SACD recommendation
On Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:00:45 +0000, Audio Empire wrote:
On Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:09:50 -0800, Ed Presson wrote (in article
):
Oppo replied to a query from me with the following information:
"SACD is either sent direct as DSD or as a PCM conversion
(24-bit/88.2KHz) depending on the SACD setting under Audio Format
Setup. If SACD is set to DSD, then the player will not do any decoding
and will simply convert DSD into analog.
But doesn't it do direct SACD decoding ONLY through HDMI?
No also to the cinch connection.
I seem to
recall something like that in the manual, but it isn't clear.
The manual isn't clear about that, nor there web site that is why
I specifically asked Oppo about this.
The DAC they use is also sold elswhere as part of a DAC-kit which accepts
and correctly decode both SACD and PCM.
BTW, decoding to analog over HDMI, is there an analog signal in HDMI???
If SACD is set to PCM, then the player will convert DSD into
24-bit/88.2KHz PCM."
The Oppo BDP-95 Users Manual also suggests (about the SACD to PCM
option): "You may also want to select this option if you prefer the
sound quality of the DSD-to-PCM conversion."
I don't know a lot about the conversion techniques, but I would have
thought that the straight DSD to analog would have provided the most
accurate analog signal. What advantage might the DSD-to-PCM conversion
provide this listener?
None. It's another step, though. I have software that converts my DSD
(SACD format) recordings into LPCM for distribution to my clients.
Direct comparison shows the PCM to sound a little rougher on top and
little lighter in the bottom. If you didn't do a direct comparison, you
wouldn't even notice it.
I believe you but that is subjective, is there any way you can construct
and play a complex signal and measure the analog output in both DVD-A 192kHz
and SACD format?
I very much like to see such an output and see how PCM and DSD behave in a
real word.
I have not yet done any A/B comparisons. I doubt that I'd hear the
differences, frankly, with my aging ears.
My ears are pretty old as well. You can hear it unless your hearing has
been damaged somehow.
Edmund
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