Is that also true with the Laiv Harmony DAC as well?
To what resolution is dsd64 converted, please?
It won’t be the same as the CD’s 16/44, I suppose.
If you’re open to making component changes, you won’t do better than finding a used PS Audio DSD MK1 or MK2 DAC. It’s an inarguable synergy.
3 Likes
It was at this time cost… it was cheaper for now to do what I did. My future you never know. 
I may even look at an Accuphase SACD… that will be way down the road.
Jay G
On Head-Fi a LAiV employee wrote:
LAiV Harmony DAC is a R-2R DAC that processes multi-bit signals. 1-bit signals from DSD will be reconstructed into multi-bit signals via FPGA before passing to the balanced R-2R ladder array network. All DSD will be reconstructed to the highest sampling rate, either at 705.6kHz or 768kHz, depending on the DSD multiplier, whether it’s a multiple of 44.1kHz or 48kHz.
Conversion from DSD64 can be performed at 24/88.2 with a low pass filter at 30khz to filter out quantization noise. That is what I believe OP is experiencing, quantization errors, since digital does not have a ‘sound signature’.
Thank you! In that case, 24/176 would also be possible.
Anyway, both have a higher resolution than 16/44. Meaning, both would result in a ‘better’ performance then through a CD only player.
@Jwgilbreath, welcome to the forum! Great folks here as you can see. Lively discussion with a decent amount of lightheartedness and humor thrown in 
.
The brightness sounds like your connector i2s cable. Glad you’ve got a better one on the way! Please let us know how it works out.
Also, how long have you had the Laiv? If for a while, do you keep it turned on all the time? Has it had a proper break-in time? Just curious.
1 Like
Thanks! It’s brand new so not totally broken in. Thag probably has something to do with the brightness as well.
Jay G
Play music via the USB stick when not sitting down to listen. Get that sucker burned in, that definitely has something to do with the brightness.
Thanks for the thought! That would be a good idea
1 Like
I just received the new SACD transport, so totally not yet burned it. I would describe the upper end of the frequency spectrum as a bit more open, not brighter or brighter than the previous PS Audio SACD transport. About a year ago I upgraded the 12S cable that PS Audio provides to an Audioquest Dragon 12S cable. That made a significant improvement to the sonic picture, expensive but worth it.
1 Like
Maybe the cord I purchased will as well.
Jay G
It doesn’t sound bright to me, and that’s even coming directly to it from its system predecessor, the lushly warm-sounding Marantz 30n. It just seems a little more detailed and realistic to my ears. Not unlike the difference I hear between it and the same recordings played from my Aurender’s internal drive (the disc transport outputting I2S to a PSA Mk1 DAC; the Aurender via USB to the same) - there’s a very slight lower midrange/upper bass bloom to the files from the server that is absent from the transport. Some might think that would likely cause the transport to provide a brighter presentation, but I haven’t found that to be the case in my system.
Oh ok thanks for your input!
So I got the new I2S cord….i have to say even in the short term it has taken a little the brightness away…sounds great! It can only get better now!
Thanks all for the recommendation!
4 Likes