Veneet,
Have you done comparisons between native DSD from the Oppo and DSD being converted to 88.2/24 PCM? I would be very interested in your findings if you have compared them.
SACD’s converted to 88.2/24 PCM is sounding excellent to me. Very obviously better than the Oppo DAC converters.
Hey Deanhorn,
to be honest I haven’t but the beauty of the setup is you can leave both the optical from the OPPO into the DS and the i2s as well and simply switch the input on the DS so you can do real time comparison. I have been travelling for work and haven’t had a ton of time but there is a difference for sure but haven’t put my finger on exactly what. I will have to sit down with it for a while and do so. I’ll try this weekend and let you know.
thanks,
Veneet
FYI, here is what the device looks like mounted in the box I linked. it isn’t pretty, but it works, I am going to mount it under a shelf next to the DS so the scratches I put on there don’t matter too much.
I only made one hole for the input HDMI, I don’t plan on using the video HDMI out or the selector switch. I made that hole big enough to put the whole HDMI connector in about halfway.
The other side I have the circuit board flush against the face as I didn’t want to guess at different cable outer diameters.
This last pic shows the holes I drilled with a tap/drill bit combo to screw in the circuit board spacers so the board wouldn’t move around.
Very tidy.
Yep, it looks professionally done.
Those HDMI cables look very beefy. And it looks like a PS Audio logo on the connector. Does PS Audio make HDMI cables?
If I remember correctly, the HDMI cable you seen in the photo is typically supplied if you buy a PS Audio Perfectwave or Direcstream Transport. They say it’s made specifically for I²S, but functionally it’s just a beefy HDMI cable.
The PS Audio cable in the photo is one they used to sell, they stopped selling them a couple of years ago. The cables they supply with the DMP (at least the one I have) is generic, no PS Audio logo. The new cable is not offered for sale, but I think some folks have gotten one.
I did actually just buy those from PS Audio; I asked about demoing or being able to buy some and they offered to sell some. Only comes in 1 meter, and boy are they tough to get bent into shape! If interested maybe pm Kevin Jackson from PS
My DMP came with a PS Audio branded hdmi cable and I remember Paul saying that all DMPs would be supplied with the best PS Audio hdmi cable available.
My bad … I wasn’t at home when I wrote that so I couldn’t just walk over and look at the cable and confirm. I was sure I remembered that it was just a generic looking cable. Apologies for that, though I will still say it is not offered on the website, I believe if you call they will sell you one.
Veneet, I got my board and the damn thing does indeed work, including sending the DSD layer off of SACDs (don’t tell Sony) as DSD64 to my DS. I do get a burst of noise when I start to play an SACD, although not CDs. That’s with Redcloud. It’s more annoying than anything else. I was trying to compare the sound qualify of an SACD to a rip of the same files played over the Bridge II. I was having a hard time deciding which sounded better, although they were clearly different. Then I realized the channels were reversed. I need to compare to CDs of the same material to figure out which is actually reversed, although I suspect the HDMI-to-I2S converter. Still, nice little device. (I was lazy and mounted mine in the middle of the same box you used but left the end plates off rather than trying to drill openings.)
Hey Steve,
Glad it works for you as well. I too get a burst of sound on when I first play a sacd or dsd track. Though I couldn’t really figure out if it was the board or the Oppo.
You aren’t lazy, that was a smart move with the end plates, drove me nuts filing the crap out of the holes to get them even(ish).
I am curious if you have one of those test cds like this:
http://www.hdtracks.com/audiophile-hi-res-system-test
I have the 192k version and the left and right tracks played out correctly. Curious if dsd would be different? If you think so I’ll try downloading the dsd 64 version when I get home late Thursday.
One thing I like best about it is the voices sound more pronounced when watching a blu-ray movie then it did when using the Atlona, or at least that is me, same with TV / Apple TV through the Oppo (4K hdmi switch in)
Let me know your thoughts!
Veneet, I haven’t really played around with it that much and haven’t tried any movies yet. I have a test CD somewhere with right and left channels, if I can find it (my CDs are in boxes in the basement). I’m not assuming it’s the device that has the channels switched–could be the rips. I think I do have that test album you linked, in 192/24. I’ve never tried playing downloaded or ripped files through the Oppo. I wouldn’t think the channel reversal would be different for DSD files than for PCM, assuming it’s not all my imagination so no need to buy the DSD version of the test album. I should be able to tell just by comparing an SACD played through the Oppo with a CD rip of the same material played through the Bridge, or, for that matter, just compare the SACD rip to the CD layer off the same hybrid disc played through the Bridge. Now that I can play SACDs in DSD I need to dig my measly collection of SACDs out of storage.
Out of curiosity, does the HDMI to I2S converter work with any other make of Blu-Ray universal player that can play SACD such as a SONY? or is Oppo the only choice to use.
I would assume it would work with any, it just takes hdmi audio and converts it so I cannot believe it would matter at all. One thing to note is that I have my player set to downmix multichannel to stereo. I am not sure what would happen if you took a multichannel signal and sent it through. I can try when I get home tomorrow or Friday.
Thanks Veneet for your prompt answer to my inquiry.
No worries I’ll let you know how the multichannel thing goes.
Nazo2771,
So multichannel didn’t seem to affect it except when you choose bitstream as the output, that does not work. I leave mine on LPCM.
Veneet, thanks for the feedback, very helpful.
I also got the hdmi-to-i2s board, and can confirm that the left-right channels are reversed. Too bad. Does anyone know an easy fix other than swapping the interconnects or speaker cables?
Thanks
sam