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Why SACD Disc playback sounds better than its equivalent ripped DSF file / streaming

Over the weekend, we had a chance to rip a few of our own SACD discs into DSF file.
We then compare the playback of SACD Disc vs the Ripped DSF File on the same audio system.

Player: Oppo 105 SACD player (has USB input to playback the DSF file from original SACD Disc) - using XLR output
Pre-Amp: Denafrips Athena
Amplifier: Two Mark Levinson 333 Bi-Amp
Speakers: A Pair of B&W N801
Room: Acoustically treated
Playback is level match with pink noise track so both SACD Disc and DSF file playback are the same volume SPL.

The ripped DSF file sounds good, but when compare to SACD Disc playback of the same album/song, the Disc playback has slightly better dynamic and transparency.
We could tell with our eyes closed when one of us switches between Disc Playback vs DSF file playback from the same Oppo 105.

Why is that?
Is it because the Disc playback are clocked signal inside the SACD player circuit so it has less digital jitter than the USB file interface playback?

asin
mahler123
3,354 posts
 

Where is the ripped DSF stored ?  Did you try another device capable of playing DSD files?  I love playing SACDs on my 105, but the few DSD downloads that I own didn’t sound as good on the Oppo as they did another high end streamer that I no longer own but could play DSD files.  I have never been as impressed by the usb on the Oppo, thinking it is a notch below the other outputs 

asin OP
33 posts
 

Ripped DSF file (from identical SACD Disc) is stored in 1TB SATA SSD.

We use SATA -USB Cable converted to insert the USB to Oppo 105 front USB input.

aldnorab
173 posts
 

@asin what if you use the Oppo 105 rear USB input? It sounds clearer than the front one.

Thanks,

aldnorab 

corente
28 posts
 

The worst place to store the music file to play is a external hard disk connected (and power supplied) via USB: it is very noisy (several times tested by myself and many, many times read in forums)

The other point to consider is that USB connections are more difficult to manage by the manufacturers than the "internal" connections, that I guess in your Oppo is a I2S.

I do not know if possible, but using an external computer to "play" the file with a good app (Roon, Audirvana, ....) and feed the Oppo as an external DAC, would make a better comparison.

asin OP
33 posts
 

https://hydrogenaud.io/index.php/topic,124798.0.html

It appears that our observation SACD Disc playback sounds better than its equivalent DSF file playback has been observed by others as well.

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