There are also other options on this non ultra-high-end DSD (in terms of price and not necessarily performance) capable dacs that could be taken into account, such as, just to name a few:
Yes, the Teac UD-501 for $850 using BB1795 chips, the Chord Qute HD (DSD64 only at present) using FPGAs for pulse array Dac and WTA 10,240tap filters for $1800, Benchmark Dac-2 for $1500 USB only and $1700 with multiple inputs, The Resonessence Concero HD for $799, Sonore ExD USB only for $1300! Heck, even the Lampizator is about to release a standalone Tubed DSD Dac,price €3k.
There are also other options on this non ultra-high-end DSD (in terms of price and not necessarily performance) capable dacs that could be taken into account, such as, just to name a few:
I haven't been keeping up with this thread, sorry, but am curious to know if anyone here has heard the 11.2 MHz DSD recordings that Five/Four Productions is making? Does the hardware really exist to do this well?
I haven't been keeping up with this thread, sorry, but am curious to know if anyone here has heard the 11.2 MHz DSD recordings that Five/Four Productions is making? Does the hardware really exist to do this well?
I haven't been keeping up with this thread, sorry, but am curious to know if anyone here has heard the 11.2 MHz DSD recordings that Five/Four Productions is making? Does the hardware really exist to do this well?
Thanks Bruce and good job over at Mojos. I am pals with MusikMike and Dr Jon Richardson. So far my 3 review recommendatiosn have all gotten Max Mojo awards. LoL
At venue recording sessions our analogue to digital converters can do both the one-bit DSD and the multi-bit PCM formats. We can also listen directly to the analogue output from the microphones. Digital eXtreme Definition is a professional audio format that brings “analogue” qualities in 24 bit at 352.8 kHz sampling rate. DXD preserves 8.4672 Mbit/s (3 times the data of DSD) per channel. This leaves headroom for editing and balancing before quantizing to DSD for SACD or PCM for Blu-Ray.
All audio formats on The Nordic Sound are sample rate converted from the same DXD master. Comparing them in our studio we find only subtle differences from DXD down to 192kHz and 96kHz. The obvious degeneration is from 96kHz down to 48kHz. We find DSD, as used in the SACD format, somewhat different in colour from PCM; in some mysterious way DSD is softer and more beautiful but slightly less detailed. In DXD we find the shimmering brilliance from the original analogue source as directly from the microphones. Linear PCM is offered in addition to DTS HD Master Audio on this Blu-ray with the purpose of convincing audiophiles of the true lossless qualities of commercial encoding. The stereo layer of the SACD and the LPCM 2.0-stream on the Blu-ray are both full resolution mix from the original microphones. Mostly we find that the microphone placements used for the surround make a fine stereo. Occasionally we put up extra microphones dedicated for the stereo stream.
I personally prefer extremely high resolution PCM over the DSD and I would claim that DSD is not transparent. But it all comes down to what the sound from your speakers can do to your body and mind. I find that the placement of microphones has an infinite more important role in the final experience of music, than the difference between HiRes PCM and DSD. Sometimes a lie can be more beautiful than the truth!
If you're referring to download sites that offer both DSD (SACD) and PCM (Redbook) formats of the same recording, then it's dependent on the mastering techniques used by the site owners. It's also influenced by the format of the original edit master.
At Channel Classics the original recording is session analog mixed, and archived to DSD through a Grimm A/D converter. From there it's edited in DXD to create the edit master. But since the levels for stereo are already established in the session analog mix, only the edit crossfade intervals are converted to DXD. The original DSD content is not processed.
If your question is literally Redbook and SACD, the DSD edit master is authored to DST for SACD manufacturing, and also converted using Weiss Saracon to 44.1 KHz PCM for RBCD. For downloads, it's the original DSD edit master that's divided into "tracks" for .dff file downloads, and Weiss Saracon converted for the 96KHz and 192KHZ PCM file downloads.
Tom... it is of my opinion that using Saracon creates no audible or measurable difference between 96k and 192k files. I would suggest using the Pyramix apodizing filter if you want an audible AND measurable difference.
Quoted from Morten Lindberg, January 2009
"I personally prefer extremely high resolution PCM over the DSD and I would claim that DSD is not transparent."
I personally prefer originally recorded DSD, not processed with DXD, over extremely high resolution PCM, and I would claim that DXD/PCM is not transparent with multi-channel content.
The reduction in image resolution and spaciousness is easily recognizable when comparing a multi-channel analog mixed DSD edit master, with the same content converted to DXD with Pyramix. The same may not be recognizable in stereo, due to the significant reduction in information content, and resulting aural cues.
I do agree with Morton that "I find that the placement of microphones has an infinite more important role in the final experience of music, than the difference between HiRes PCM and DSD."
Tom... it is of my opinion that using Saracon creates no audible or measurable difference between 96k and 192k files. I would suggest using the Pyramix apodizing filter if you want an audible AND measurable difference.
