DSJ - Digital gurgling sound with downloaded files

Questions on Blue Coast:

Most of my downloads come from HDTracks and Acoustic Sounds and I have had no issues with them.

But, when I downloaded from NativeDSD and Blue Coast records I get files with a digital gurgly sound in either one or both channels.

With NativeDSD after many trial and errors, the company sent me uncompressed non-zipped files and that fixed the problem.

What has been peoples’ experience with Blue Coast?

I have sent them some emails (howbeit all yesterday) about this issue with a Blue Coast download and how NativeDSD solved the same problem (Gurgly sounds) and I did not receive any response yesterday; also there is no phone number to call them (frustrating).

I understand Blue Coast is probably a tiny company and they may need time to get back to me, BUT I’m wondering, again, about the experience of others. Do they get back to you but not within 8 hours? Do they work with you to fix issues?

Also anyone else had this issue with downloads? I am using a Mac to download and unzip.

Thank you,

T

Hello Tony, our apologies for not responding yesterday. Our crew (which is me and Patrick) are at CES and have limited time or internet connection for the next few days. We will be responding on Monday the 14th.

There are several questions we need to address since there are hundreds of configurations depending on your computer, operating system, player, etc. You probably have our support email which is
support@bluecoastmusic.com
When not at conventions, we answer within 24 hours.

Here are the questions we will ask. Some may seem silly but please bare with us as not everyone is at the same level.

First, please open an account at https://bluecoastmusic.com, our newer site. There you will have a place to manage your downloads and the links won’t expire. Send us an email with your account information so that we can place your purchased link into that account.

Before downloading a second time, remove all traces of previous file downloaded. Traces left of those files will cause issues of playback for subsequent playback. Then download the file again.

Make sure you unzip the file before using your player.

If that doesn’t work, please send answers to questions below.

  1. computer and operating system
  2. player and version
  3. DAC and model number

Can you send a list of examples of downloads from hdtracks and acoustic sounds you have purchased? We are mostly interested to know your level of experience with DSD. HDtracks offers limited DSD downloads. FLAC and WAV are easier for most systems to understand and playback. Files size of tracks can also be an issue.

The Mahler Symphony #2 that you purchased has 2 very long tracks which have large files sizes…
I. Allegro Maestoso more than 23 minutes
V. Finale-Im Tempo des Scherzos…Chorus: “Aufersteh’n” more than 36 minutes

We have noticed that some players handle these larger tracks better than others. Publicly I won’t say which are problematic, but I will suggest that you try JRiver if redownloading and proper unzipping doesn’t work.

If anyone on this forum has ideas for Tony to try while we’re at CES, please chime in. Many of you are enjoy the Mahler #2 without issues on the Macintosh.

Looking forward to getting your music playing, Tony!

Cookie Marenco
Blue Coast Records and Music

Thank you,

How would I be able to play for you?

My past bands are Smart Went Crazy Dischord Records, The Caribbean fro DC Bunch of different labels, presently The Provisional.

If you want to take a listen… The Caribbean “Thanks for talking about Israel” Discontinued Perfume, Tidal…History’s first know it all, Tidal (my fav caribbean record)

Current band The Provisional Cronco Lite, Tidal…SQ bad sorry, we are in the middle of recording second record for Provisional.

Thank you,

TD

Provisional recordings are pretty aweful in SQ

Thank you Cookie.

Sorry for being so anxious

TD

Sorry PSA, I meant to reply to Blue Coast…

ok,

I am putting this on the forum to notify PSA as well as you and see how many good ideas we gather.

I downloaded the non-zipped files.

Same digital gurgle sound. Except I don’t hear it on headphones from my portable DAP, only through the DSJ…but I will investigate this further, Maybe its a DAP issue…I checked…I do not hear it on phones from DAP. only through DSJ

I went back to listen to my Native DSD Non-Zipped downloads and the gurgly sound is still there. I never checked it. I assumed the issue was solved.

so the questions are:

Is it a file issue?
Is it a Mac issue?
To Ted Smith…Is it a dirty USB issue? If one had a dirty USB issue, what would it sound like?
Is it a PSA issue?
To PSA generally, have others noticed this or am I the only lucky one? :slight_smile:

Thank you,

TD

Have you successfully run the bit perfect test? https://www.psaudio.com/ps_how/how-to-run-a-bit-perfect-test-with-directstream/

In general if you can play any sort of PCM but DSD is a problem then:
you aren’t sending DoP (player configuration), or
something is mangling the data (subtly or not), often a volume control, often the OS doing sample rate conversion…

You can check the sample rate conversion problem by seeing if the DS’s reported sample rate is what’s expected from your source.

A poor man’s bit-perfect test is to see if Redbook reports 16 bits or something else on the DS.

I ran the tests through a Mac that has bit perfect program running.

First file 96/24 displayed on DSJ

second 176.4/16 displayed on DSJ

So, I believe the DSJ is functioning properly, Yes?

Thank you

TD

On second thought…I think we have a problem…After an errand I came home and played the files several times, and they are different every time.
see below:

The 92/24 AIFF-------displayed 176.4/16, sometimes 96/24

the 96/24 FLAC--------displayed 96/24. sometimes 176.4/16 sometimes 96/16

192/24. FLAC --------------displayed 176.4/16

Mr. Smith ??

Anyone? :frowning:

The bit perfect test I was talking about isn’t related to the BitPerfect software you may be running on your MAC.

But until you get the same output readings on the DS as you have in your source files there’s some setting in your player or your MAC’s OS that’s messing things up. I’m not a MAC head so I can’t help there. The link I gave earlier has some other hints if you didn’t read it thru.

Yes sir, I know it is different than Mac BitPerfect.

I cannot test it with the player itself because even though I place the tracks in the player, the player does not see it…I will try again.

Generally the player bypasses everything when it is plugged in to the DSJ, but I will double check to make sure there is no upsampling or anything on the DAP generally and try that again. But as I said above, the DAP bypasses everything when it goes to the DSJ, I can tell because the adjustments are not available.

I will report back.

Thank you,

T

ps

so, have you heard this gurgling when the source is changing the signal?

Thank you

If you can’t get consistent sample rates between the DS and your files then you are far from bit perfect. When you can get PCM with consistent sample rates and Redbook showing 16 bits on the DS DSD will be at worst a option or two away with your source. If the DS ever gets any good sound at all it’s extremely unlikely that the problems you are describing are with the DS or it’s settings.

It might help to re-tag the bit perfect test files to make sure you know where to find them in your library.

What happened was I placed the files in alone instead of in their own file. I dropped in a folder and they are there.

Thanks

T

Mr. Smith,

I was able to run the test through the DAP, and all is A’OK with the DSJ.

if anyone else has any suggestions???

There are no issues with any other type of file, just DSD.

I thought I had fixed the issue by downloading non-zipped files, turns out that is not the case. The NativeDSD files are still having the same problem and now the Blue Coast non-zipped files.

There is a digital gurgley sounds playing in the background.

I ran a bit perfect test on the DSJ and it is fine.

Only happens on DSD files no other high res files.

Wish I could figure it out.

Any suggestions?

I am using a pioneer 30 R, as a USB source to a PS Audio DSJ…no other files, or Tidal streaming have this issue.

Thanks T

OK I figured something out. With the DSJ at 70, no gurgle…at 71 and up Gurgle on DSD files.

Could someone else check this out?

I suppose I can listen to DSD at 70 if I must.

OK

Thanks for your time,

T

This solution may be completely unrelated, but its worth checking. First, make sure your Mac volume is all the way up to the max. If its not, DSD is not handled properly on a Mac.

Also, open Audio Midi. Click on the DSJ and make sure the master volume slider bar is also set to max volume. I recently couldn’t play any DSD files without digital gurgling, even though my Mac volume was set to max. When I went into Audio Midi, somehow the master volume slider for the DSJ in Audio Midi had been lowered. I’m not sure how. But moving it back to max volume resolved my issue and DSD plays normally.

Not sure if this will help you, but its worth checking…

This clearly indicates that the problem is upstream from the DAC.
What did you change to get the sample rates and bit width’s to become consistent between your source files and the DS display?
Playing PCM well and not playing DSD is also a clear indicator that some dsp processing (possibly just non unity volume setting) is happening upstream of the DAC.
What display on the DSJ indicated to you that the bit perfect passed?

All i did was use the DAP instead of the mac…after i uploaded the bitperfect files in a way that allowed me to access them. That is all.

I completely agree that the DSJ passed the bitperfect test.

Never the less at the magical 71 on the volume, the gurgle comes in.

The questions are how and why and has anyone else noticed, and finally, how to solve.

Thank you

T