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RE: Least expensive "all to DSD" dac?

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Analog Scott

In Reply to: RE: Least expensive "all to DSD" dac? posted by John Elison on October 29, 2023 at 14:33:17

So are you saying the DSD 64 sound better than the actual CDs from which they were upsampled?

Follow Ups:

Smoother but not necessarily better - AbeCollins 07:24:50 11/04/23 (1)
Upsampling to DSD is like a rock smoothed over by the ocean currents. It's still a rock but no longer the original rock that it once was.
Is it better? I think that's just a matter of personal preference. I don't want my Type-A hard rock and blues to sound like they've been sedated by DSD upsampling. I suppose if you have some nasty recordings and harsh sounding equipment DSD upsampling will tame it.
I've compared DSD albums to the same albums in PCM as well as on-the-fly PCM to DSD conversion during playback. I generally prefer high quality PCM as DSD sounds artificially and intentionally smoothed over. But that's just my observation for my preferred sound.

Edits: 11/04/23 11/04/23 11/04/23 11/04/23
- RE: Smoother but not necessarily better - John Elison 09:27:00 11/08/23 (0)
  Like you say, it's a matter of preference. No audio reproduction played on speakers in a listening room will sound identical to the actual performance. Therefore, you just have to choose the imitation that sounds best to you.
  
  My favorite imitation is not up-sampled PCM to DSD, but actual DSD256 recordings of the original. To me, they sound better on my audio system and in my listening room than other digital formats.
  
  To each his own!
  
  Happy listening!
  John Elison
That has been my observation - E-Stat 13:39:17 10/31/23 (0)
DSD is an artificial smoothener!

Live music, not so much.
RE: Least expensive "all to DSD" dac? - John Elison 11:55:26 10/31/23 (0)
Yes, I think that CDs up-sampled to DSD64 sometimes sound a little bit better than the original CDs. Up-sampling seems to take the edge off of the highs. This is even more noticeable in the CDs my friend up-sampled to DSD128.

On the other hand, my favorite albums are those originally recorded in DSD256 or else transferred to DSD256 from their original analog master tapes.

Happy listening!
John Elison
RE: Least expensive "all to DSD" dac? - ltman 10:28:35 10/31/23 (0)
I do not know the origin of all the music files I listen to.

But for the most part, the upsampled playback sounds noticably smoother and less sibilant and grainy in the loud passges to my ears with my system.

Perhaps if I had different playback system there would not be an improvement, I have no way to know.

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