Should I send DSD as DoP or native?

The practical answer

In 2019 he said DoP and native ASIO transmission deliver identical data to the DAC Head-Fi, Sep 2019. On Windows, native over USB through Chord's ASIO driver is available and is the only way to DSD512 Head-Fi, Dec 2015Head-Fi, Feb 2022; in 2020 (Hugo TT 2 thread) he said "ASIO is preferred for DSD, as DSD512 is supported" Head-Fi, Jul 2020. On macOS and Linux, DoP is the method he describes, up to DSD256 (2022) Head-Fi, Feb 2022. Over optical or coax he describes DoP, and in 2018 he said native "can't be TX as an SPDIF directly" Head-Fi, Jul 2019Head-Fi, Oct 2018. In 2017 (Hugo 2 thread) he said Hugo 2 supports native via ASIO and that native is easier on the source processor Head-Fi, Sep 2017.

Windows: native over USB with ASIO

In 2019 he explained that native sends the DSD data with no overhead, while DoP carries it inside PCM with an 8 bit header, so DoP works only to DSD256 and native can go to DSD512, but only via ASIO Head-Fi, Sep 2019. For Qutest in 2018 he gave native via ASIO up to DSD512 and DoP up to DSD256 Head-Fi, May 2018.

In 2016 (DAVE thread) he said native has lower processor overhead and is less likely to tick or mute when the data is in error Head-Fi, May 2016. In 2022 he said changing DSD tracks on the fly can cause pops from the source, less likely in native mode via ASIO Head-Fi, May 2022. In 2019 he reported no click issues on his own Windows 10 setup even at DSD512, using JRiver and Chord's ASIO driver in native format Head-Fi, Jan 2019.

Mac, Linux and iOS

In May 2018, after contacting Chord, he wrote that "ASIO is windows only, so DSD is only DoP with Linux" Head-Fi, May 2018; the next day he relayed Chord's view that native DSD on Linux needs different drivers for different servers, while DoP is driverless Head-Fi, May 2018. In 2016 he said Chord's USB tester was not aware of any way to do native DSD on OSX Head-Fi, May 2016, and in January 2018, in a Qutest thread reply that concerns a Mac, "I talked to Chord about this issue as I do not use a Mac; apparently ASIO is not supported on iOS" Head-Fi, Jan 2018. Because the reply is about a Mac, he may have meant macOS. In 2022 he wrote that DoP is fully supported up to DSD256 on Linux and macOS and that DSD512 is limited to Windows via ASIO Head-Fi, Feb 2022.

If DoP gives you dropouts

In 2017 he said DoP dropouts come from the source processor not packing the format in real time Head-Fi, Sep 2017. In 2016 he said Chord's Windows driver re-sends faulty packets, which driverless systems (iOS, Linux, Android) do not, so DoP needs a very capable processor to avoid occasional mutes Head-Fi, Aug 2016. He has since played that advantage down: in 2017 he suspected driverless is OK in practice Head-Fi, Oct 2017, in 2020 he called USB error rates with a certified type 2 cable very low Head-Fi, Feb 2020, and in 2022 he said he did not think the re-sending is actually needed in practice Head-Fi, Feb 2022. In 2018 (Qutest thread) he said faulty DoP data now may give a tiny tick rather than a hard mute Head-Fi, Jan 2018.

Optical and coax

In a post made between March 2025 and March 2026 (Hugo TT 2 thread), he said DoP is supported on all inputs subject to each input's sample rate limit, putting optical at DSD64 at best and coax at DSD64 and DSD128 Head-Fi, Mar 2025. In 2019 he gave DSD64 as the Qutest optical maximum Head-Fi, Jul 2019, and in 2017 DSD64 and DSD128 for DAVE's SPDIF Head-Fi, Jan 2017.

By product

• Hugo (2014 to 2016): "Hugo is DSD via DoP only" Head-Fi, May 2016. Every input decodes DoP Head-Fi, Apr 2014.
• Hugo TT 2: in 2018 he said it does DSD512 on USB Head-Fi, Jul 2018; in 2020 that ASIO is preferred for DSD Head-Fi, Jul 2020; in 2023 he suggested a JRiver trial, which enables DoP for DSD tracks, to test bit perfect playback Head-Fi, Jan 2023.
• M Scaler (2018 to 2022): native works with Roon and JRiver, but "You must set the SR OP setting to white on the Hugo M scaler, otherwise it will be silent as an OP" Head-Fi, Oct 2018. In 2022 he said DSD512 comes in by USB with native protocol and ASIO on Windows Head-Fi, Jul 2022.

Whether to send DSD at all

In 2024 he advised sending the DAC the original recording in its mastered format, and if that is DSD, not letting the source convert it to PCM, adding that he sees DSD as fundamentally flawed from a technical point of view Head-Fi, Nov 2024. In a 2023 talk he described a DoP-transmitted DSD file as a bit perfect check, adding "We're not recommending you listen to DSD" Dusty Audio 1:05:36.

What he has not said: he gives no Android or Mac native-DSD workaround. For Mojo and Poly, Chord's manuals say DSD plays as DoP (Mojo manual, Poly manual); the Mojo 2 manual gives DSD256 without saying DoP or native. The Hugo TT 2 optical and coax limits come from one post whose exact date is not recorded Head-Fi, Mar 2025.

Quotes

“Of course DoP DSD is fully supported up to DSD 256 with Linux and macOS. For DSD 512 (native DSD transmission) it's limited to Windows via ASIO.”2022-02-20 Head-Fi, Feb 2022

“ASIO is preferred for DSD, as DSD512 is supported.”2020-07-28 Head-Fi, Jul 2020

“Both DoP and native DSD ASIO transmission protocols transmits identical data, and the DAC will receive identical data irrespective of whether it is DoP or native transmission.”2019-09-23 Head-Fi, Sep 2019

“Using DSD native (not DoP) is easier on the processor, as the overhead is less.”2017-09-24 Head-Fi, Sep 2017

“my advice is always send my DACs the original recording in the format that it was mastered in. If DSD, don't let the source convert it to PCM”2024-11-11 Head-Fi, Nov 2024

Dated positions

Caveats and open points

• Native versus DoP on macOS is covered by statements from 2016 to 2022 only; this archive has no later statement on Mac native support. On Linux his May 2018 statements differ: DoP only, then native possible with server-specific drivers, as relayed from Chord.
• The Hugo TT 2 optical and coax rates come from a single undated post (after 2025-03-27, before the 2026-03-03 scrape).
• Mojo, Mojo 2 and Poly: what they accept comes from Chord's manuals, not from him.
• The 2023 AVStore quote is; check the recording.
• Several limits (DSD256 for DoP, DSD512 for native) were given for Qutest and M Scaler; he did not restate them for every product.
• The 2016 Weekly ASCII statement that Mojo plays native DSD 11.2MHz is the journalist's text, not Watts's, so it is not used; no Watts statement on Mojo, Mojo 2 or Poly transmission method was found.
• His January 2018 remark that ASIO is apparently not supported on iOS was made in reply to a Mac question, so he may have meant macOS Head-Fi, Jan 2018.

Topics: DSD: playback and DSD vs PCM, Playback software, drivers and bit-perfect setup