Are DSD based DACs / CD Players always more musical than other digital technologies?
- Thread starter Boogieman
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Are DSD based DACs / CD Players always more musical than other digital techno...
DSD sounds more natural to me. For example, when comparing the 24/192 PCM version of Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman to the DSD version, to me, the DSD version sounds fuller, more analog like, perhaps "softer" or without the slightest digital edge.
I have compared others as well.
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DSD sounds more natural to me. For example, when comparing the 24/192 PCM version of Cat Stevens, Tea for the Tillerman to the DSD version, to me, the DSD version sounds fuller, more analog like, perhaps "softer" or without the slightest digital edge.
I have compared others as well.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Julot
New member
It is hard to say for sure because so many factors can intervene, but it has been my experience as well that there seems to be a "singing" quality apparently introduced by DSD processing. It struck me with the PS Audio DAC for instance, which does computer conversion to DSD on the fly before converting.
However if you're converting what is originally a PCM file to a DSD format, there obviously can't be more information in the resulting DSD. So my hypothesis would be, DSD is not intrinsically more musical but it is easier to make sound musical. In other words, well made DSD is not superior to well made PCM, but the average DSD may be superior to the average PCM.
It also makes sense because it is a technology designed to give every information the same weight, so when it is degraded, it doesn't start by losing subtle information as opposed to "primary".
Maybe it's like HD files: they sound very superior on a small iDevice or with a modest system ; the added value of more bits and kHz and is less apparent on high performance system.
However if you're converting what is originally a PCM file to a DSD format, there obviously can't be more information in the resulting DSD. So my hypothesis would be, DSD is not intrinsically more musical but it is easier to make sound musical. In other words, well made DSD is not superior to well made PCM, but the average DSD may be superior to the average PCM.
It also makes sense because it is a technology designed to give every information the same weight, so when it is degraded, it doesn't start by losing subtle information as opposed to "primary".
Maybe it's like HD files: they sound very superior on a small iDevice or with a modest system ; the added value of more bits and kHz and is less apparent on high performance system.
Last edited:
CPP
Active member
Re: Are DSD based DACs / CD Players always more musical than other digital techno...
I think it would all depend on the DAC used and how the design and engineering of the DAC handled DSD. Not to mention the software player use and then dacs don't make any sounds unless you have speakers connected to an amp. So maybe its the total package that sounds good with DSD, not to forget the actual DSD music. Garbage in garbage out.
I think it would all depend on the DAC used and how the design and engineering of the DAC handled DSD. Not to mention the software player use and then dacs don't make any sounds unless you have speakers connected to an amp. So maybe its the total package that sounds good with DSD, not to forget the actual DSD music. Garbage in garbage out.