I think what I’m going to do is pay to download some .dsf or .dff files. I think Acoustic Sounds sells them.
You could be right about them not being ripped correctly. I tried 3 different ripped SACDs. Two of the three did not show up as DSD on the DMP screen. One of those had the noise and pops. One of the 3 DID get recognized as DSD but no matter what I did there were severe channel imbalances.
My understanding is it’s hard to get to the raw .dsf files from an SACD. I guess it makes sense that some people rip them incorrectly.
Thanks very much for the reply. 
@ihmeyers I have a lot of .DSF files on a USB drive that I successfully play(ed) through JRiver and the Directstream DAC(Snr). Using a Sony PS3 with earlier operating system or via a laptop (as others have noted elsewhere in the forums and on the web) extracting the DSF files works fine. As always in any copying process the devil is in the detail whilst copying.
If you are purchasing commercially available DSF files and they do not play correctly then I’d be talking to the supplier.
BTW and slightly off topic: Not all Hi-Res files play happily on the DMP either - there are threads on the forums about it.
Thank you Frank.
The Hi-Res file (Diana Krall Love Scenes) I purchased from Acoustic Sounds worked fine, though there is a moderately loud pop before the first song starts. The only thing I didn’t like was the price, $24.95 for the download when the SACD sells on eBay for $15.
I will check out the threads re Hi-Res music that won’t play on the DMP. Do you know if that’s supposed to be fixed when the new OS is released. That sounds like kind of a big deal.
Yes, hi-res downloads can be pricey. And be careful; I buy only from sites that are transparent about the provenance, especially of DSD files. Sometimes upsampled and converted PCM is sold as DSD. These don’t necessarily sound bad, but if you’re paying a premium you should get the real thing. Acoustic Sounds is pretty good about stating the sources. Another good place for classical and jazz is NativeDSD.com, where everything is guaranteed to pure DSD, Also Blue Coast Records.
If you want to pick up a few SACDs, Music Direct has a bunch on sale (or at least they did a few days ago). The DMP makes redbook CDs sound very, very good – and SACDs are even better!
You will typically hear a sound when playback moves from PCM to DSD. In my system this is more of a tick than a pop; the volume of this sound does vary (louder with Huron than with Torreys, for instance). It is not unique to the DMP, since I hear it also when playing DSD via the Bridge to my DS Dac. Others have reported this too – usually described a tick, but I think one or two folks have called it a pop.
Many DVD-As and Blu-rays won’t play in the DMP; this depends on the menu structure on the disc. (If it’s real simple, then it can play.) This will not be fixed because, as Paul has explained, there is no standard or universal format for such things.
30 day follow-up post…
Unfortunately I am very disappointed in how my DMP has handled DSD files I have burned. Most of them will not play correctly all the way through. Whether it’s files I have found free on the 'net or downloads I’ve paid $25 for from Acoustic Sounds, the DMP doesn’t read all the songs correctly. Not having had a DSD player before I’m probably not going to be describing it right but it sounds like mistracking of an analog tape. Dropouts, garbled sounds, etc. No manner of unloading and reloading the disk fixes it and it only happens on DSD files. Non DSD I burn myself plays without issue every time.
I’m not going to waste any more money downloading DSD files. I’ll either have to buy the original SACDs on eBay or stick to non-DSD. Maybe this is something that will eventually get fixed.
Hi Ian
i think you have arrived at the same point I got to a while back. Ripped hi-res files (dad, wav ETC) are not worth the hassle/uncertainty of correct direct playback. Using something like JRiver & a PC can help but its more stuff to learn, more connections etc. You could consider streaming or just purchase SACDs as I do. I’m sitting out the streaming route for a couple of years till it all settles down. CDs sound pretty good on the DMP and are pretty cheap nowadays - there are good quality recordings out there.
Thanks for the reply Frank. I’m glad it’s not just me. Of course the stuff you get for free that doesn’t work right, well what can you do. But I bought 3 albums from Acoustic Sounds for $75 because I thought they’d work. I’m going to have to buy SACDs. I won’t invest any more $ in files that might not play on the DMP. Incidentally, I have had virtually no issues with ripped hi-res WAV files. 99% of them play fine. 1 or 2 that played OK on the PWT give me problems in the DMP, why I’m not sure.
I assume the DSD files that didn’t play correctly, though they sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard wouldn’t do any damage to the player. I thought my system sounded worse right after playing them but that might just be my imagination…
Cheers,
Ian