Exclusive Playback Technology

Constantly improved over nearly 15 years, the digital playback process is at the heart of Audirvāna’s technology. We apply the principles of ‘shortest path’ and ‘silent component’ to computer platforms, servers or NAS, prioritizing the audio process and minimizing processor activity.

With native compatibility with Apple Silicon (M processors), Windows 11 and ALSA (Linux), this proven approach to designing high-end audio devices also leads to a noticeable improvement in transparency and digital audio playback quality, widely aknowledeged by music professionals and audiophiles.

Optimal performance on every platform

Playback engine written in the most direct language accessible for each Operating System (including Linux)
Specific optimized compilations for each type of processor (Intel, ARM)
Multiple audio drivers under Windows, including KERNEL STREAMING (mode offering maximum transparency)

Exclusive DAC access

Direct and exclusive access to the audio device (DAC)
Audio mixer bypass to avoid unnecessary format conversions

Usually, computer audio playback consists of a sequence of independent tasks. After reception and decoding, the signal passes through an audio “mixer” that combines sounds from different apps. This mixer modifies the resolution of the audio samples according to a “lowest common denominator” rule and uses a low-power algorithm to avoid additional latency, which adds quantization artifacts in addition to quality loss.
Audirvāna transmits intact data to the audio device (bit-perfect) following the shortest possible path. To do this it has direct and exclusive access to the device that bypasses the internal audio mixer, thus avoiding sound events from other apps and unwanted alterations to the audio format of your music.
The implementation differs between the operating systems: on Mac, an integer calculation (non-floating) must be imposed to neutralize the mixer, on Windows, the format is respected as soon as you have exclusive access under WASAPI or KERNEL.

Processing prior to playback

Low CPU and power supply activity during playback
Extended and adjustable buffering
‘Ready-to-play’ digital audio stream sent to DAC

Audirvāna loads, decodes and processes the entire audio data of a track prior to playback in a buffer memory. During playback, the computer power supply is stabilized and processor activity limited to the bare minimum: less than 0.5% of CPU load.
Audirvāna also delivers a ‘ready-to-play’ digital audio stream that allows your converter to operate under optimal conditions, i.e. a PCM (or DSD) stream already decoded, which takes into account the characteristics of your DAC – for the order of reception of data beyond 16bits for example – and reduces the tasks to be performed at its level.
Upsampling using Audirvāna’s integrated algorithms can also help. Most DACs operate at very high internal frequencies and low resolution. Therefore the audio data is converted and oversampled. This is done by the DAC using basic algorithms since those chipsets have limited computing power. Audirvāna can run more sophisticated and demanding oversampling algorithms using the much higher processing power of the computer. This can help the DAC be more quiet and accurate, but the benefit depends on each models characteristics.

System optimization

Management of the priority level given to Audirvāna on processor access
Integration of SysOptimizer under macOS
Equivalent possibility under Windows10 with third party applications such as Fidelizer

Under macOS, Audirvāna allows you to optimize the quality and playback speed by managing the priority level given to the app over processor access.
The SysOptimizer tool is directly accessible and configurable in the audio settings.
You can also do it under Windows, but outside the application, using a third-party tool like Fidelizer for example.