Linux sound output

Streaming Audio
1

I use a Linux computer as one source (ArcoLinux) and until quite recently this has been into a non-Naim dac or a Cambridge Minx Xi and worked fine.

A couple of upgrades later though and I have now a SuperNait 1 and a UnitiQute 1 and there’s silence from both devices, using a Toslink optical cable. The Naim app for the UnitiQute reports ‘Digital Signal Locked’. The UnitiQute has firmware 2.0 which I’m hoping to get updated soon.

As far as I can tell, and I’m not an expert by any means, the PulseAudio config is correct, but I must be missing something. I know Naim require a PCM stream, and my config reports.

; default-sample-format = s16le (PCM signed 16-bit little-endian)
; default-sample-rate = 44100
; alternate-sample-rate = 48000
; default-sample-channels = 2
; default-channel-map = front-left,front-right

Can someone help figure out what’s missing for this to work? Thanks.

2

2.0 is a very early firmware version from which it is not possible to upgrade to the latest.
I can’t see any obvious reason why this would prevent you from playing regular PCM stereo up to 24/96 although I know nothing about the Linux computer you are using.
As a test, can you copy an album onto a USB memory stick and see if that will play in the Unitiqute?

3

It might be the pcm format, what other options do you have available?
It’s not quite the same, but I have jriver upnp running on Linux, and the output format that works with my uq2 is pcm 24 bit. The L16 and L24 options don’t work.

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4

I’ve only just got the UnitiQute, as soon as I can I’m going to get the firmware updated though I’m pretty sure this isn’t the problem. It’s the S/PDIF feed out of the computer I need to fix.

5

Thanks, I’ll try the 24 bit option. I didn’t think of that, I was looking for trying to make it like a CD standard.

6

As I mentioned above, Naim advise that a streamer running a very early firmware version can’t be updated, and if you attempt it you will probably end up with a defunct streamer.

7

Try taking a PCM (WAV) file and converting it to FLAC and see if that plays. Assume your linux system has the flac libraries installed.

8

Another suggestion.
Convert a WAV file to FLAC and then convert it back to WAV using the “flac” and “flac -d” commands. If there are errors in the original WAV file the flac commands will try and repair them.
flac myfile.wav
mv myfile.wav myfile2.flac
flac -d myfile2.flac
[myfile.wav and myfile2.wav will probably be different]

9

I had a typo in the last reply. It should of course read …
flac myfile.wav
mv myfile.flac myfile2.flac
flac -d myfile2.flac
[myfile.wav and myfile2.wav will probably be different]

10

@Bonang @robert_h Thanks for your suggestions. I have managed now to fix it, what I did was first boot from a live CD and the sound worked from those default settings. So I simply did a re-install which is quite a quick process and all is good again now.
I still can’t find any difference in the before and after settings, but the main is it’s fixed!

11

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