Upsampling, Can there be too much?


I've owned the Chord Mscaler for a year and loved it, but recently added two new components that have built in upsampling: The Aurender W20SE, and the Jay's Audio CDT3-MK3. I find the Mscaler works well with the Aurender's built in upsampling, but not the Jay's.

 

Conclusion: not upsampling the Jay's, and standard redbook 16-bit 44Khz to the Mscaler gives incredible 24-bit 705Khz to the Hugo TT2 DAC for finest sound.

 

With multiple upsamplers in a chain has anyone gotten static, popping, smearing, or any kind of distortion from too much upsampling?

128x128brandonhifi

@brandonhifi 

The physical transport is in everyway more detailed, tonally more rich and fuller and deeper sounding. I can't say instrument separation is better because the W20SE is masterful at that also. But after correcting the loose cable issue, like finding a needle in a haystack in my rig, The Jay's Audio CDT3-MK3 is nothing less than magical. Everything I play through it, if well recorded, because it is perfectly revealing, but if well recorded, is jaw dropping. Sometimes this last week I'll just sit in my listening chair and grin ear to ear because never in my life have I heard anything that good even in all my high end hi fi shops in Minneapolis, USA.

Understood

Those “physical media “ silver disc can sound genuinely stunning with a high quality CD transport. You have that and a top notch streamer. Congratulations!

Charles

@roxy54 

I throughly understand your point. With DACs those are distinctly two different types of products for distinctly different types listeners.Very different presentations. Not much cross shopping there.

Charles

No issues using USB with Innuos Statement to Moon 680D.

Not a fan of upsampling either. 

Upsampling was much more valuable 10 years ago with DACs that didn’t do Redbook justice at all. Those have pretty much vanished.

Now the big differences in upsampling are in how the DAC treats the upper octaves. A good, modern DAC with a 96kHz signal sounds pretty good to me.

Chains of digital devices, each with their own clock/jitter signatures are a bad idea, as each has to attempt to de-jitter and lock the clock according to its own peculiarities. IMHO, those who keep chasing a new upsampler are chasing different, but not necessarily better, jitter signatures.

Chains of digital devices, each with their own clock/jitter signatures are a bad idea, as each has to attempt to de-jitter and lock the clock according to its own peculiarities. IMHO, those who keep chasing a new upsampler are chasing different, but not necessarily better, jitter signatures.

A rational observation.

Charles