Force mpd to play at 41000 sample rate (high CPU usage issue)

Question

Playing a mp3 file with mpd causes high cpu usage but mplayer plays it without significant cpu usage.
Googling has brought be to the inference that its the issue of mpd playing with different settings (ie at higher sample_rate).
I added .asoundrc but then also mpd is not respecting it.
Basically, I want to play mpd with the same settings as mplayer plays.
My .asoundrc file:-
defaults.pcm.rate_converter "44100"
When I play a file with mplayer.
shadyabhi@archlinux-N210 ~ $ cat /proc/asound/card0/pcm0p/sub0/hw_params
access: RW_INTERLEAVED
format: S16_LE
subformat: STD
channels: 2
rate: 44100 (44100/1)
period_size: 1024
buffer_size: 16384
OSS format: S16_LE
OSS channels: 2
OSS rate: 44100
OSS period bytes: 4096
OSS periods: 16
OSS period frames: 1024
shadyabhi@archlinux-N210 ~ $
And when I have mpd running,
shadyabhi@archlinux-N210 ~ $ cat /proc/asound/card0/pcm0p/sub0/hw_params
access: MMAP_INTERLEAVED
format: S32_LE
subformat: STD
channels: 2
rate: 48000 (48000/1)
period_size: 1024
buffer_size: 8192
shadyabhi@archlinux-N210 ~ $

Answer 1

shadyabhi@archlinux-N210 ~ $ zgrep SND /proc/config.gz | grep "="
CONFIG_SND=m
CONFIG_SND_TIMER=m
CONFIG_SND_PCM=m
CONFIG_SND_HWDEP=m
CONFIG_SND_RAWMIDI=m
CONFIG_SND_JACK=y
CONFIG_SND_SEQUENCER=m
CONFIG_SND_SEQ_DUMMY=m
CONFIG_SND_OSSEMUL=y
CONFIG_SND_MIXER_OSS=m
CONFIG_SND_PCM_OSS=m
CONFIG_SND_PCM_OSS_PLUGINS=y
CONFIG_SND_SEQUENCER_OSS=y
CONFIG_SND_HRTIMER=m
CONFIG_SND_SEQ_HRTIMER_DEFAULT=y
CONFIG_SND_DYNAMIC_MINORS=y
CONFIG_SND_SUPPORT_OLD_API=y
CONFIG_SND_VERBOSE_PROCFS=y
CONFIG_SND_VMASTER=y
CONFIG_SND_DMA_SGBUF=y
CONFIG_SND_RAWMIDI_SEQ=m
CONFIG_SND_OPL3_LIB_SEQ=m
CONFIG_SND_EMU10K1_SEQ=m
CONFIG_SND_MPU401_UART=m
CONFIG_SND_OPL3_LIB=m
CONFIG_SND_VX_LIB=m
CONFIG_SND_AC97_CODEC=m
CONFIG_SND_DRIVERS=y
CONFIG_SND_DUMMY=m
CONFIG_SND_ALOOP=m
CONFIG_SND_VIRMIDI=m
CONFIG_SND_MTPAV=m
CONFIG_SND_MTS64=m
CONFIG_SND_SERIAL_U16550=m
CONFIG_SND_MPU401=m
CONFIG_SND_PORTMAN2X4=m
CONFIG_SND_AC97_POWER_SAVE=y
CONFIG_SND_AC97_POWER_SAVE_DEFAULT=0
CONFIG_SND_SB_COMMON=m
CONFIG_SND_SB16_DSP=m
CONFIG_SND_PCI=y
CONFIG_SND_AD1889=m
CONFIG_SND_ALS300=m
CONFIG_SND_ALS4000=m
CONFIG_SND_ALI5451=m
CONFIG_SND_ASIHPI=m
CONFIG_SND_ATIIXP=m
CONFIG_SND_ATIIXP_MODEM=m
CONFIG_SND_AU8810=m
CONFIG_SND_AU8820=m
CONFIG_SND_AU8830=m
CONFIG_SND_AW2=m
CONFIG_SND_AZT3328=m
CONFIG_SND_BT87X=m
CONFIG_SND_CA0106=m
CONFIG_SND_CMIPCI=m
CONFIG_SND_OXYGEN_LIB=m
CONFIG_SND_OXYGEN=m
CONFIG_SND_CS4281=m
CONFIG_SND_CS46XX=m
CONFIG_SND_CS46XX_NEW_DSP=y
CONFIG_SND_CS5530=m
CONFIG_SND_CS5535AUDIO=m
CONFIG_SND_CTXFI=m
CONFIG_SND_DARLA20=m
CONFIG_SND_GINA20=m
CONFIG_SND_LAYLA20=m
CONFIG_SND_DARLA24=m
CONFIG_SND_GINA24=m
CONFIG_SND_LAYLA24=m
CONFIG_SND_MONA=m
CONFIG_SND_MIA=m
CONFIG_SND_ECHO3G=m
CONFIG_SND_INDIGO=m
CONFIG_SND_INDIGOIO=m
CONFIG_SND_INDIGODJ=m
CONFIG_SND_INDIGOIOX=m
CONFIG_SND_INDIGODJX=m
CONFIG_SND_EMU10K1=m
CONFIG_SND_EMU10K1X=m
CONFIG_SND_ENS1370=m
CONFIG_SND_ENS1371=m
CONFIG_SND_ES1938=m
CONFIG_SND_ES1968=m
CONFIG_SND_ES1968_INPUT=y
CONFIG_SND_FM801=m
CONFIG_SND_FM801_TEA575X_BOOL=y
CONFIG_SND_FM801_TEA575X=m
CONFIG_SND_HDA_INTEL=m
CONFIG_SND_HDA_HWDEP=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_RECONFIG=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_INPUT_BEEP=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_INPUT_BEEP_MODE=1
CONFIG_SND_HDA_INPUT_JACK=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_PATCH_LOADER=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_REALTEK=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_ANALOG=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_SIGMATEL=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_VIA=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_HDMI=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_CIRRUS=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_CONEXANT=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_CA0110=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_CMEDIA=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_CODEC_SI3054=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_GENERIC=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_POWER_SAVE=y
CONFIG_SND_HDA_POWER_SAVE_DEFAULT=0
CONFIG_SND_HDSP=m
CONFIG_SND_HDSPM=m
CONFIG_SND_HIFIER=m
CONFIG_SND_ICE1712=m
CONFIG_SND_ICE1724=m
CONFIG_SND_INTEL8X0=m
CONFIG_SND_INTEL8X0M=m
CONFIG_SND_KORG1212=m
CONFIG_SND_LX6464ES=m
CONFIG_SND_MAESTRO3=m
CONFIG_SND_MAESTRO3_INPUT=y
CONFIG_SND_MIXART=m
CONFIG_SND_NM256=m
CONFIG_SND_PCXHR=m
CONFIG_SND_RIPTIDE=m
CONFIG_SND_RME32=m
CONFIG_SND_RME96=m
CONFIG_SND_RME9652=m
CONFIG_SND_SONICVIBES=m
CONFIG_SND_TRIDENT=m
CONFIG_SND_VIA82XX=m
CONFIG_SND_VIA82XX_MODEM=m
CONFIG_SND_VIRTUOSO=m
CONFIG_SND_VX222=m
CONFIG_SND_YMFPCI=m
CONFIG_SND_SPI=y
CONFIG_SND_USB=y
CONFIG_SND_USB_AUDIO=m
CONFIG_SND_USB_UA101=m
CONFIG_SND_USB_USX2Y=m
CONFIG_SND_USB_CAIAQ=m
CONFIG_SND_USB_CAIAQ_INPUT=y
CONFIG_SND_USB_US122L=m
CONFIG_SND_PCMCIA=y
CONFIG_SND_VXPOCKET=m
CONFIG_SND_PDAUDIOCF=m
CONFIG_SND_SOC=m
CONFIG_SND_SOC_I2C_AND_SPI=m
shadyabhi@archlinux-N210 ~ $ lsmod | grep snd
snd_seq_dummy 1479 0
snd_seq_oss 29240 0
snd_seq_midi_event 5516 1 snd_seq_oss
snd_seq 50562 5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event
snd_seq_device 5281 3 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq
snd_pcm_oss 39509 1
snd_mixer_oss 17730 1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_hda_codec_realtek 295589 1
snd_hda_intel 21837 1
snd_hda_codec 74609 2 snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_intel
snd_hwdep 6222 1 snd_hda_codec
snd_pcm 72321 3 snd_pcm_oss,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec
snd_timer 19537 2 snd_seq,snd_pcm
snd 58906 11 snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_seq_device,snd_pcm_oss,snd_mixer_oss,snd_hda_codec_realtek,snd_hda_intel,snd_hda_codec,snd_hwdep,snd_pcm,snd_timer
soundcore 6161 2 snd
snd_page_alloc 7361 2 snd_hda_intel,snd_pcm
shadyabhi@archlinux-N210 ~ $