DSD vs. PCM

In the graph you posted, are the values of the x-axis in kilohertz?

Yep. Sorry, I obviously was too aggressive when cropping the plot.
tedsmith said: . . . I filter out everything over 1/2 of 2 * 64 *44100kHz . . .

I have found I have trouble hearing anything above this anyway. :)

:slight_smile:

Don’t forget Betamax vs. VHS and blu ray vs. HD DVD.



I’ve put the whole DSD vs. PCM debate on hold as I wait for more reviews of the DS. I’m not looking to compare the DS with the PWD MkII. I’m looking to see(hear) if the sound of redbook and hi res PCM upsampled to DSD via the “Ted Smith process” sounds better to my ears than straight PCM through other designed audiophile DACs.



Esau

I wait for more reviews of the DS. I'm not looking to compare the DS with the PWD MkII. I'm looking to see(hear) if the sound of redbook and hi res PCM upsampled to DSD via the "Ted Smith process" sounds better to my ears than straight PCM through other designed audiophile DACs.

Esau

Yeah exactly, can't wait for other reviews of the DS
[-O<
esimms86 said: Don't forget Betamax vs. VHS and blu ray vs. HD DVD.

And Road Runner v. Wile E Coyote

Bobby Riggs v. Billie Jean King.

Ginger v. Mary Ann

Roadrunner



Don’t care



Mary Ann



DirectStream



:smiley:



J.P.

@esimms86 I will be fascinated to hear what you conclude upon doing that. So far, everyone that’s heard Red Book through DirectSream’s been pretty impressed (to say the least).

Paul, I’m honestly hoping that you’ve hit it out of the park with the Directstream. Personally, I’ll be comparing the DS head-to-head with both PCM and DSD through my Auralic Vega and through the retrospectoscope with PCM through previously owned PWD MkII and Phasure NOS1 DACs.



Esau

@esimms86 That’s stiff competition and we welcome it. What I love about this group is a willingness to try something new, not to prove that member’s purchasing decisions in the past are validated by trashing the new thing, but by being open and hopeful to step up another rung on the ladder.



How will you be feeding the data into DS?

esimms86 said: I'm honestly hoping that you've hit it out of the park with the Directstream.

Me, too. :)

The Auralic Vega is a very nice sounding unit for comparison.

Paul, I expect I’ll be using the upcoming Auralic ARIES, though I also have a custom built Audio PC that I’m using at present.



Esau

Just a thought:



If up-sampled DSD does sound so much better than red-book CD, how about producing a small box containing the PCM-to-DSD board with the full set of inputs, without the DAC but with a PCM 24/192 output? Legacy PCM DACs could then potentially produce similar sound quality to that from the Directstream?



Maybe this could be better way of improving existing systems than the Lens product that never (yet) made it to production.

It’s not that processing with DSD is the magic thing. Using it as an intermediate step when going from PCM to PCM probably isn’t the best approach. The DirectStream is a set of synergistic design choices. I chose DSD so my output could be a simple low pass filter and the system would still be linear. If the output were PCM, perhaps my PCM filtering choices would indeed be better than others, perhaps not. If the output were digital perhaps the expensive clock would make a difference, but perhaps the accumulating jitter downstream would pollute the sound enough to take away the magic… I like to think I did better than most at implementing each part of the DirectStream, but I know that taken as a whole there’s nothing like it.

Thanks for the comment Ted.

I can understand the synergy in the way you’ve put Directstream together, and also the potential for accumulating jitter downstream with PCM, but if it were 24/192 would not any filter artefacts be way up in frequency and so inaudible?

There is value to the way I process the inputs and reclocking with a precision clock. But the shortest path from PCM to 24/192 (or 24/176.4) doesn’t go thru DSD. Getting to 10 x 64 x 44.100k is still the best way to go back and forth from 44.1k, 88.2, 176.4 to 48, 96, 192 and I do like that path in the current FPGA, it’s just that going in and back out of DSD doesn’t gain anything (it almost certainly degrades the signal somewhat, if only in the ultrasonic region.)

Anyway we have thought about this, it’s just been on the back burner while we get the DirectStream out. I’m sure something like it will be among the projects to be considered next.

Anyway we have thought about this, it's just been on the back burner while we get the DirectStream out. I'm sure something like it will be among the projects to be considered next.


Wait. I haven't even gotten my kit yet and the DS is already out of date????? =))

Does it help if I say the list is really big?

Does it help if I say the list is really big?

I am ready to deposit for a DS MKII upgrade =P~
Don't worry about the lead time. I can wait til Q4-2014.

@esimms86 That’s a cool looking streamer.