Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[lakeallen]

I'll take any advice or direction to another link that will help- I'm loosing my mind. I have a Benchmark DAC 2 HGC and cannot for the life of me get it to play DSD downloads without down sampling them to 176/24. I've tried all setting (AISO, WASPI) and all other setting changes suggested on the WIKI and such. It played previously using DoP/WASPI but not anymore. I did have MC18 and purchased 19 today as one of my attempts at fixing. Any ideas?

Thanks

Tim

[kstuart]

Friday afternoon is a "low traffic" period for this site and many others.

In the meantime, it is unlikely that there is an audible difference if you use the 176.4khz PCM as a "workaround" (I say this not from theory, but from some comparisons of various super-high resolution files in various formats.  I also have found that converting DSD to 176.4khz PCM through a really good PCM DAC can be better quality than "native DSD" on a less well executed DAC).

Hopefully, someone with Benchmark DAC or DSD playback experience will see this soon.

[lakeallen]

Thanks. The Benchmark is a really good DAC and I've made no changes in it or other hardware so I'm leaning toward the MC 19 settings. I appreciate your reply though- I've been listening this morning to the down converted DSD files and they are good. I'm obsessed with getting DSD playback going again since I know it works and baffled at loosing it "overnight".

[jeffcarter]

I also have the Benchmark DAC2HGC.   Here is how I was able to get this to work:

Go to the Audio Options Screen.   For Audio Device, Choose Benchmark_DAC2 ASIO Driver.

Go to Device Settings (immediately below the device selection).   It will pop up a new window with 4 sections (Device, Buffering, Volume, Tools).   In the tools area, there is a checkbox next to an option which says "DSD bitsream in DoP format".   Check that box.   

Doing so allowed SACD's to play.


You can also consider going back to the Audio Options screen, and choosing "DSP & output format".   In the drop down box labelled "Output Encoding", chose "DSD in DoP format (requires DSD capable DAC).    This will upsample all formats to DSD output.   

I've been very happy with this combination of settings and sound.   I'd be interested in what other Benchmark DAC2HGC owners have found to provide the best quality in their systems.

Good luck!

[6233638]

I've been very happy with this combination of settings and sound.   I'd be interested in what other Benchmark DAC2HGC owners have found to provide the best quality in their systems.

I actually prefer to have Media Center convert the audio to 176.4kHz PCM rather than bitstream DSD.
 
I don't hear any meaningful difference between bitstreaming/converting to PCM, and converting to PCM allows me to make use of other features such as volume leveling and other DSP. (e.g. a headphone plugin that I use)

[lakeallen]

I did it! Followed instructions in above post AND made changes under "Settings": I changed the dropdown menu under "Output Encoding" to "DSD in DoP Format" and put the "Sample Rate" to NO CHANGE for all. Working great. My impressions with DSD files over 176/24 are pretty close. In all freq. but the low, I don't hear a difference. I use a REL sub and get slightly better bass performance with DSD. Not night and day, but a small increment in improvement. I only have 3 DSD files compared to 100+ normal WAV files so I was more motivated by stubbornness than necessity.

[6233638]

For what it's worth, output encoding converts. everything to DSD.
You should use DSD bitstreaming if you only want DSD native files output as DSD.

[kstuart]

For what it's worth, output encoding converts. everything to DSD.
You should use DSD bitstreaming if you only want DSD native files output as DSD.

From my experiments, converting all DSD files to PCM generally is transparent, whereas converting all PCM files to DSD is not transparent.

The indications are that DSD adds a subtle "euphonic" distortion, perhaps like tubes are said to do.

That said, if one likes the results (and most do), then musical enjoyment is what is important.

[John57]

DSD has different filtering requirements for the output. This can account for some sonic differences.

[Vincent Kars]

Compared with PCM DSD has a bigger dynamic range and a substantially wider bandwidth.
The downside is the quantization noise. In case of DSD64 this noise creeps up close to the 20 kHz so inside our audible range.

[theoctavist]

there is no advantage to DSD as you guys are listening to it.  DSD is good in only one situation. That is Mastering from analogue. When there exists an all analogue chain, you can send the the analogue masters into a DSD A/D cut that directly to disc . BUT, whats happening in this "NEW WAVE" of DSD popularity is two or more conversions(DSD recorders as the capture /tracking devices for example) ..and that means the loss of DSDs only selling point. transparency. you lose that because the HF noise that is in the source material now hits a second analogue delta-sigma modulator.  Bye Transparency. Yer doing it rong DSD


.