Cascade DD "Blue Screen of Death"

Support
1

Having just setup my Cascade, using the USB pro connection, when I played the first DSD64 file, the digital director just locked up on me. I had to pull the plug to reiniciate. Then I listened to some PCM music, and when I got back to DSD, the same happened.

I then realized I had not configured roon to output DSD in DoP mode. Once I changed this setting, the DSD files worked perfectly. The thing is the DD did not recover from receiving a “pure DSD” file, and to be reboot.

Maybe some future firmware may avoid this situation.

2

With my Cascade, I have found, on occasion, that if I switch from a DSD512 track (Native DSD transfer, not DoP) to a PCM track the Cascade goes a little crazy… the timing is off (the notes are played to slowly and sound strange) and there is a tick in the background.

By switch I mean there its a DSD512 track playing and in Roon I start another track without stopping the current one. The fix, I have found, is to stop the track and restart it and everything goes back to normal.

I’m guessing that this is a Roon Nucleus problem, not a Cascade problem, but I have not taken the time to figure that out.

I don’t have this issue when I switch from a DSD256 track to a PCM one.

3

In my case, it happened with a dsd64 file. The DD displayed 0/88 and locked up. Twice.

And I wasn’t able to manage playing a DSD512. Are you connecting directly to the core, or are you using a roon endpoint?

4

My setup is:

Nucleus USB output → MSB Pro USB. Nothing special.

I have also had Nucleus-> network-> MSB Renderer. That could not do DSD512, but it did DSD256 without any problem.

Dan

5

Tx. I am going roon server - network - room endpoint (tried windows and Linux). Let’s wait for someone of MSB support to chime in. Maybe there is some windows or Linux setting I am doing wrong.

6

I think you need to tag management on the post

@support doesn’t look like it’s been set up yet

This will be more efficient than waiting for someone at MSB to read on a Sunday

Cheers!
R

7

thank you. although, not in a rush. sweet music is playing, and I dont really care about DSD512. It is only for the sake on making things work.

Having said that, just marking @Daniel_Gullman, so he can chime in whenever he finds the right time.

1 Like
8

Hello all!

Thanks for this feedback, I will have @Jonathan_Gullman go over this and see what’s happening.

We do have a pretty strict work/life balance policy at MSB, so outside of Monday-Thursday will be radio silence from us on the forum :wink: I will be out on my bicycle or working on the ranch. We will get to everything that transpires by Monday of course!

2 Likes
9

When it locked up, what exactly were the symptoms? Did it just not play music but you could still change the volume? Were you able to change inputs?

I ask because we have two processors types. One for the user controls and one for the audio. If the audio stays playing but the screen freezes, it’s the microcontroller. If the screen stays working and inputs can change with no audio, it’s the audio processors.

10

Hi @Dan. If this happens again please take a video and send me the recording. Most audio failures have a unique sound and depending on what I hear I can help narrow it down to if its the server or the DAC. My guess is you are correct as to the source but I would like to know.

Every DAC is tested at 512x DSD and we’ve not experienced this problem here.

11

Hello. Audio stopped completely. I could not play any song. The displayed locked on 0/88k. The volume is bypassed, and I did not try do change inputs (Inonly use the pro usb input, in auto switching mode).

12

Quick update on this. Using a Linux endpoint, I was able to get dsd512, via roon and via HQPlayer.

So I believe this must be a limitation of the Windows asio driver

1 Like
13

Good to know, thanks for the update.