#108 If foo_out_asio already outputs native dsd, what is the purpose of foo_out_asio+dsd?

[Mohammed]

Hello,

I was wondering if you could clarify what the difference is between foo_out_asio and foo_out_asio+dsd? In my experience, foo_out_asio already outputs native dsd (For quite a few years I've been using the default foo_out_asio component with a native dsd playback capable DAC and it worked fine).

I've recently become aware of the existence of foo_out_asio+dsd but apart from allowing visualizations to work during dsd playback and a few other options like "reload driver on DSD/PCM change" I'm not sure I understand the difference between the two?

Does foo_out_asio+dsd exclude the necessity for foo_input_sacd?

[Mohammed]

After a little more experimenting, I've noticed a few benefits of foo_out_asio+dsd in comparison to foo_out_asio:

1- Seeking through a track is smoother and with less clipping/distortion .
2- It's possible to play video files in Windows (like, for instance, a youtube video) while foobar is playing a file with a different sample rate. Ofcourse the audio will not play, but with the default foo_out_asio not even the video would.
3- Less prone to playback errors (such as "timeouts") when in exclusive mode.
4- Generally better at switching between exclusive-mode audio playback and non-exclusive mode playback of system sounds and other apps without having to restart programs or the DAC itself.

Is this component just a slightly more stable version of foo_out_asio? Should one always use it over the default foo_out_asio?

[Maxim V.Anisiutkin]

foo_out_asio plugin doesn't output Native DSD, it does only DoP. Native DSD is usually needed to output the highest possible for the device DSD sample rate. As the other possibility DSD Transcoder can be used with the foo_out_asio plugin to get Native DSD out of DoP.

[Mohammed]

Thank you for your reply. I'm really confused, now. All this time using foo_out_asio, my DAC indicated that it was receiving native DSD but it wasn't?

Anyway, now that I'm using foo_out_asio+dsd - can you please specify what is needed to output native DSD to the DAC? Should this option in the attached image be enough or are there more settings I need to change? Do I need to install DSD Transcoder as well?

[Maxim V.Anisiutkin]

DAC usually doesn't display in which form it receives DSD stream (it can be Native DSD or it can be DoP). It just says 'DSD' or 'PCM'.

After you select 'DSD' in plugin settings foo_input_sacd will output DSD stream in DoP format. Then foo_out_asio+dsd will convert DoP to Native DSD if downstream ASIO driver (your DAC driver) supports Native DSD.

This might look a bit complicated, but there're no other better ways to output DSD in foobar.

No, to get Native DSD use either foo_out_asio+dsd or foo_out_asio + DSD Transcoder.

[Mohammed]

Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Try looking in DACs drivers. My drivers show if the DAC receives DoP or Native. The DACs display only shows DSD.