Devialet Chat

Alright Folks, new questions.
Perhaps it's old news for most of you, I have just discovered for myself that I can toggle the output sampling rate from my MacMini.
The panel is hidden in the Application Folder >Utilities Folder>AudioMIDISetup.
I have playing with several settings and have pleasantly found huge difference in SQ.
I am still exploring and comparing iTune vs ROON Lab and the various settings.
Perhaps some of you can help me understand this.
1. Does it matter which setting e.g. 16 or 24 bit, 96 or 192? What is the difference in these numbers in terms of up/down sampling. I personally find quite a bit of difference in sound. With these settings , the SQ is comparable to ROON lab or very close to it.
2. The Devialet display read out now shows the correct setting ie 44Hz 96Hz or 192 Hz according to the MacMini output. I gather this is the input numbers and not the output rate by Devialet.

Hope some of you can enlighten me on this.
Thanks.

David

David - while you can change those settings in Audio Midi - you shouldn't have to. For example I use Roon, and it does not care what the settings are in Audio Midi, it will output your music files bases on what their format. For example a 16/44 file will be sent at 16/44 and 24/96 file will be sent at 24/96, etc...

There were times, year back and further when some music player software required that you set the Outputs in Audio Midi to the highest supported by your device ( i.e. DAC ) - thus is your DAC supported 24/192 they recommend you set the default in their to 24/192.

I have not used iTunes in quite a while so cannot comment there.

So long story short, set it once to the highest supported by your device, and after that no need to worry about it again.

I am sure someone else can pipe in with other details.

Barr

(09-Jan-2016, 19:47)（baddog Wrote: [ -> ]David - while you can change those settings in Audio Midi - you shouldn't have to. For example I use Roon, and it does not care what the settings are in Audio Midi, it will output your music files bases on what their format. For example a 16/44 file will be sent at 16/44 and 24/96 file will be sent at 24/96, etc...

There were times, year back and further when some music player software required that you set the Outputs in Audio Midi to the highest supported by your device ( i.e. DAC ) - thus is your DAC supported 24/192 they recommend you set the default in their to 24/192.

I have not used iTunes in quite a while so cannot comment there.

So long story short, set it once to the highest supported by your device, and after that no need to worry about it again.

I am sure someone else can pipe in with other details.

Barr

Hello, baddog. I myself am using Vivid V1.5 with le200. Wonder what Vivid loudspeakers you are using with le400. Just out of curiosity. Thanks.

Thanks Barr.
I found that if I didn't change the setting in the MacMini, the music will be sent to Devialet as 16/44. When I changed the setting, the Devialet will show a higher sampling rate of either 24/96 or 24/192 accordingly. I think it is acting as a "gate" or "control" allowing the stream to go through. There's a huge difference in sound depending on the setting. I am still exploring to see what is the right setting for me. I find this interesting as I never knew this could be altered before.

David - Roon certainly will output the correct sample rate regardless of the settings in Audio Midi, changing them will have no effect on audio quality and Roon, that I can attest to. Roon always shows what the output is - and it has always output the correct bit and sample rate for me when playing files of different resolutions.

As to iTunes I have no used that in quite some time, but I would be a bit surprised if the Audio Midi settings had much of an impact.

Are you mostly playing back music in iTunes or Roon?

Barr

Barr,
I have been exploring both iTunes and ROON. Switching between the two to find the "sweet spot".
I think ROON has the slight edge here. It allows me to enjoy the music more.

Changing the setting in Audio Mindi does alter the sound from MacMini. Whether it improves it or not, or whether I like it more is questionable. I find output at 24/192 makes the sound "thin", but there's more separation etc. At 24/96 the sounds appear more coherent.

David

(11-Jan-2016, 04:43)baddog Wrote: [ -> ]….

As to iTunes I have no used that in quite some time, but I would be a bit surprised if the Audio Midi settings had much of an impact.

...

Unless things have changed since I used it last year, iTunes sets the sample rate to the first track played, and that's it - the rest will be played at that rate regardless. There are a few little apps (bit perfect etc) that can auto-set this for you if you have mixed sample rate files. So perhaps midi settings can get round this.

As said above, if you have mixed sample rates, then I'd definitely look at Roon (or another 'proper' player), and since you've got a pretty high-end setup, if you want to experiment with up-sampling I definitely wouldn't let OSX midi do it, but look to something like HQPlayer.

I guess we've drifted a bit off room correction here, but there are a few threads already for Roon, and HQ Player, and a lot more over at the Roon forums.

Using the Mac to change the sample rate on the fly (ie in real time rather than calculating a new different res file and playing that afterwards) will be using the built in Core Audio. This may well not be transparent.
The only software I have heard which did a transparent job at changing sampling rate was being used by a BBC sound engineer and was, apparently, very expensive.
It doesn't make any sense to change the file from its native format whilst listening anyway if "high-fidelity" rather than random unknown colouration is the objective.
Changing a 16/44 file can not add any musical information but may add spurious audible effects.
Most DACs these days re-sample all signals as part of the way they work, I believe the Devialet does for the volume control and SAM anyway.

(11-Jan-2016, 09:25)Hifi_swlon Wrote: [ -> ]

(11-Jan-2016, 04:43)baddog Wrote: [ -> ]….

As to iTunes I have no used that in quite some time, but I would be a bit surprised if the Audio Midi settings had much of an impact.

...

Unless things have changed since I used it last year, iTunes sets the sample rate to the first track played, and that's it - the rest will be played at that rate regardless.

Not even this, it uses whatever sampling rate was set in Audio Midi when it (iTunes) is launched, so if 24/192 was selected iTunes will use Core Audio to resample to that until it is closed and a new setting put into Audio Midi.

I know nowt about Roon and how it works on a Mac.

(11-Jan-2016, 09:41)f1eng Wrote: [ -> ]...
It doesn't make any sense to change the file from its native format whilst listening anyway if "high-fidelity" rather than random unknown colouration is the objective.
Changing a 16/44 file can not add any musical information but may add spurious audible effects.
...

You'd have a ball over at the HQPlayer forums….