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DSD vs. PCM vs. MQA - Group listening experiment

Hi everyone,

So I just re-discovered the 2L website which has free samples of high resolution music.

I thought it would be worthwhile to ask the fans about the tracks here, specifically if there are any you feel are really good exemplars of why encoding scheme X is better or different than Y.

I just downloaded a bunch of Vivaldi and will share my own observations (and lack thereof) here.

As for me, file size matters so I'm going to try to stick to relatively similar file sizes when possible.

Best,


Erik
erik_squires
erik_squires OP
16,407 posts
 
@georgelofi

Sorry, the idea was that we would all listen at home with whatever we have.  The "group" part was that we can use the same library of files.

@ahendler Nominal 44khz is really 44.1kHz, so same deal. :)

Best,


Erik
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
If that's the case, then the PCM for it to sound it's best should only be listened to via a dac that is Multibit conversion.
Not one that is a DSD dac with/or Delta Sigma, Bitstream, Single Bit, Saber, or Wolfson sd DAC convertors.

From MoJo Music: and others have said the same.
" When a PCM file is played on a DSD or Bit Stream converter, the DAC chip has to convert the PCM to DSD in real time. This is one of the major reasons people claim DSD sounds better than PCM, when in fact, it is just that the chip in most modern single-bit DACs do a poor job of decoding PCM."

Cheers George
erik_squires OP
16,407 posts
 
@georgelofi

I only posted what was sopposedly for an ideal file, not an ideal dac.  Fery few multi-bit dac's left really.  I'm interested in what DAC's users have, and if they can find some files that they feel are absolute demonstrators of a particular format's virtues.

Or at least, on their DAC shows a noticeable difference. :)  Of course we can't have perfect.  99% of DSD recordings are DSD to PCM to DSD to begin with. 80% of modern DAC's are bitstream anyway. So no matter how we go we aren't going to get whatever the theoretical ideal is.

Best,


Erik
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
Fery few multi-bit dac's left really.
  Not really they are more than ever now, as in the hi-end they're realizing now that to do PCM conversion right it has to be done with Multibit.
Hi-End ones like MSB's flagships, Total Dac, Metrum, Schiit (has upgrades to multibit) Aquahifi and many many more.
Here is the latest from Aqua.
http://www.aquahifi.com/formula.html

Cheers George
georgehifi's avatar
georgehifi
10,312 posts
 
BTW here are a users findings of the Schiit dacs with Multibit upgrades doing pcm conversions.
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/difference-between-schiit-modi-versions

So saying that it's really impossible to compare DSD, and PCM as they both need different dacs to get their best. 

Cheers George


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