DXD or DSD256 download

At this moment I am completely confused about filters/modulators and what version of albums to buy and download.

Before I start these are my settings in HQPLayerEmbedded:
Output mode: SDM Auto Rate
DSD : Integrator : FIR2 SDM-SDM conversion: XFI
SDM settings:
1x Oversampling: poly-sinc-gauss-long , Nx ; poly-sinc-gauss-hires-lp
Rate Limit : 245760000 (DSD512)

Case 1: Spirit of Turtle

https://spiritofturtle.com/collections/downloads/products/beethoven-complete-symphonies-vol-6-download?variant=48664275255623

This album is recorded by audio engineer Bert van der Wolf in DXD format.
On the site it is available, amongst other formats, in native DSD (stereo & immersive) and DSD256.
Only considering stereo here:
In principle DXD has been converted offline to DSD256.
I assume that during conversion a PCM filter and a Modulator are applied Right/Wrong?

What is the exact filtering/modulation process when I listen to DXD – > DSD512 ?
What is the exact filtering/modulation process when I listen to DSD256 – > DSD512 ?
(and what is the possible impact of the (unknown) filters/modulators used during conversion.

Case 2 : Native DSD
https://www.nativedsd.com/product/fr752-tchaikovsky-symphony-no-5-schulhoff-five-pieces-for-string-quartet/?attribute_pa_channel=2ch-stereo&attribute_pa_quality=dsd-256fs

This album has been recorder in DSD256, converted to DXD for editing and converted back to DSD256.
It is available for (stereo)download in DSD256 and also in DXD.

During the conversion for editing, from DSD25§ to DXD and back, are filters/modulators applied ?
Then what would be in theory the better choice to play via HQPlayer:
a) the 'edited DXD , not converted back to DSD256 , upsampled to DSD512
b) the DSD256 upsampled to DSD512.

And just for the sake of my mind’s health:

If I have an album in 44kHz/16bit PCM , upsampled to DSD512, which is the exact filter/modulator process before it goes out to the dac?

You should buy the DXD version.

Oversampling Nx and Modulator.

Integrator, Conversion and Modulator.

Yes…

Edited DXD would be closest to the original in this case.

If you buy DSD512 from NativeDSD, the path would then have been DSD256 → DXD → DSD512. There is no intermediate DSD256. If you want to buy DSD, this would be better option than the DSD256 version.

2 Likes

Thanks Jussi
I have not lost my mind afterall😁