Why do high up-sampling/ over-sampling rates (DSD,) kill PRAT and aliveness of music? Any ideas?

[bmoura]

Is it expected that Sony will release quad DSD recordings to consumers?

Sony Japan already has announced plans to release the new Complete Edition of Santana Lotus in several formats including Surround Sound SACD, Stereo DSD 11.2 MHz (Quad DSD) and DSD 2.8 MHz (Single Rate DSD) music download and Stereo 24/96 PCM music download in Japan on April 19, 2017.

No word on whether this Sony Japan album will also be released outside of the Japan market.



http://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/santana-lotus-complete-edition/

 

[Crashem]

I'd agree. For DSD material, the Chord wouldn't be my first choice.

Is Dave still glitching with some DSD ( especially with macs) or did they fix that?

 

[caesar]

I think that hard core digital guys with deep pockets will end up owning 2 DACs - 1 for PCM and one for DSD, as guys own both a tube and solid state systems, different cartridges, etc. Also, Chord DAVE at $10K sounds like a steal.

 

[wisnon]

I think that hard core digital guys with deep pockets will end up owning 2 DACs - 1 for PCM and one for DSD, as guys own both a tube and solid state systems, different cartridges, etc. Also, Chord DAVE at $10K sounds like a steal.

Have you heard it?

 

[Yuri Korzunov]

Define "good" and "better" please. By which criteria? Tonality, dynamics, soundstage, presence, timbral resolution, rhythm & timing, and so on?

Al,

If there are features in numbers even, "good" term can't be defined.

"Better" term is easier. It can be defined in numbers.
But again: what is "threshold of audibility"?

 

[caesar]

Have you heard it?

Yes, for PCM, but not DSD. For PCM I like it better than Berkeley Ref, DCS Vivaldi, top Esoteric, and other stuff fervently marketed by the "audio journalists".

I am curious how it would compare to recent MSB models, Luxman, and Total DAC. But at $10K in the USA, it's a no brainer if somone is looking for a reference PCM DAC.

 

[bonzo75]

Yes, for PCM, but not DSD. For PCM I like it better than Berkeley Ref, DCS Vivaldi, top Esoteric, and other stuff fervently marketed by the "audio journalists".

I am curious how it would compare to recent MSB models, Luxman, and Total DAC. But at $10K in the USA, it's a no brainer if somone is looking for a reference PCM DAC.

You compared each to the Dave?

 

[caesar]

You compared each to the Dave?

I compared the Berkeley Ref to DAVE directly. The others were played a good number of times in a system I am intimately familiar with that I am comfortable with my conclusion.

 

[microstrip]

I compared the Berkeley Ref to DAVE directly. The others were played a good number of times in a system I am intimately familiar with that I am comfortable with my conclusion.

Thanks. I would be more comfortable with your conclusion if I knew the details about such system and these listening sessions.

 

[wisnon]

I compared the Berkeley Ref to DAVE directly. The others were played a good number of times in a system I am intimately familiar with that I am comfortable with my conclusion.

I have heard others with radically different conclusions for the same set of Dacs, but as I said taste and synergy matter, so I dont question your conclusion at all. You like it bettter and that is fine for me. No $10K Dac is ever a no-brainer though...at that level, you have to hear for yourself.

 

[caesar]

I have heard others with radically different conclusions for the same set of Dacs, but as I said taste and synergy matter, so I dont question your conclusion at all. You like it bettter and that is fine for me. No $10K Dac is ever a no-brainer though...at that level, you have to hear for yourself.

Wisnon,
You are right, of course, one has to be very wealthy and crazy to buy a $10K DAC blind, unless they have a trusted source making the recommendation and are completely clear on the type of sound that DAC will deliver. But what I am getting at is that if Chord's sonic signature gets in the ball park of one's preference, it is an easy choice, as other DACs may deliver something slightly better or different, but for a lot more money.

 

[caesar]

Thanks. I would be more comfortable with your conclusion if I knew the details about such system and these listening sessions.

Sorry, I am not a reviewer, so I don't take detailed notes. I just spend time with friends shooting the breeze, drinking fine beverages, and listening. Yet my observations of Chord Digital (I think their electronics are quite lean and don't come from the same designer), using rock, blues, jazz, and vocals, are quite consistent across a variety of speakers, including MBL, Vivid, Marten, and a few other brands. These include a three dimensional projection of sound from an instrument or voice coming from a human, tickling my realism triggers, and reproduction of midrange akin to a highest quality tube amp playing on a huge Soundlab. Most people who hear this DAC talk about depth, but it is also capable of producing musical detail such as micro-dynamic nuances and shadings that make music come alive (vs. robotic, sterile, "transparency to source" details that are championed by so many of today's reviewers).

 

[TBG]

Al M., I don't want to speak for Wisnon, but I think holographic is the best word. I have a very wide and tall quite precise image, where I could walk among the musicians without running into them and very aware of of were on the instrument the musician is playing on the instrument. Of course, this is with my dac and music server, which I doubt if anyone has heard.

 

[caesar]

For those who still don't believe that DSD Dacs sound soft, here's some more evidence from John Atkinson comparing the PS Audio DAC to the MBL N31 Noble DAC:

"I first compared the N31 with the PS Audio PerfectWave DirectStream D/A converter ($6899 with Bridge II network adapter card), which I bought following the publication of Art Dudley's review, in 2014. The DirectStream DAC perhaps sacrifices ultimate resolution in favor of a "comfortable" sound. Compared with the PS Audio, and even after compensating for the PerfectWave's 3.3dB lower level, with the N31 the MBL had a sense of greater drive and impact, especially in the bass. (To make sure the playing field was level, all comparisons were performed with the NHT PVC used to match levels at 1kHz.) Not only was the MBL DAC rather more resolving of recorded detail, there was a feeling of drive in its low frequencies with Bob Silverman's Rachmaninoff recording that made the PS Audio sound too soft."


By the way, not arguing with anyone's taste - just drawing a contrast for those who never accepted the "DSD is best" preaching, and want to choose the best DAC for their taste...

 

[Legolas]

I have heard others with radically different conclusions for the same set of Dacs, but as I said taste and synergy matter, so I dont question your conclusion at all. You like it bettter and that is fine for me. No $10K Dac is ever a no-brainer though...at that level, you have to hear for yourself.

Oh my goodness, a noun Lampizator DAC being considered as good? Seriously though, I have heard the DAVE direct with the LCD-4 HPs and it is very good indeed. It has a big following on Head-fi where I send a lot of my time. The soundstage and depth is very good, much better than the regular DS DAC suspects. My question is how real does it sound on a top speaker setup. More posts on that subject would be useful. For £8K and as a direct to HP DAC it is a great choice IMO.

BUT having said that, getting beyond the 'it is still a digital device' kind of sound IMO needs an NOS DAC preferably with tubes. If I was awash with cash, I would have the Aries Cerat Kassandra for my 2 channel and home Stax HP system, and the DAVE for lugging around and using at my folks house on the LCD HPs. That would be nice!