Bit Perfect Streaming with powered speakers plugged direct into line out

[Sylvain]

RCA stereo line out transfers analogue data.

RCA S/PDIF coaxial out transfers PCM data.

Understood.
Thank you.

 

[paoloinnocenzi]

good morning, I connected the amplifier to the wiim pro plus via RCA cable from the wiim line output to the Roksan K3 (RCA), I use the internal DAC of the wiim. At how many bits and khz do I listen to the high definition music of the Quobuz?

Moderator note: @paoloinnocenzi Please post in English on this forum.

 

[paoloinnocenzi]

This is because the coaxial and optical outputs are digital, where terms like bit depth and sample rate mean something. The RCA/line-out is analog, and terms like bit depth and sample rate mean nothing.

The WiiM's DAC will accept up to a 24/192 digital stream from Qobuz and convert it to analog for output via the RCA line connection.

As above, this is not a sensible question to ask of an analog RCA output.

It seems to me that it makes me listen to it at 16bit as it is written

Moderator note: @paoloinnocenzi Please post in English on this forum.

 

[Burnside]

good morning, I connected the amplifier to the wiim pro plus via RCA cable from the wiim line output to the Roksan K3 (RCA), I use the internal DAC of the wiim. At how many bits and khz do I listen to the high definition music of the Quobuz?

You've already asked this question and have been advised that talk of bit depth and sample rate have no meaning when talking about the RCA line out from your WiiM device - those terms are used to describe digital streams which the line-out/RCA stream is not.

You may be asking why Qobuz shows the bit depth and sample rate on the WiiM app Now Playing screen - that's because that shows the source track properties, not what's sent out over the line-out/RCA connection. If that always shows 16 bit, then on the Qobuz page in the WiiM app, choose the three bar overflow menu in the top left hand corner, then settings/streaming and set that to HiRes - 24 bits/ up to 192kHz so Qobuz will send higher resolution tracks to your WiiM device.

 

[merifon]

It seems to me that it makes me listen to it at 16bit as it is written

As soon the conversion digital to analog take place, the concept of bit depth, sampling rate and anything related stops to make sense.
The internal dac of WiiM receive from Qobuz or any other service a PCM data stream that is in the form the producers and Qobuz decided and depending from setting in WiiM app, some other digital changes (max rate, forced rate, volume adjust or even nothing of that), could be done. Finally the dac will produce an analog sound where its quality can vary depending by settings done before but that, from amplifier point of view, has no more meaning in terms of bit of whatever digital

 

[paoloinnocenzi]

You've asked this question before and have been told that talking about bit depth and sample rate is meaningless when talking about the RCA line out of your WiiM device - these terms are used to describe digital streams, while line out/RCA stream is not.

You might be wondering why Qobuz shows bit depth and sample rate in the Now Playing screen of the WiiM app - it's because it shows the properties of the source track, not what is being sent via the line out/RCA connection. If it always shows 16 bits, then on the Qobuz page in the WiiM app, choose the three-bar menu in the top left corner, then settings/streaming and set it to HiRes - 24 bit/up to 192 kHz so that Qobuz sends higher resolution tracks to your WiiM device.

In the wiim app playback screen, quobuz does NOT show bits and depth.

There are no 3 bars in the top left corner.

It is NOT possible to set to 24bit/up to 192khz in RCA connection, (you can only set it for coaxial or optical connection)

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU TALKING ABOUT???

Moderator note: @paoloinnocenzi Please post in English on this forum.

 

[Mr Ee]

Please put your posts through something like google translate into English before posting here.
Much easier for you to do it once than for each of us to do it.
Thanks,

 

[Burnside]

In the wiim app playback screen, quobuz does NOT show bits and depth.

There are no 3 bars in the top left corner.

It is NOT possible to set to 24bit/up to 192khz in RCA connection, (you can only set it for coaxial or optical connection)

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU TALKING ABOUT???

1. Please post in English
2. No need to shout and make disparaging remarks when I'm only trying to help.
3. If you read my reply more carefully, you'd have seen that I was referring to the Qobuz, not Now Playing page in the WiiM Home app to find the three bar menu where you can set Qobuz's streaming resolution.

Edit: Re Qobuz not showing bit depth and sample rate on the WiiM app now playing page, mine does using the line-out/RCA connection from my Pro Plus viz.

 

[merifon]

In the wiim app playback screen, quobuz does NOT show bits and depth.

There are no 3 bars in the top left corner.

It is NOT possible to set to 24bit/up to 192khz in RCA connection, (you can only set it for coaxial or optical connection)

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU TALKING ABOUT???

The analog rca connection has no bit at all, so you can't set anything for it.
Those digital controls are only for pcm BEFORE it is processed to produce analog signal.
If you're using chromecast, and if I remind well, the sampling rate and bit depth, are no more shown, due to inconsistencies of data given by chromecast. Maybe in the future they will come back.
Anyway, if max digital output is set to 192khz 24bit, no fixed resolution is set and no volume controls are enabled, you're sure that all songs from Qobuz are passed to dac at their own sample rate up to 96KHz 24bit, since Qobuz choosen to limit chromecast up to 96KHz.

 

[Burnside]

The analog rca connection has no bit at all, so you can't set anything for it.
Those digital controls are only for pcm BEFORE it is processed to produce analog signal.
If you're using chromecast, and if I remind well, the sampling rate and bit depth, are no more shown, due to inconsistencies of data given by chromecast. Maybe in the future they will come back.

He hasn't mentioned ChromeCast but that would explain the lack of resolution info. What's Italian for mind reader?

 

[Deleted member 1420]

He hasn't mentioned ChromeCast but that would explain the lack of resolution info. What's Italian for mind reader?

My daughter-in-law shouts "lettore della mente" from downstairs

 

[paoloinnocenzi]

I see differently

Moderator note: @paoloinnocenzi Please post in English on this forum.

 

[paoloinnocenzi]

I see differently

Moderator note: @paoloinnocenzi Please post in English on this forum.

 

[paoloinnocenzi]

Look

Moderator note: @paoloinnocenzi Please post in English on this forum.

 

[Burnside]

As above, you haven’t mentioned anywhere that you were using the Qobuz app and Chromecast, as opposed to using Qobuz inside the WiiM Home app. Had you made that essential information clearer, my responses would have been different.

The WiiM app doesn’t show resolution information when Chromecast is used as WiiM discovered that the information was inaccessible or unreliable so decided to show no resolution information at all rather than erroneous details. The Qobuz app itself also caps transmission at 24/96.

Whatever Qobuz sends over Chromecast is what your WiiM device will feed to its DAC to convert it to analogue for output over its line-out/RCA port.

You may want to try accessing Qobuz from within the WiiM Home app and you will see full resolution details as I posted above, assuming you have set the streaming quality again as I explained earlier.

 

[merifon]

Just to add...
I'm not at home and don't remind/know if, when using chromecast, the WiiM 's digital output settings are still effective or Qobuz anyway sends its 96KHz capped stream to WiiM, regardless those settings.
In any case, to be sure that Qobuz song are played as they have to be, left any setting to maximum and enable fixed volume.
Also, if you want to reach 192khz when available and read the sampling values, play from WiiM app itself, logging in Qobuz and setting it to maximum quality or change to Tidal...

 

[Burnside]

Just to add...
I'm not at home and don't remind/know if, when using chromecast, the WiiM 's digital output settings are still effective or Qobuz anyway sends its 96KHz capped stream to WiiM, regardless those settings.

Not sure what you precisely mean. Qobuz’s ChromeCast cap in effect means it sends 24/96 versions of 24/192 tracks and 24/96 and lesser are sent as they are, assuming your WiiM’s digital output (if that’s what you’re using) is set to 24/96 or higher, or if you’re using the WiiM’s line out. If you’re using the WiiM’s digital outputs set at a lower limit, I’d say Qobuz will only send versions of tracks up to that resolution. That’s what Amazon Music would do as it uses Apple’s HLS/HTTP live streaming protocol, and I’d guess Qobuz and other streaming services use that or similar ie. they don’t send higher resolutions than the endpoint can play.

In any case, to be sure that Qobuz song are played as they have to be, left any setting to maximum and enable fixed volume.

I’d be careful with fixed volume with line-out - make sure the connected amp is managing the volume so you don’t get a nasty surprise

Also, if you want to reach 192khz when available and read the sampling values, play from WiiM app itself, logging in Qobuz and setting it to maximum quality or change to Tidal...

Yes, as I’ve tried to explain

Cheers

 

[merifon]

Not sure what you precisely mean.

Simply i don't know if chromecast could involve a different process and when analog output are used, it could still manage the files without capping at resolutions set in digital output settings , before pcm is converted.

 

[Burnside]

Simply i don't know if chromecast could involve a different process and when analog output are used, it could still manage the files without capping at resolutions set in digital output settings , before pcm is converted.

I wouldn’t think so - Qobuz’s reason for capping at 24/96 was that they thought the protocol was unreliable and error prone at resolutions greater than that, plus they wouldn’t know if the endpoint was using its digital or analog outputs.

 

[merifon]

I wouldn’t think so - Qobuz’s reason for capping at 24/96 was that they thought the protocol was unreliable and error prone at resolutions greater than that, plus they wouldn’t know if the endpoint was using its digital or analog outputs.

Since I'm on vacation and anyway have a mini at the moment, I don't even remember if coax and toslink have separate maximum settings. It might also make sense that those limits don't affect the path to the internal dac. It definitely depends on what they decided at WiiM.
It's just to swing a little in this too hot summer, it's not really a big deal...