Yep it's Austria, near the Slovenian border, so a 3 hour drive. Feel free to drop me a note when you are around.
Will do!
Yep it's Austria, near the Slovenian border, so a 3 hour drive. Feel free to drop me a note when you are around.
If you really want to satisfy your GAS go with a RME Adi-2 Dac.
As I said, I cannot think of a single technical reason why would anyone prefer DSD format instead of PCM.
This is correct. Using Roon, I can play DSD256 using WASAPI/DoP with Topping D50. With Topping D10, Roon automatically downsamples DSD256 to DSD128 for playback.So DoP only up to 128
......
I have a lot of SACDs -- a release on the format is usually an indicator that there has been attention to detail in recording and mastering. The Living Stereo SACDs are a point in case, as are releases by Alia Vox (Jordi Savall), Channel Classics, Chandos, and some others. Some of them are gorgeous in multi-channel so I hope that multi-channel flac or streaming equivalents will become more available.
If you look at the history of DSD, you can perhaps understand why it was a good idea at the time.
In the mid-1990s Sony archival audio engineers decided that it was a better idea to tap the 1-bit stream of the A-D converters they were using (Delta Sigma designs) before the decimation stage (conversion to LPCM) and record this as the archival master. This decision was based on the A-D design and potentially meant that the new master was "purer" than the LPCM output of the same A-D converter. Conversion to other formats such as CD, Hi-Res PCM, etc., could be done at a later stage. Also DAC technologies at the time were a mirror of the ADC, so it was possible to keep this "pure" 1-bit path all the way back to the analogue domain.
Sony took the idea of the "purity" of the 1-bit stream and with Philips developed the SACD format as a "better-than-CD" alternative. However a couple of problems developed: editing and mixing in native DSD was difficult so it was really only suited to archival use or as a final master; ADC and DAC designs changed and the "pure" 1-bit path became compromised by various (superior) multi-bit Delta Sigma alternatives.
So DSD was based on '90s ADC technology but today things have moved on. It is better and "purer" to use modern LPCM technologies and formats. In my mind, Blu-Ray Audio is the optical format of choice, especially for multi-channel recordings, but it, too, is sadly neglected in favour of streaming-ready formats.
I have a lot of SACDs -- a release on the format is usually an indicator that there has been attention to detail in recording and mastering. The Living Stereo SACDs are a point in case, as are releases by Alia Vox (Jordi Savall), Channel Classics, Chandos, and some others. Some of them are gorgeous in multi-channel so I hope that multi-channel flac or streaming equivalents will become more available.
But frankly, I don't mind much if that happens as new recordings sound better and better even in CD quality and there are a lot of remasters been done lately which greatly improve the sound quality of older recordings, so things are actually sounding very good these days.
Amir should now have the OPA1612 I sent him, mounted in such a manner. However, as bhigh suggested:
It could be for naught. Perhaps Amir can give us some feedback on this in the future, before you spend your money on something that may be pointless.
Let's look at harmonic distortion where the Behringer has been an excellent champion at:
View attachment 11521
Ah, we discover something interesting. The Behringer doesn't show a lot of harmonic distortion because its noise floor is much higher. The Behringer beats it by as much as 25 db. By doing so, its harmonic distortion is visible but they are all lower than what the Behringer produces (note: this noise is the combination of the DAC and my analyzer). Net, net the Topping D10 has far better performance even though its graph looks more "busy."
Correct.
As stated here TI is actually suggesting to replace OPA2134 with OPA1642 as both of them are FET designs, while OPA1612 is bipolar, so some compatibility issues may arise.
https://e2e.ti.com/support/amplifie...gn_notes/upgrading-op-amps-in-audio-equipment
hi I was outa town for work. I play DSD256 in DoP modeAre you able to play DSD256 in DoP mode or in Native?
Hmm. The Muses 8920 is the only FET op-amp I sent. I have replaced an opa2134 with an lme49720 before and suffered no ill effects. I don't believe it will cause damage... maybe oscillations in a bad scenario, but that is up to Amir to decide on for risks.
I would be interested in whether or not it caused a noticeable difference, given that it's being fed by another opa2134 anyways.
I play DSD256 in DoP mode