Reference route
The analogue modelling stages and room-correction path are bypassed.
DIRECT · Reference digital path
The reference before anything else.
DIRECT keeps the modelling and room-correction paths out of the way and exposes the state of the digital route to the selected output device.
Reference playback
A stable baseline for every comparison.
DIRECT is the control condition inside NeuraMuse. It provides a clear baseline against which TUBE, VINYL and AURA can be judged.
Native-rate behaviour
With compatible hardware and drivers, NeuraMuse can follow the source sample rate rather than forcing a fixed output rate. On Windows, DIRECT PCM can use native ASIO or source-rate WASAPI Exclusive; WASAPI Shared is the compatibility fallback.
Visible transport state
Source/output rate, buffer state, XRUN count and timing indicators remain visible for verification.
Output chain
Designed around the DAC you choose.
NeuraMuse does not require a proprietary converter. Windows standalone PCM can use the active system output through WASAPI. Desktop LINK is different: every participating Windows or macOS computer needs its own compatible DAC/audio interface. On Windows, DIRECT DSD/DoP and LINK require that computer's dedicated DAC/interface with its manufacturer-provided native ASIO driver. Apple Silicon macOS uses CoreAudio and requires its own compatible DAC/interface for desktop LINK.
Recommended reference chain: Windows PC → dedicated native ASIO DAC/interface, or Apple Silicon Mac → CoreAudio DAC/interface → amplifier / active monitors.
Output deviceUser-selected DAC / interface
Platform audioWindows: native ASIO reference + WASAPI standalone fallback · macOS: CoreAudio
Supported library formatsWAV · FLAC · MP3 · DSF · DFF
Playback familiesPCM + DSD · rate follows hardware / driver support
Processed DSD → DIRECTDIRECT retries DSD/DoP at the next track boundary
Current DSD128 example
The capture above reports DSD · 5644.8 kHz · 1 bit · Stereo with DIRECT selected. The footer reports BIT-PERFECT / NeuraMuse CoreAudio DoP Engine and the selected output is D10s.
Audio file support
Formats supported by the current Early Access builds.
NeuraMuse can add and play these library formats directly:
WAV · FLAC · MP3
Standard PCM and compressed library playback supported by the current build.
DSF · DFF
DSD file playback is hardware-aware. DIRECT is advertised up to DSD256 and uses DoP when the selected DAC/driver accepts the carrier required by the source rate: DSD64 176.4 kHz, DSD128 352.8 kHz and DSD256 705.6 kHz. In standalone DIRECT, an unsupported carrier stops playback with a warning and is not silently converted to PCM. In LINK, an incompatible joined endpoint may use the clearly reported PCM Compatibility path.
Hardware-aware
Supported file formats describe what NeuraMuse can open; actual output mode and rate depend on your DAC, driver and configuration.
DSD in DIRECT · DoP transparency
DoP transports DSD. It does not convert it to PCM.
NeuraMuse uses DoP framing for the DIRECT DSD presentation path. The DAC must accept the PCM-rate carrier that corresponds to the requested DSD rate. The original DSD payload remains DSD while DoP is active.
Carrier rate matters
DSD64 → 176.4 kHz · DSD128 → 352.8 kHz · DSD256 → 705.6 kHz. A DAC may advertise a DSD rate through another transport while still rejecting the DoP carrier required here.
One endpoint can fall back locally
If a joined LINK endpoint in DIRECT rejects the required DoP carrier, NeuraMuse warns the user and can convert only that joined endpoint to a dry PCM Compatibility path. The current mapping is DSD64/128 → PCM 176.4 kHz and DSD256 → PCM 352.8 kHz, subject to local output support. That endpoint is not bit-perfect DSD for the track; compatible endpoints can remain DSD. If the compatibility output also cannot be opened, that endpoint cannot play that track.
Highest advertised DSD rate
DSD256 DIRECT over DoP requires a 705.6 kHz carrier. It remains bit-perfect DSD only when the complete DAC/driver path accepts that carrier. In standalone DIRECT, rejection stops playback with a warning; a joined LINK endpoint may instead use clearly reported PCM Compatibility.
Windows DSD: the current Windows DIRECT DSD/DoP path requires a compatible native hardware ASIO output; the WASAPI fallback is PCM-only. DIRECT does not hide conversion: when PCM Compatibility is used in LINK, NeuraMuse displays a warning and reports the endpoint as PCM rather than calling that endpoint bit-perfect DSD.
Why DIRECT matters
Hear the processing, not the marketing.
A reference path is useful because it gives each optional model or correction mode something stable to compare against.
Return to the reference path
DIRECT remains the baseline for comparison. If a DSD track is already running through TUBE, VINYL or AURA, selecting DIRECT queues the DIRECT DSD/DoP attempt for the next track boundary. Bit-perfect DSD returns when the local DAC/driver accepts the required carrier.
See the route
The transport status makes the active playback path explicit.
Your DAC remains the converter
NeuraMuse prepares and routes the stream; the selected DAC remains the conversion stage.
DSD transition rule: once a DSD track has entered TUBE, VINYL or AURA, the current track stays on the processed PCM path. Selecting DIRECT arms a new DSD/DoP attempt for the next track. If the local DAC/driver accepts the required carrier, the endpoint returns to bit-perfect DSD; otherwise a joined LINK endpoint can use clearly reported PCM Compatibility.
Try the reference first
Install NeuraMuse and start in DIRECT.
Then compare TUBE, VINYL and AURA against the same source.