Oppo Plays Multichannel DSD Files !

[ssully]

[duplicate post]

 

[fredblue]

Your amplification and amps are almost certainly sufficient (you're offloading most of the amp work to a sub, right?)

And your Audyssey woes are almost certainly off due to setup error, like incorrect mic placement, and not the software. Like Kal, I've never heard of anyone's Audyssey implementation shifting the rear content to front , and 'too much bass' is rarely the complaint either. Reading 'small' speakers as 'Large' *is* sometimsan issue but but it's easily corrected after the Audyssey run is done by setting the speakers to 'small' manually (and adjusting the crossover point if need be; I put them all at 80Hz regardless of what the Denon/Audyssey analysis tells me).

Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ are optional. I leave DV off and use DEQ sometimes when I'm listening way below reference level, to keep the MultiEQ curve in force. DEQ will *raise* the bass level if you use it (and aren;t listening near reference level).

I appreciate all the help/input/feedback but I don't use that Denon in my main system anymore.

as for setup, I had the mic on a tripod, adjusted to ear height in each separate seating position, went through all the multiple seating locations etc.. it was set up to within an inch of its life.

at the time I wondered if I had a duff setup mic or if the whole AVR was faulty, the auto setup was always so haywire and the impact Audyssey had so negative, I couldn't believe what I was hearing could be what everybody else was enjoying!

it was ok with movies but lousy with music, definitely felt underpowered for my mains (3-way floorstanders crossed over @80hz).. with Audyssey it was boomy and murky sounding, without Audyssey it was lifeless and bass-less.

I've already ruffled feathers going OT lately so maybe we should get back onto the DSD jazzapalooza!?

Meantime I do sincerely appreciate your thoughts and comments ssully and Kal, thank you to both of you

 

[fredblue]

With all respect, the idea that 88/24 conversion from DSD somehow 'ruins' it in any practical or audible sense, is silly audiophile mythology. DSD was developed as a PCM-friendly archival format, it was literally *designed* to be converted to PCM multiples of Redbook. And I'm confident Oppo gets the conversion technology right at this late date.

Meanwhile, *real* audible differences that might *really* benefit the user -- like "room EQ" and bass management -- are forsaken if you stick to pure DSD-->analog.

SACDs sound "better" on my CA651BD (Oppo BDP-93 UK clone) when I set it to stream PCM.

though I suspect that's as much to do with the Wolfson's being "better" at handling the DSD conversion than the Burr-Brown's in my current Yammy, I don't have any technical know-how to explain, I just trust my ears.

also some of my Sony Single Layer SACDs (Thriller's the worst) glitch and skip if I stream DSD from the BDP but play perfectly with it set to PCM out, so I just leave it at that for everything and let the BDP do the decoding & converting.

 

[Fugue]

Oppo has released a beta test firmware update for their BDP-103 and BDP-105 Blu-Ray players that now will play back Stereo and Multichannel DSD (Direct Stream Digital) files !

I just received my 105 two days ago and love it! Are these beta releases "safe" or should I wait for the public release?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I just received my 105 two days ago and love it! Are these beta releases "safe" or should I wait for the public release?

The current official FW will do it.

 

[LizardKing]

The current official FW will do it.

Does the latest firmware remove SACD-r playback?

 

[piotrus]

From oppo official:

The new decoder firmware supplied by our chip vendor removes the ability to play SACD-R discs. However, DSD files can now be played from attached USB hard drives.

ISO, SACD-R, Cinavia, BDMV in AVHD etc. yeah its really multiformat player who's next?

 

[Fugue]

The current official FW will do it.

It certainly does! I downloaded a m-ch DSD sample from 2L (Ole Bull Violin Concerto)--at first it skipped, but when I restarted it, then it played fine and sounded fantastic! For some free samples, go to http://www.2l.no/hires/

 

[wappinghigh]

Yep the latest firmware will do it alright.

Folks. Vist Computeraudiophile.com and search out "Oppo multichannel DSD"

As I said. Quad has hit the 21c jackpot with this player. Thankyou Oppo for keeping surround and Quad alive.

This has got to be the most exciting development for our hobby in years. Awesome work Oppo!

 

[ssully]

I abandoned disc media (now relegated to storage as 'archival copy') and have been able to playing multichannel files from a hard drive for several years now. So this development barely even registers on my radar. Buy a dedicated physical media player in order to play files from a thumb drive? No thanks.

 

[wappinghigh]

I abandoned disc media (now relegated to storage as 'archival copy') and have been able to playing multichannel files from a hard drive for several years now. So this development barely even registers on my radar. Buy a dedicated physical media player in order to play files from a thumb drive? No thanks.

Your kidding me right? So what's your setup? From a computer?

You seriously think sonically it would beat pure DSD 5.1 (unconverted to PCM out via analog out....) from a dedicated, electrically isolated player with a torroidal power supply, playing from a source without moving parts?

Think of the Oppo 105 as a new age SACD player set up like this (without even the disc drive)

All for around 1K...

 

[fredblue]

Your kidding me right? So what's your setup? From a computer?

You seriously think sonically it would beat pure DSD 5.1 (unconverted to PCM out via analog out....) from a dedicated, electrically isolated player with a torroidal power supply, playing from a source without moving parts?

Think of the Oppo 105 as a new age SACD player set up like this (without even the disc drive)

All for around 1K...

I don't think ssully's kidding you, or anyone else, by the looks of it

Pretty serious I guess, though I'm not their spokesperson so I'm sure they'll respond to you soon enough. I saw no smiley's etc. from ssully though so it's a bit tricky to tell if you're being serious or not

Oh and its "toroidal", seriously...

 

[wappinghigh]

Oh and its "toroidal", seriously...

hahaha :

Toroidal or not.. it's a darn fine way to play these tracks: disc or discless>You have *both* options. All for around 1K. How cool is that!

 

[neil wilkes]

With all due respect, don't do that. Use the Oppo's DAC. And output pure DSD via Analog out

Say what?
It's either analogue or it's pure DSD - you cannot have analogue DSD. It's an oxymoron.
The encoded on SACD files are DST files in DSDIFF (if done with the Philips tool) and are a different thing.
It's a complete waste of time & effort - 24/96 PCM is superior, less noise & easier to use.

 

[wappinghigh]

Say what?
It's either analogue or it's pure DSD - you cannot have analogue DSD. It's an oxymoron.
The encoded on SACD files are DST files in DSDIFF (if done with the Philips tool) and are a different thing.
It's a complete waste of time & effort - 24/96 PCM is superior, less noise & easier to use.

Huh? You have entirely misinterpreted what I said.

Let me refrase this. All the Oppo is doing with these DSDIFF files is what every other DSD capable SACD player is doing.

It's reading them into the Sabre Dac (in the Oppo) and this Dac is converting them from pure DSD (without PCM conversion) into 5.1 analog out.

The difference is the Oppo is sourcing these files straight from a USB drive or streamed from an SMB share on a NAS drive.

That is is exactly what every other SACD player on the market did (except source them from an SACD disc) until HDMI and audio "processing" came along and destroyed everything.

Cheers

 

[ssully]

Your kidding me right? So what's your setup? From a computer?

You seriously think sonically it would beat pure DSD 5.1 (unconverted to PCM out via analog out....) from a dedicated, electrically isolated player with a torroidal power supply, playing from a source without moving parts?

I seriously think it wouldn't sound worse, and I'm pretty sure science/blind tests would support me on that. (Do you seriously think the moving part of an external hard drive changes the sound? Suppose I use a SS drive? Better sound?)

And I surely don't give a rat's ass about 'pure DSD' . DSD converted to PCM is fine with me. It's what any AVR is doing anyway, if you apply any DSP -- such as room EQ or bass management -- at all.

Think of the Oppo 105 as a new age SACD player set up like this (without even the disc drive)

Yes, 'new age' is an apt phrase for this -- with all the pseudoscientific fuzzy-wuzzyness it implies.

All for around 1K...

So, only a grand , just so I can play one format in 'pure' form (rather than in a converted form that sounds exactly the same)?

No thanks. I'll spend that $1K on something useful. Like more digital storage. Or room treatments.

 

[DuncanS]

Say what?
It's either analogue or it's pure DSD - you cannot have analogue DSD. It's an oxymoron.
The encoded on SACD files are DST files in DSDIFF (if done with the Philips tool) and are a different thing.
It's a complete waste of time & effort - 24/96 PCM is superior, less noise & easier to use.

I agree. DSD is actually the output of a 1-bit sigma-delta-DAC and relies on noise-shaping to push the quantisation noise out of the audible band, if this isn't done properly the results are awful. Sigma-Delta ADCs were originally used in low bandwidth systems such as Seismic recorders for the oil/gas industry. For SACD the sample rate used produces the equivalent to 20-bit/96kHz. PCM is technically superior at 24-bit/96kHz. That said I like SACDs they're an improvemnt on CDs. The thing that can ruin either SACD or DVD-A is poor mastering.

 

[DuncanS]

I agree. DSD is actually the output of a 1-bit sigma-delta-DAC and relies on noise-shaping to push the quantisation noise out of the audible band, if this isn't done properly the results are awful. Sigma-Delta ADCs were originally used in low bandwidth systems such as Seismic recorders for the oil/gas industry. For SACD the sample rate used produces the equivalent to 20-bit/96kHz. PCM is technically superior at 24-bit/96kHz. That said I like SACDs they're an improvemnt on CDs. The thing that can ruin either SACD or DVD-A is poor mastering.

Should have written 1-bit sigma-delta-ADC!

 

[fredblue]

I agree. DSD is actually the output of a 1-bit sigma-delta-DAC and relies on noise-shaping to push the quantisation noise out of the audible band, if this isn't done properly the results are awful. Sigma-Delta ADCs were originally used in low bandwidth systems such as Seismic recorders for the oil/gas industry. For SACD the sample rate used produces the equivalent to 20-bit/96kHz. PCM is technically superior at 24-bit/96kHz. That said I like SACDs they're an improvemnt on CDs. The thing that can ruin either SACD or DVD-A is poor mastering.

totally splitting hairs but SACDs more akin to 88khz than 96, I thought, no?

 

[fredblue]

Should have written 1-bit sigma-delta-ADC!

haha! whoops! go to the back of the class! (It's fun there, rear speakers and everything!)