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Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - Printable Version

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RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - AlexTee - 06-24-2020

Dear Tim, I sent you the link to the track via PM.

The fragment with distinct audible distortion is between 2:54 - 2:59 timecodes of elapsed time.

To reconfirm:
1. When I set the MPD volume to Disabled or Hardware, the distortion doesn't go away with EQ set (Vinyl Touch is my preferred one), no matter the ALSA value. If I remove EQ, then there's no distortion even at max ALSA volume.
2. When set to Software, then adjusting (decreasing) the internal software volume (knob) removes the distortion, when EQ is set. The ALSA volume doesn't. Again, disabling EQ removes distortion.

Please, let me know, once you have chance to test it on your side. Thanks!


RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - jezsinglespeed - 06-24-2020

Yep, don't know if I'm out of depth here. My HiFiBerry DAC+ (RPi 4, Moode 6.5.2) is set to reduced volume as per instructions on HiFiBerry Website. Effectively it shows the Digital line in alsa mixer as 86% (-4dB gain) with is as close to the 90% HifiBerry recommend without introducing distortion (assuming its digital clipping in chip implementation) when I set Max ALSA volume to 96 in moode and Volume Control disabled. Anything higher than this - distortion, anything lower - distortion free and awesome sound quality and usability. Hope this helps.


RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - AlexTee - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 10:47 AM)jezsinglespeed Wrote: Yep, don't know if I'm out of depth here.  My HiFiBerry DAC+ (RPi 4, Moode 6.5.2) is set to reduced volume as per instructions on HiFiBerry Website.  Effectively it shows the Digital line in alsa mixer as 86% (-4dB gain) with is as close to the 90% HifiBerry recommend without introducing distortion (assuming its digital clipping in chip implementation) when I set Max ALSA volume to 96 in moode and Volume Control disabled.  Anything higher than this - distortion, anything lower - distortion free and awesome sound quality and usability.  Hope this helps.

I don't have any distortion even on max ALSA value (digital) and MPD volume set to Disabled (0dB), it happens only when EQ is enabled. This is related to software side, not the DAC itself. And as I said before, the only possible solution is to enable Software volume control and lower it to about 80. The ALSA slider is the hardware volume inside the DAC itself, and it has nothing to do with how the datastream is being fed to DAC input by MPD and DAC driver. Apparently, EQ filter, which resides on software side, is modifying the datastream in such a manner, that it introduces distortion (it sounds like a flow of sand at some fragments of a random track, can't explain better).


RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - jezsinglespeed - 06-24-2020

Ah OK, thought it was the same thing by you having alsa mixer digital set higher than HiFiBerry recommend but you're saying its not that and that doesn't cause distortion. For me it does. Missed that it is definitely just an EQ problem. I EQ through a minidsp 2x4HD so no issue for me. Hope you get it sorted.


RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - AlexTee - 06-24-2020

Maybe DAC+ Pro behaves a little bit different than DAC+, hence I don't observe any distortion without EQ enabled.
May I have the link to the article on Hifiberry website?

Thanks.


RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - jezsinglespeed - 06-24-2020

https://www.hifiberry.com/docs/archive/mixer-controls-on-the-hifiberry-boards/


RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - Tim Curtis - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 08:15 AM)AlexTee Wrote: Dear Tim, I sent you the link to the track via PM.

The fragment with distinct audible distortion is between 2:54 - 2:59 timecodes of elapsed time.

To reconfirm:
1. When I set the MPD volume to Disabled or Hardware, the distortion doesn't go away with EQ set (Vinyl Touch is my preferred one), no matter the ALSA value. If I remove EQ, then there's no distortion even at max ALSA volume.
2. When set to Software, then adjusting (decreasing) the internal software volume (knob) removes the distortion, when EQ is set. The ALSA volume doesn't. Again, disabling EQ removes distortion.

Please, let me know, once you have chance to test it on your side. Thanks!

The track sounds fine to me. I can't hear any distortion at all.


RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - AlexTee - 06-24-2020

(06-24-2020, 02:25 PM)Tim Curtis Wrote:
(06-24-2020, 08:15 AM)AlexTee Wrote: Dear Tim, I sent you the link to the track via PM.

The fragment with distinct audible distortion is between 2:54 - 2:59 timecodes of elapsed time.

To reconfirm:
1. When I set the MPD volume to Disabled or Hardware, the distortion doesn't go away with EQ set (Vinyl Touch is my preferred one), no matter the ALSA value. If I remove EQ, then there's no distortion even at max ALSA volume.
2. When set to Software, then adjusting (decreasing) the internal software volume (knob) removes the distortion, when EQ is set. The ALSA volume doesn't. Again, disabling EQ removes distortion.

Please, let me know, once you have chance to test it on your side. Thanks!

The track sounds fine to me. I can't hear any distortion at all.

Are you testing it on same setup?
I'll record the output and post it here.


RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - Tim Curtis - 06-24-2020

Ya, the hifiberry pro rig that I described in my earlier post.


RE: Bad quality sound on MoodeAudio 6.x - AlexTee - 06-24-2020

Here is the same fragment, recorded via Line-in of my Creative Audigy RX sound card using Audacity software. The one with EQ on has distinct sandy clipping in the middle of fragment. Just to be on the same page, can you confirm you hear that?

EQ on
EQ off

If you confirm you do, but it is not present on your setup, then I don't know which component to blame. Do you have same setting (levels) for the EQ?

[attachment=1439]