Hello,
I installed Volumio 3 on a Raspberry Pi3B, but the sound is not coming out in DSD (DoP) on my Denon AVC-X4800H.
Could you confirm with the log that Volumio is set up correctly for this format and that the DoP stream is coming through on HDMI?
PCM formats are working fine.
Thanks
http://logs.volumio.org/volumio/duQByqH.html
Nobody to help me ?
I can play fine the DSD64 with an USB key connected to my AVC-X4800H but when I connect the USB key on the Raspberry Pi3B/Volumio, then play it, there is white or rose noise and with volume up, I can listen the music at the background.
Anybody to help me?
Hey @MrNice,
I had a look at your log. Volumio is set up correctly and MPD is indeed trying to send DSD64 as DoP (DSD over PCM) through the HDMI device. The log also shows decode attempts for your DSF files, so the player side is behaving as expected.
The problem is not the Volumio configuration but the HDMI path on the Raspberry Pi. DoP is just DSD frames wrapped in a 176.4 kHz PCM carrier, and most AVRs (including your Denon) will only recognize that correctly over USB. Over HDMI, the Pi’s audio pipeline always goes through a PCM layer which can resample or remap channels. This corrupts the DoP markers, so the AVR only sees noise. That matches what you described: faint music behind white or pink noise.
In short:
- Volumio is configured properly and sending DoP.
- The limitation is HDMI on Raspberry Pi: it does not reliably pass DoP to AVRs.
- If you want native DSD/DoP playback on your Denon, the supported option is to connect via USB instead of HDMI.
Kind Regards,
Thank you nerd for you comment. At least I understand what happen; RPi3B is not adapted to this task as AVC-X4800H can’t input stream from USB. It can only read a memory as said here.
I own an Odroid N2+ but as I use daily as media-player, I don’t want jeopardise it removing petitboot to install Volumio3.
Looks like there is no option. See my post here . Do you confirm?
In fact, my media-player runs CoreElec. It can’t natively play DSD streams, so I installed Squeezelite and LMS. Unfortunately I still can’t play DSD streams unlike some people who are successful. If you are interested see here.
I’m feeling rather hopeless.
Any idea is welcome. Thanks
Hey @MrNice,
I went through your log again. Volumio is configured with DoP enabled and MPD is framing your DSD64 files as expected. There is at least one decode error for a DSF file, but the real blocker is the HDMI path on the Pi3B. The ALSA chain for HDMI uses a plug layer that can alter format or rate. That destroys the DoP markers, and most AVRs (including your Denon) will not recognise DoP on HDMI anyway - they only handle native HDMI DSD from SACD/BD sources. The result is the noise you described.
On the Odroid N2+, petitboot has never supported Volumio. The only way that might work is setting the front boot switch to MMC and letting the board try to boot Volumio directly from SD. This does not touch the eMMC or your CoreELEC install, but I cannot test it myself, so it should be treated as a potential success only. Since you have the hardware, you are in the best position to try such a test - no guarantees can be given. Use the official community port thread for the details; members owning such SBC will definitely provide relevant expertise.
So in short:
- Your Volumio config is fine; Pi3B HDMI cannot deliver DoP reliably.
- The Denon will not accept DoP over HDMI from Pi.
- With N2+, you could attempt to boot Volumio from SD using the MMC switch. It may work without affecting CoreELEC, but results are not guaranteed.
- The DSF decode errors in the log are a separate point and not the root cause of your HDMI issue.
Kind Regards,
Short correction, the N2+ does not have an mmc switch, the switch only enables boot from spi (petitboot).
SD takes boot priority per default afaik.
If there is a emmc, it will boot from it, even if there is a SD card (tested).
My only possibility is to remove the emmc card. Not really what I like.
Maybe I’ll try when I’ll have a time to do it with great care.
First thought: that is strange, I worked with and developed for the C4 and N2/N2+ for years.
But you‘re probably correct, we have our own boot.ini which prefers SD above eMMC, so when there is no bootable eMMC, it will boot from SD, if there is a Volumio boot.ini on eMMC, it will first boot from eMMC but boot.ini will continue to read from SD instead when present. So with CoreElec it will prefer eMMC I suppose.
After removing the eMMC and some difficulties (first SD didn’t want to boot, then 2 burning on the second SD, Volumio started. Then Wi-Fi didn’t work, I had to use the cable) finaly Volumio works on my Odroid.
Unfortunately I get the same issue with DSD64
Here the new log
Please, could you check if the settings are OK and if possible why it’s not good with the Odroid N2+.
Many thanks
Any help to look at the log above and tell me if it’s OK?
Many thanks
Hey @MrNice,
Short answer
- Your Odroid N2+ Volumio setup is configured to try DoP in MPD, but the ALSA path and HDMI on this platform will not deliver a bit-perfect DoP stream to the Denon. The AVR expects native DSD over HDMI from a SACD-type source, not DoP wrapped in PCM. Result: pink/white noise with faint music is exactly what happens when an AVR plays the DoP markers as PCM.
What I verified in your log
- MPD is set to dop “yes” on device “volumio” which maps to ALSA device “volumioHw”. That part is correct for attempting DoP.
- ALSA config inserts a plug layer before the hardware. Quote in your config: There is always a plug before the hardware to be safe. Any format conversion or mixing by plug destroys the DoP marker pattern, so the AVR no longer sees DSD in the PCM frames. (alsa-project.org)
- MPD log shows mixer errors like No such mixer control PCM and does not capture an actual playback session, so it cannot prove a DoP stream ever reached the sink. That matches what you are hearing.
Why HDMI here will not give you DoP
- Denon states DSD is supported via USB or network playback, and over HDMI from a source device that outputs DSD, i.e. an SACD player. That is the native DSD-over-HDMI path, not DoP. AVRs generally do not advertise or decode DoP on HDMI because HDMI already has a DSD framing standard. (support.denon.com)
- DoP itself relies on a 24/176.4 or 24/88.2 PCM carrier with specific marker bytes. Any resampling, format conversion, or software mixer in the chain breaks those markers. ALSA plug performs conversions when needed, so the chain is not bit-perfect. (dcsaudio.zendesk.com)
What this means for your Denon AVC-X4800H
- The AVR is almost certainly fine. It will play DSD from front USB or over HEOS network, and it will accept native DSD over HDMI from a compatible disc transport. It does not document DoP over HDMI. Your result is therefore expected. (support.denon.com)
Practical ways forward
- Easiest: in Volumio, disable DoP and let MPD convert DSD to PCM at 176.4 kHz. HDMI will then carry clean PCM and the Denon will play it normally.
- Bit-perfect DSD path: use a USB DAC that supports DoP or native DSD, connect the N2+ to that DAC over USB, then feed the Denon via analogue inputs from the DAC.
- Use the Denon’s built-in paths for DSD: front USB drive or HEOS network playback for DSD files. (support-eu.denon.com)
- If you specifically want DSD over HDMI, use a player that outputs native DSD over HDMI, such as a SACD or certain Blu-ray players. The AVR will then show DSD as the incoming format. (Audioholics Home Theater Forums)
Optional sanity checks
- Play a 176.4 kHz PCM test file via Volumio over HDMI to confirm the PCM pipeline is healthy.
- Capture a fresh log while actively playing a DSD track with DoP enabled; but even with perfect logs, HDMI on this platform still will not produce DoP on the AVR for the reasons above.
Kind Regards,
Thank you very much for this comprehensive reply.
This reply puts an end to several months of research and concludes that it is impossible to play native DSD with the equipment I have, regardless of the software, Volumio or Squeezelite/Lyrion Media Server (LMS).
I greatly appreciate this analysis.