Playing DSD files


I have a small but DSD-capable DAC (Topping E30ii), and many DSD files on my hard disk. I am trying Audirvana Origin (one month free trial). It is able to play my DSD files, and the sound is good. However, before I buy it, I would like to test Foobar2000, with DSD components / plugins, maybe the sound is equally good.  Yet I cannot get it to work. I’ve installed foo-component for dsd and sacd, but no sound, or even  error message: unrecognized format, trying to play my .dff files. Anyone knows a workaround? With Foobar, my DAC display shows PCM (up to 706), it does not show (correct) DSD, like it does with Audirvana.

Ag insider logo xs@2xo_holter

Thanks for help - but even with this setup, Foobar inisits on playing my .dff files through pcm. While .dsf plays fine, true dsd. Have not found the cause yet.

It would be nice to play .dff files correctly in Foobar, but meanwhile Audirvana does it for me, and there are also programs that can convert .dff to .dsf (like Tascam Hi Res editor, and Deffy).

Since my new solution plays my DSD files suprisingly well, I am testing the Tascam DA3000 recorder again. However, something has happened, maybe after I installed windows 11 on my pc, Windows now does not recognize micro cards formatted on the Tascam, and vice versa.So my recording of some good LPs like Jeff Beck: Performing this week, and Pharoah Sanders: Promises, was a waste of time. The files are seen by Tascam ok and can be played back there, but not by Windows. "Do it again, Sam".

Problem solved, some new LPs recorded, sounds good. I ran full format of the SD card in the Tascam, and now the card was recognized by Windows.

I realize this resembles a one man show, but so be it.

Problem with micro sd card - after full format in Tascam - solved.

Problem with .dff playback in Foobar - not solved. It insists on playing them as pcm, whatever components and outputs I try (foo_this, foo_that). While .dsf files play fine, as 'true' dsd. Maybe in some systems it doesn't matter, but in my case, the true dsd playback (where volume is disabled) is truly worth it. 

Happily, Audirvana plays both .dff and .dsf just fine. I also wonder if it plays the .dsf files a bit better than Foobar. Slightly more sonic space, and no breaks/gaps like I sometimes think I hear in Foobar (maybe, a buffer problem). Not sure, though.

Testing recently recorded LPs like Beatles: Magical mystery tour, the German Horzu version with true stereo. If you have rare costly LPs like this you owe it to yourself to record them to DSD. And the better the sound of the original LP the better it is from the DSD file.

It can be subtle, though. In this and many other cases, the streaming version of the album (on Qobuz) is not actually the original. It is "remastered 2009" whatever that means. They have obviously tried to fix the sonic problems of the original. Superficially, for a short while, it sounds better. In the longer run, no.