I’m new to this forum and looking for guidance on downloading and playing music from Octave Records. I’ll be using a Cambridge CX-A81 integrated amplifier, connected via its USB audio input.
My source device is a Windows PC, and I’d appreciate recommendations on which software or app would be best for playing high-resolution music through this setup. Additionally, when purchasing DSD music, what resolution would you recommend for optimal sound quality with this amplifier?
Welcome, and congrats on your integrated amp/dac. I play DSD256 (11.2) files, but differently from what you’re planning. My DAC has an internal hard drive and I connect my DAC directly to my computer to transfer music directly to the DAC, then reconnect the DAC to my stereo system to play music. I use DSD256, even though DSD256 takes up decent storage space.
Hopefully others can chime in regarding playing music directly from a computer.
I second @bootzilla. Just get JRiver and forget about it. It has everthing you need, and excellent sound quality.
And I agree with @adifferentpaul on the best sound in digital music is available in DSD256 simply because it can store much more information than the other formats. Think of it like going from Hi Rez to DSD256 is similar to 33 1/3rpm record to 45rmp record, or 7 1/2ips tape to 15ips tape. It is well worth the extra spend on the storage space needed. It cost the same in Octave Records no matter what file format you buy, and OR has some of the best recordings (music and SQ) that I have ever heard in my system.
Welcome to the forum! I hope you will continue posting, asking questions, and sharing what you are listening to. You have received good advice from adifferentpaul and bootzilla and waymanchen. Your Cambridge CX-A81 will play all of the typical digital formats you will encounter for download. Here are a few additional thoughts:
Connect your PC with a well built USB cable. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just well engineered. Not all are built as well as the better ones. I find the StraightWire-USB Link at around $50 to be a good choice in my listening, and it is readily available.
If playing DSD downloads, be sure you are setup through whatever software you use to output a “bit-perfect” signal that has not been processed by your PC or audio software. Some software will have internal digital signal processing which you DO NOT want touching your DSD data stream.
Foobar2000 can be a fit fiddly to set up for DSD playback, and I’m not sure it fully works with Win11 these days. JRiver Media Center is excellent, but it is not easy to setup and learn to use. It is the software I use on my Win11 PC, and I love it. But, be patient. There will be a learning curve. Also, while you do have to pay a fee for it, it is NOT subscription-ware. You are not required to update with each new release, and the fee is only paid when you download a new release – entirely your option. However, many users will update with new releases and pay the fee to do so in order to support their continuing efforts.
At some point you will need additional storage space beyond your PC’s internal hard drive. When you get to that point, don’t hesitate to use external USB drives. They work just fine. Just be sure to buy a second one to use to backup the primary. Backups are important. And RAID is not backup, so don’t get sucked down that rabbit hole of thinking you need a NAS unit. You don’t.
Don’t limit yourself to Octave Records releases, but certainly start there. There are lots of excellent high resolution digital downloads available. Feel free to ask here for suggestions.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions here as you get started. And tell us how you are coming along!
No, you don’t need a NAS, but you might find it convenient. I have one that I use to store my music downloads and also my other documents. So no matter which of my computers I’m working at, I always have access to my files. I also prefer not to have a Windows or Mac computer in my listening room. I have a server (MinimServer) installed on my NAS and control everything via an iPad. It’s true that RAID is not a substitute for other backups, but it does offer one additional layer of protection.
Somewhere on the forum is a thread called “your best DSD 256.” You might want to check that out.
A vote for jriver. You will have to invest some time with it; however, it does reward the effort. And, if you like things organize a certain way, jriver/JRemote can accommodate any organizational system you chose to store and display your music.
I remember having to download a driver from Cambridge for my pc when I had my pc plugged into to my CXA81.
Roon would also work for what you want to do. You could set your pc as the ‘core’ and use your phone or iPad as a remote to control play back when you are not sitting in front of you computer.
Yes, Roon is always a good choice if you want plug and play ready, perhaps want to do some streaming, and you’re willing to pay it’s licensing fee. It is a far easier solution to just plug and and have it all work if your device is “Roon Ready”. At this point, I see that the Cambridge CX81 is Roon Tested, but not yet Roon Ready. Would probably work without a hitch, just be aware.
Just following up on Rushton’s comment and my apologies if you’ve already dealt with this but I recommend you pick up the latest USB driver from the Cambridge site here. The standard Windows USB driver does not support native DSD transfer over a USB connection. You’ll need a special device driver for connection to your CX-A81 as supplied by Cambridge so that JRiver, for example, can transmit native DSD (using a protocol called DSD over PCM or DoP) to your CX-A81.
I’m not completely sure and preapred to stand corrected but I believe that DoP is the way all the USB drivers handle transmission of native DSD. I don’t think the USB’s design can handle a continuous, uninterrupted bit stream like DSD. So it chops up the stream into bit blocks and packages them in a PCM envelope, fooling the underlying protocol into thinking it’s handling PCM. The receiving end needs to understand the deception and reassemble the blocks into the original continuous stream. Effectively, there is no ‘conversion’ taking place. The DAC still sees it as native DSD.
No, DoP is not required to send a bit perfect native DSD transmission via USB. If you are using a Mac, then possibly yes. I don’t know about Mac. But in Windows, an appropriate USB driver can send a native DSD stream. This is what I do with Win11 and JRiver and the USB driver for my DAC.
It is possible that the device in question may have some limitations in regards to handling a native DSD data stream, but USB does not.
I did a little research to address my misunderstanding. Apparently, the USB standard still has no explicit support for DSD. However, it does support a ‘raw data’ format (along with the PCM format) which can be used for native DSD support. Indeed, the Steinberg Audio company developed a proprietary software interface called Audio Stream Input/Output (ASIO) to support formats like DSD. However it relies on at least USB 2.0 and, incredibly, Microsoft only partially implemented that version in Windows 10! At any rate, using either ASIO or DoP will still provide you with native DSD support. If anyone would like to dig deeper, I refer them to this document.
As far as the the OP’s situation goes, it appears that a USB device driver that supports ASIO is the best way to go for Windows computers. However, the Cambridge Audio website does show that the CX-A81 accepts up to DSD256 data streams via DoP but makes no mention of ASIO support. Perhaps a more recent device driver may do so.
Apparently, the USB standard still has no explicit support for DSD. However, it does support a ‘raw data’ format (along with the PCM format) which can be used for native DSD support. Indeed, the Steinberg Audio company developed a proprietary software interface called Audio Stream Input/Output (ASIO) to support formats like DSD. However it relies on at least USB 2.0 and, incredibly, Microsoft only partially implemented that version in Windows 10! At any rate, using either ASIO or DoP will still provide you with native DSD support. If anyone would like to dig deeper, I refer them to this