Ayre QB-9 DSD DAC

Help and Support Compatibility Lists
1

Dear all,
I am using Volumio 2 version 0.861 date 25.03.2016. It works perfect and I really like it very much. Now I try to use it together with AYRE QB-9 DSD DAC but with no success. I can select it from the output device list. When I try to play music from USB or NAS, I face a problem. The music either does not start playing at all or starts for a few seconds and stops. There is a message “Error – Failed to open audio output”. I did not have this problem before with another DAC [for example Marantz HD-DAC1 or HIFIBerry DiGi+] On the other hand this same AYRE DAC works perfectly with Windows PC.
I only succeed to play web radio and not always from the first try.

I hope some of you can give me an advice to solve the problem. Thank you in advance!

2

Does anyone have any ideas?

3

Same here. Volumio does not recognize Ayre 9 DAC.
On the other hand, there is no problem when I use Roon in Windows, it smoothly recognizes Ayre.
Any progress in thi issue?
Best

4

This thread began in 2016. I think we can all agree that technology has advanced dramatically over the past nine years.

To help with a present-day fix, from current decade, please provide the following exact information.

  1. Hardware snapshot
  • Volumio device: model and RAM (for example Raspberry Pi 4 4GB, x86 NUC i3, etc)
  • Power: supply spec for the Volumio device and for any USB hub
  • USB path: direct to device or via hub (include hub model and whether it is self-powered)
  • Other USB devices attached: list or say none
  • DAC: exact model and firmware revision shown by the vendor utility or manual if known
  • DAC USB mode: UAC1 or UAC2 if switchable
  1. Software versions
    Option A - UI: Settings > System > About. Copy the following lines exactly:

  • Volumio version

  • Build date

  • Kernel version

  • Platform

    Option B - SSH: run and paste the output lines

  • uname -a

  • cat /etc/os-release

  1. Minimal reproduction

  • With the DAC powered on and connected, reboot Volumio

  • Try to play a 44.1 kHz 16-bit local file (USB stick or NAS). Note the exact time and result

  • Then try a 96 kHz 24-bit local file

  • If you use DSD, try DSD64 via DoP

  • Try one Web Radio stream

    For each attempt, record

  • Source: local 44.1, local 96, DSD64 DoP, webradio

  • Result: plays, starts-then-stops, or fails to start

  • Any on-screen error text exactly as shown

  1. Key playback settings
    From Settings > Playback Options, copy these fields exactly as text:
  • Output device: full string as shown in the list
  • Mixer type: None, Software, or Hardware
  • DSD playback: DoP or Native
  • Resampling: Off or On. If On, include target rate and quality

  1. Volumio log link
    Create and post a Volumio system log link immediately after a failed attempt so the error is captured. Guide:
    https://help.volumio.com/help/how-to-send-a-log-link-for-a-bug-report

  2. Short CLI snapshot (optional but helpful)
    If you can SSH, run these with the DAC connected and paste outputs:

  • aplay -l
  • aplay -L
  • lsusb -t
  • journalctl -u mpd -n 100
  • journalctl -k -b -n 200
  1. Control comparison
  • Does another DAC work on the same hardware and Volumio version? If yes, name the model and whether all sample rates above worked

With the above, we can tell whether this is a device support issue, a configuration mismatch, or something else.

Kind Regards,