Downloaded DSD file (.dsf) from PS Audio

Audio Gear Talk PS Audio
1

Hi,
I purchased/downloaded DSD music (10 Tracks of a “CD”) from Octave Records in the DSD128 version.
DSD playback on my system works fine for tracks 1 - 9,
but for track 10 I can hear noise only (German: rauschen).
I found out that tracks 1 - 9 are in DSD128, but track 10 comes in DSD256, for whatever reason.
I definitely bought and payed for the DSD128 version.
If I let roon convert track 10 from DSD256 to DSD128 in DSP, I can hear music (Hello Beach Boys :slight_smile: )
instead of noise. The roon signalpath shows a conversion via PCM.
BTW. I’m talking about “Audiophile Masters Vol I”
My Bridge: Auralic Aries Mini
My DAC: Chord Qutest
My setup should be able to play DSD256 as well, shouldn’t it ?

I need your advises/help !

Thanks in advance

Franz

2

As it is often the case, the problem is sitting in front of the monitor…
For whatever reason in my Aries Mini the system was set to dsd256native,
it should be DSD256Dop. Don’t know yet what that means, but also track 10 is working fine now.
Everday you learn something new :slight_smile:

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3

See here…

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4

You realize that chord does not process dsd natively and when you send it dsd the first step in the chord is to convert it to pcm. Chords are not the dacs you want to use if you are into native dsd because they will always.convert dsd to pcm before the dac stage (Except for Dave)

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5

Chord does not support native DSD unless you’re using Windows, so the streamer can only use DoP.

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6

As Said before, all set to Dop,
everything is fine, and sounds ok .

It was just my curiosity about DSD, so I bought music
and fiddled around……

Thanks for your contributions

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7

By the way: The Cord is accepting DSD, but resamples it to PCM (like Naim) and so I would prefer let Roon do this step (resampling all input to the highest PCM rate) and avoid to buy more DSD files…

8

What is not shown in that signal path is that inside the Qutest is converting the DSD to PCM first and then doing all the digital to analog processing. So, it does not have a native DSD path through the process.

I would let Roon do the DSD to PCM conversion first and then send the PCM to the Qutest, as Roon, imho, does a better job of that conversion than the Qutest.

If you are looking to hear DSD, then you need a DAC which actually plays native DSD, and like I mentioned before, that is not Chord products (except Dave). Most good DACs which play both actually have two DACs, one for PCM and the other for DSD, like the T+A DAC8 DSD.

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