CD player that use DSD

[KingRT]

Will all sacd players that send DSD sound the same, since the AVR does the work? The SACD player then just becomes a transport right??

Has anyone compared high end dsd players, to an inexpensive player dsd player over hdmi?

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by KingRT

Will all sacd players that send DSD sound the same, since the AVR does the work? The SACD player then just becomes a transport right??

Has anyone compared high end dsd players, to an inexpensive player dsd player over hdmi?

In theory you are probably correct. Just like in theory every CD transport would sound the same that sends a digital signal to an outboard DAC or AVR . In reality, the ability to read the data from the disc accurately comes into play too.

I have not done any direct comparisons over HDMI since I do not have it on anything.

[jdandy]

KingRT.......What specific SACD player are you refering to that has the capability to stream DSD from an output?

[howiebrou]

My Accuphase DP 700 could send DSD from its output. So could you the MBL, Esoteric and DCS players to name a few.

They do NOT sound the same at all! With the same DAC and two different DSD transports the difference can be quite marked even within the same manufacturer. Why? I have no idea.

howie

[b3n]

.

[80B]

Interesting document on DSD and PCM, albeit more from the manufacturing perspective:

http://www.sonicstudio.com/pdf/dsd/S...atOverview.pdf

Howie, your point about different sound may be related to PCM in the mix with some players? I can't say I'm 100% comfortable in my understanding of how they differ, but the link above helped me understand it better.

[howiebrou]

Originally Posted by 80B

Howie, your point about different sound may be related to PCM in the mix with some players? I can't say I'm 100% comfortable in my understanding of how they differ, but the link above helped me understand it better.

Not too sure I follow. The transports I compared output DSD into a DSD enabled DAC. The output from the Dac was naturally the same for both transports. The only difference was the transport used. Same cables etc etc.

I agree that some players or transport / dac combos will convert dsd to pcm before converting to analog. This is a manufacturer's personal preference but in my comparison the same dac was used so the difference in sound is down to the dsd stream from the transports.

BTW the transports were the Accuphase DP 800, DP700 and Esoteric P-01, P-03. All of them through the Accuphase AND Esoteric D-01 AND Esoteric D-03.

Every combination is consistently different and it was possible to determine the transport each time with the P-01 being by far the most detailed and the DP 800 the most smooth and analog sounding. It made me a believer of the 'transports do make a difference' club.

Incidentally it does not always make a difference. My Denon 2930 DVD player sounded identical to the MCD 1000 through a MDA 1000. Go figure.

howie

[80B]

My question was a matter of my own ignorance - trying to figure out how DSD & PCM are used, and where in the chain. You clarified that for me, thanks.

[howiebrou]

Originally Posted by 80B

My question was a matter of my own ignorance - trying to figure out how DSD & PCM are used, and where in the chain. You clarified that for me, thanks.

No problem. I am still not convinced that converting DSD directly to analog is superior to converting dsd to pcm then to analog although it would appear to be wasting the dsd signal.

Sometimes you just have to go with what sounds best to your ears!

[KingRT]

Originally Posted by jdandy

KingRT.......What specific SACD player are you referring to that has the capability to stream DSD from an output?

Oppo 980H. Used as as a Multi sacd player only in my system..
It did sound slightly better then my current players that used HDMI.
The highs seemed clearer by a small margin, and the lows improved by a small margin.
( Settings DSD/ RAW output. )

I used this players analog outs for 6 months, and it was not very good with this player. It played like its price tag..
HDMI was the surprise as many articles/tests have stated. Very good!
Stereophile had it, as one of their top picks and it costs less then my Viking toaster!
My AVR goes from DSD to Analog.