[neils]

Perhaps this has been discussed at length already, but I wanted to know if the SACD format has been finally packaged into some form of audio container, to be stored on HDD, with no changes to sound quality ?

Reason I ask is because I don't use BD players anymore, I have all of my movie files on HDD, many of them BD rips. When I did have a BD player, I totally enjoyed the SACD experience. So now I would like to know if there are sites somewhere to download SACD music files ??

Or perhaps packaging the SACD format has still not been figured out yet. Since I don't own a BD player anymore, ripping the few SACD into an ISO is not an option.

Thanks
Neil

 

[LairdWilliams]

Perhaps this has been discussed at length already, but I wanted to know if the SACD format has been finally packaged into some form of audio container, to be stored on HDD, with no changes to sound quality ?

Reason I ask is because I don't use BD players anymore, I have all of my movie files on HDD, many of them BD rips. When I did have a BD player, I totally enjoyed the SACD experience. So now I would like to know if there are sites somewhere to download SACD music files ??

Or perhaps packaging the SACD format has still not been figured out yet. Since I don't own a BD player anymore, ripping the few SACD into an ISO is not an option.

Thanks
Neil

"SACD" is a disc format that includes as part of the spec the stipulation that the content has to be DSD, which is the audio encoding format.

You can purchase file-based DSD content on-line in at least 3 different forms:
1) DSF files
2) DFF files (more rare)
3) SACD ISO images, which some players can play directly

Several record labels will sell you DSD-formatted content for download directly from their web sites. Pentatone is a great example.

There are also several on-line music outlets that sell downloadable DSD content. AcousticSounds and HDTracks spring immediately to mind. There are others as well.

...and for the record - your BD player, or even BD drive installed inside a computer, would never have been able to rip SACDs. There is pretty much only one working solution out there for SACD-ripping, and it involves a PS3 running OLD firmware that has then been patched/hacked. I happen to have that solution working - but it was relatively expensive and the ripping, extraction, and tagging process is more complicated than for other media.

 

[acebreathe]

In addition to the sites Laird posted there are also Blue Coast Records, Channel Classics, Downloads Now!, in the Acoustic Sounds website go to their SuperHirez store. Then there's Native DSD, and Pro Studio Masters. Some of these sites have free downloads to sample.

 

[neils]

Awesome, thanks guys for all of this useful into. At one point I had read that it was really complicated, next to impossible, to package (or rip) SACD into a file format. So glad that we can now download DSD/DSF type files and play it back with a media player over HDMI.

Will take a look at some of these sites, I am hoping they have more mainstream artists, and not just classic/jazz, for example U2 or Barenaked Ladies for example (not that those 2 are my only fav, the ones that popped into my mind at this time).

Neil

 

[mlknez]

Hi Neil,


Playing DSD files over HDMI is no easy thing. Most players will convert to PCM before they play over the HDMI connection. Most people use USB as their output device for DSD files. Also, make sure that your favorite artists recorded using high-resolution equipment and recorded directly to DSD. If not, the DSD file will not give you any benefit over the CD or a simple PCM file.

 

[LairdWilliams]

Hi Neil,


Playing DSD files over HDMI is no easy thing. Most players will convert to PCM before they play over the HDMI connection. Most people use USB as their output device for DSD files...

I bitstream DSD over HDMI from my Gigabyte BRIX running Win8 and JRiver 20 all the time - no problem. AVR front panel states DSD for stream type. Key is to have an HDMI driver and properly-configured music player that both support bitstreaming. (My Oppo supports bitstreaming DSD also).

 

[thehun]

Most if not all HT AVR /Pre/pro will convert DSD to PCM for post processing anyway unless it has a "pure direct" mode and it's converters are truly DSD-analog[lots of component claims DSD capability but converts it to PCm regardless] but that's for people who won't use any [digital] bass management at all.
DSD has a big resurgence in the computer audio/DAP/headphone world, there is a new DAC released almost weekly by manufacturers one seldom heard of.