I need to do to the Pi/rune to make it play my flac file. I use the example of the Media Monkey to show that my DAC is capable of playing all these files even with optical cable.

Sorry if some think I am a little thick, but this whole subject is quite confusing.

I hope I have provided sufficient information.

Please

PeteB

Try following the directions from the link you posted above. Select 96K, and the DAC will do the rest.

...Secondly, you can choose the maximum sampling rate. You can choose between 96 kHz and 192 kHz. Press the FUNC button to choose, then on the INPUT button to save the configuration...

hondagx35

Hi foxint,

I use the example of the Media Monkey to show that my DAC is capable of playing all these files even with optical cable.

Your DAC has a LCD (displaying the bitrate), right?
Play your files again and watch the display. Does the frequency match the played one?
As others told you, MediaMonkey may resample your files.

I have a SSD attached to the Pi via USB 3.0

The Pi doesn't have USB 3.0!

I am not really understanding the arguements for/against optical.

No need to understand them!
Please try to find a cable and test it.

@[deleted]:

hondagx35 wroteThe sample rate accepted by the DAC can be limited. Please check the settings on your Little Dot.

foxint wroteThe DAC is automatic and it "should" detect the rates.

Frank

PeteB

@[deleted]: According to the review, this DAC has a user selectable maximum freq. The maximum defaults to 192K (except the USB which is 41K/48K). So I am guessing that the DAC does not differentiate between the optical and coax inputs, and setting a max is up to the user.

So, user has two options. 1) buy a coax cable 2) use the optical cable and set the maximum manually, in which case the DAC and MPD will play nice and only 96K will be sent over the optical cable to the DAC. In either case, the answer is reading one paragraph, and a few clicks of the front panel buttons away.

(and I promise to stay off this thread from now on...

)

rastus

PeteB: Sorry, I didn't make myself plainly understood... HifiBerry do make a Digi with the following: "Optional: high-bandwidth output transformer provides full galvanic isolation of the electrical output (not in the standard version)"

And....

"Output transformer: The output transformer provides a full galvanic isolation between the Raspberry Pi and your DAC on the electrical output. Usual consumer-grade SPDIF outputs do not use output transformers. Usually this works without problems. However, many audio enthusiast like to use this option. If you’re not sure, the standard version is most likely ok for you. Note that the output transformer is shielded. To make sure the shielding works, your DAC needs to be grounded. If you’re unsure, we recommend the standard version. The output transformer does not have any effect on the optical output. Therefore if you plan to use only the optical output, the standard version will do the job."

HifiBerry Digi: "Version with output transformer"
https://www.hifiberry.com/digiplus/

Sorry foxint, I don't think anyone thinks your "thick" (other than your own insecurity), least of all me. But, do you notice that when you supplied the required information that was asked for, which external DAC you have, that someone was able to 'help'. PeteB has posted a possible solution twice now, try it.... and please before you go, let us know if it works!