Is Native DXD the Best that Digital has to Offer?

musicfirst1

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Reading with interest the cutting edge of 32 bit DXD masters. Unfortunately I can't search DXD on this forum.
It appears that native DXD is not a playback option (yet?) but I may be wrong.

Anyone with experience on this topic? What are your thoughts? Especially interested in 32 bit masters.
 
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Mike Lavigne

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i have about 70 native DXD (24/352) master files, and 50 native 4xdsd (Quad dsd) files. my dac is bit perfect, and uses hybrid dac chips that are equally optimal for PCM and DSD.

from what i hear in my system with my dac, i do prefer the native DXD as consistently slightly more textured and vivid. but i would say that the individual mastering and recording approach is as significant as the difference between those 2 digital formats. many of these start out conceptually as multi-channel recordings, with a 2 channel version. it's just the approach these particular labels are taking. so that is a factor in trying to determine preference.

the one native 4xdsd recording i really like most is a pure 2 channel native recording, not multi-channel. do i prefer it because of it's recording set-up?

so ultimately the data base is maybe too limited to really say definitively.

many 4xdsd recordings you might find are actually native DXD; on those i clearly prefer the native DXD. but when mastered from tape; i'd say DXD and 4xdsd are more equal. OTOH my most 'wow' digital demo cuts are DXD mastered from tape. simply breathtaking.....likely more the quality of the music and source tape than a format issue.

lastly; if we had to choose one or the other going forward it would be DXD for me. mostly since it folds down neatly into 176/24 or 88/24 better than 4xdsd.

here is a website i have downloaded many of my DXD and 4xdsd files from;

https://www.spiritofturtle.com/?v=796834e7a283

there are other such websites. there are also a few 8xdsd files out there to download; but i have not yet dipped my toe into any of those.
 
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musicfirst1

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Thanks guys, other than the Select II, what DACs are equipped to get the most out of DXD content?
 
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microstrip

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(...) here is a website i have downloaded many of my DXD and 4xdsd files from;

https://www.spiritofturtle.com/?v=796834e7a283

there are other such websites. there are also a few 8xdsd files out there to download; but i have not yet dipped my toe into any of those.

A visit to Spiritofturtle always brings great music - their DXDs are superb. They play particularly well in the DCS Vivaldi stack - we could expect it, most of them are recorded using DCS equipment!

Although I usually download also the 5.1 versions I never listened to them in a top multichannel system.
 
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Bruce B

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Thanks guys, other than the Select II, what DACs are equipped to get the most out of DXD content?

Merging Tech.... the original force behind DXD, has been the leader as far as I'm concerned. I use Merging (Pyramix) and Playback Designs exclusively...
 
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MJD Michigan

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Nagra does a great job with DXD also.

Tried the sample DXD track from Spirit of Turtle and it seems their approach is truly remarkable. I was able to find Reiner’s version of Brahms Symphony No 4 (the work that got me hooked on classical music) in DXD on High Definition Tape Transfers. Compared to the Chesky version (my reference) the sound is more up front/engaging, has more texture, and better tonal colors with less HF energy than I’m used to. The noise floor (tape hiss) is sky high, which I suppose is to be expected from a recording from 1960/61.

The DXD files have an ease that I want to attribute to the lack of certain digital artifacts due to certain digital filters not being used due to the very high sample rate.

Overall, I’m very impressed.
 

MJD Michigan

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A2113379-D5E4-4D52-ADF6-E1623AFCF8FB.jpeg
 

Brahms

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Nagra does a great job with DXD also.

Tried the sample DXD track from Spirit of Turtle and it seems their approach is truly remarkable. I was able to find Reiner’s version of Brahms Symphony No 4 (the work that got me hooked on classical music) in DXD on High Definition Tape Transfers. Compared to the Chesky version (my reference) the sound is more up front/engaging, has more texture, and better tonal colors with less HF energy than I’m used to. The noise floor (tape hiss) is sky high, which I suppose is to be expected from a recording from 1960/61.

The DXD files have an ease that I want to attribute to the lack of certain digital artifacts due to certain digital filters not being used due to the very high sample rate.

Overall, I’m very impressed.
Thanks for introducing me to High Def Tape Transfers. I love Brahms’ 4th and had to check it out. What a great site!
 
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jfrech

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I to enjoy my DXD files. These are amongst the very best digital I have.

In addition to the above hardware, add dCS to your list.
 

Ian B

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I have yet to hear a DAC where DXD sounded better, more lifelike or analog, than DSD128. To my ear, DXD is basically 24/192 PCM on steroids: PCM with more air and percussive attack, but still lacking the full depth, holism, or three dimensionality of DSD. That said, it's the best of PCM for sure.

If they actually start doing 32 bit integer, DXD recordings might get close, but there currently are no recordings in 32 bit, nor interest from the studios or recording engineers.
 

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