A good short article on comparing various formats

Very nice article. I don't know anything about downloads as I am still spinning cd's. My cd player has PCM to DSD processing (256 or 512 ) as well as 2 digital filters. One of the filters is "flat" and the other filter is slightly smoother. The DSD processing with the smoother filter makes all but the very worst cd's very listenable. I can hear a pretty big difference between no DSD and 256 DSD but I hear almost no difference or none at all between 256 and 512 DSD. Cheers.
 
I do not follow comparing DSD256 and DSD512 with your CD player. If you do not do downloading then you do not have any files that are DSD256 or DSD512 (DSD128 for that matter). Are you referring to that your CD player can up-sample disks to DSD, similar to Roon and HQPlayer?

The only way of listening to true DSD256 and DSD512 (or higher if your DAC has the capability) is through Native DSD not DoP (DSD over PCM).

I am glad you like what your machine does to listen to your CDs in DSD, but I think you might be a lot more impressed with true DSD files, either SACD disks (which are DSD64 if your spinner can play SACD) or downloads which can go multiple times higher resolution. I currently am using Roon for doing on the fly up-sampling. I have found the better in equals better out, in other words a higher level DSD file up-samples even better... DSD128 or DSD256 -> DSD512 for example.

Without doing any downloading you have gotten a taste of DSD capability but you have not eaten the meal :). If your CD player can up-sample your CDs to DSD then what you are hearing is 44.1 Khz -> 2.8 Mhz (DSD64), DSD128, DSD256, or DSD512.
 
CPP said:
Hey Randy there are DSD 512 loads out there, being put together by Native DSD. Catalogue - NativeDSD Music
Click to expand...

I understand and love NativeDSD music seller site! I have several albums from them in DSD512, actually (well 9 albums, :) ). Saying Native DSD I was referring to the transport protocol, Native DSD versus DoP... DoP can only do DSD64 and DSD128, while your DAC needs Native DSD capability to handle DSD256, DSD512, or higher.

BTW- that Patricia Barber song they are offering on the home page is off her new album. It is excellent. For one weekend only NativeDSD offered the entire album... it is supposed to be released in August.

I talk with a young lady at the Exclusive Disk booth at the LA show. She was telling me that she is the one who worked it out for the pre-release for one weekend through NativeDSD. I was one of the few who got the DSD512 version of the album! She told me it will be officially released in August, I believe. The vinyl version will be released in the fall sometime for the Holiday season. She said since I already have the download to wait until next year holiday season to buy the record album. That is when the 45 RPM version will be released. She said the 45 RPM version is stunning, and worth waiting for if you already have a DSD download version!
 
Yes Randy, my player up samples CD PCM files to DSD. Not sure why a DSD 256 download would be any better than my CD player converting the data from PCM to DSD256. Cheers.
 
It is an Ayon CD10 II, which is an excellent player. My older Ayon CD 2S started being finicky about reading discs so I had to replace it. I still have to send the 2S in for repair, laser and micro switch is about $780, ouch. I need to get off my butt, get it repaired and sell it as it is a very nice player in it's own right. Cheers.
 
That sounds like a very nice spinner for sure!

There is a substantial difference in the sound quality of a file distributed in higher level DSDs versus up-sampling. It also depends on how the up-sampling is done of course. I assume the DAC is built into your spinner, correct? Anyway I know that Ayon is very good gear!
 
Thanks for the kind words. I don't know the details of how it is converting PCM to DSD but I do know it makes older CD's sound smoother without killing the highs. CD's which were unlistenable are now listenable, a very nice feature. What's interesting is it will not play SACD's as Ayon believes the SACD chips do not sound as good on Redbook CD's as the chip they are using.
 
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