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[Highway7]

1.  I noticed a title on HDTracks I wanted that was only available in DSD format.  I doubt my old Soundblaster SB1240 can process that format.  Can anybody recommend a DAC listed on Amazon (I have gift cards) that is not a Chinese brand?  I saw Cambridge Audio and Pro-ject on there, but I wondered about others.

2.  I was wondering about the relationship between software like JRiver and the DAC hardware.  If I played a DSD file on my Mac using JRiver and no external USB DAC, would JRiver work with the native sound chip on the Mac to convert the DSD to analogue using conversions like DoP?  If I *am* using an external DAC, do I have to worry about compatibility between JRiver and the DAC?

Thanks.

[Wheaten]

The Pro-ject Pre Box S2 Digital works flawless with JRiver. The only issue this DAC has is a MQA software bug. After 3 years they still haven't received an update from MQA. (Some titles stutter). But its good value for the money.

[Highway7]

The Pro-ject Pre Box S2 Digital works flawless with JRiver. The only issue this DAC has is a MQA software bug. After 3 years they still haven't received an update from MQA. (Some titles stutter). But its good value for the money.

Thank you.

[MikeyFresh]

1.  I noticed a title on HDTracks I wanted that was only available in DSD format.  I doubt my old Soundblaster SB1240 can process that format.  Can anybody recommend a DAC listed on Amazon (I have gift cards) that is not a Chinese brand?  I saw Cambridge Audio and Pro-ject on there, but I wondered about others.

2.  I was wondering about the relationship between software like JRiver and the DAC hardware.  If I played a DSD file on my Mac using JRiver and no external USB DAC, would JRiver work with the native sound chip on the Mac to convert the DSD to analogue using conversions like DoP?  If I *am* using an external DAC, do I have to worry about compatibility between JRiver and the DAC?

Thanks.

You might also consider the iFi DACs, however note that most all of these brands are actually manufactured in China, but they are not Chinese brands per se.

You cannot play DSD on a Mac through the onboard sound card, not unless you have JRiver trans-coding it to PCM, at a sample rate that the sound card supports.

When using an external sound card, no you don't have to worry about JRiver incompatibility, but in rare cases some strange DACs only support Windows, and not Linux or macOS, but that's very rare.

[dtc]

You cannot play DSD on a Mac through the onboard sound card, not unless you have JRiver trans-coding it to PCM, at a sample rate that the sound card supports.

DSD on a Mac uses the DoP format which is simply a different way to pack the bits before sending. MC packs the bits into a PCM wrapper and the DAC then reassembles them as DSD. It is a lossless process.