Well, first off, I really like some Marantz products. Use dual MA-9S2 mono block power amps with the Sound Lab ESLs, for example. Very happy with those.
Part of what it is probably has to do with is SACD itself, which is DSD64. Its not where DSD sounds its best, IMHO. Also, IIRC I would say the SA-10 has a big soundstage and is listenable for long periods of time, but there was just something about the sound that didn't work for me personally. I could speculate as to why, but maybe better to say it just wasn't entirely to my taste.
Some of it could be that the popular theory to the effect that "recorded music is released precisely as it is intended to be reproduced" is to some extent a fiction. So far as I can tell some recordings are known by their makers to be disasters in terms of recording quality but the artists/producers/record_companies hope most playback systems will be forgiving enough so that the music can be enjoyed anyway.
If so then maybe there is a question as to how a dac should best be voiced? For blunt truth or for relaxed listening pleasure. For some recordings blunt truth is wonderful, for others, not so much. Voicing to be more on the forgiving side, to make poor recording sound more listenable and enjoyable, IME means that the finest recordings will not have their full beauty revealed. However, the problem can be fairly easily fixed if one wants to do so by having a remote control with a setting to change between accurate and forgiving reproduction. In that case though, one may want to setup the playlist so that one doesn't have to constantly fiddle with the remote settings, or else listening may not as relaxing and or satisfying to enjoy as one might wish. Could be perceived as sort of an unwanted hassle.
Consequently, again just IMHO (don't have any smoking gun evidence), manufacturers may decide to keep it simple and go for a particular sound that doesn't require constant fiddling around by the user. They may try to find a good sound that will be overall satisfying and simple to use. If my sort of philosophical suspicion is correct, the sound of the particular SACD player just isn't the right fit for me.
Part of what it is probably has to do with is SACD itself, which is DSD64. Its not where DSD sounds its best, IMHO. Also, IIRC I would say the SA-10 has a big soundstage and is listenable for long periods of time, but there was just something about the sound that didn't work for me personally. I could speculate as to why, but maybe better to say it just wasn't entirely to my taste.
Some of it could be that the popular theory to the effect that "recorded music is released precisely as it is intended to be reproduced" is to some extent a fiction. So far as I can tell some recordings are known by their makers to be disasters in terms of recording quality but the artists/producers/record_companies hope most playback systems will be forgiving enough so that the music can be enjoyed anyway.
If so then maybe there is a question as to how a dac should best be voiced? For blunt truth or for relaxed listening pleasure. For some recordings blunt truth is wonderful, for others, not so much. Voicing to be more on the forgiving side, to make poor recording sound more listenable and enjoyable, IME means that the finest recordings will not have their full beauty revealed. However, the problem can be fairly easily fixed if one wants to do so by having a remote control with a setting to change between accurate and forgiving reproduction. In that case though, one may want to setup the playlist so that one doesn't have to constantly fiddle with the remote settings, or else listening may not as relaxing and or satisfying to enjoy as one might wish. Could be perceived as sort of an unwanted hassle.
Consequently, again just IMHO (don't have any smoking gun evidence), manufacturers may decide to keep it simple and go for a particular sound that doesn't require constant fiddling around by the user. They may try to find a good sound that will be overall satisfying and simple to use. If my sort of philosophical suspicion is correct, the sound of the particular SACD player just isn't the right fit for me.
Never heard that theory. You just pulled that out of thin air?
Enough DACs offer switchable filters that you can adjust to taste if you believe in that stuff. Your whole DSD-256/512 argument is just really stating that you like a different filter profile than the ones baked into the DAC DSP, so why not just say that rather than claim some mythical benefits to confuse people?
Not at all. Its a belief that has been worded a little differently by different people. It has been used as a justification for for why people shouldn't use audio gear that doesn't measure 'below audibility.' Its the same morality as saying someone shouldn't add effects to sound during reproduction because its only proper for effects to be added during production. Its not new at all.
Switchable filters is something orthogonal to what I was talking about. Someday if you ever take up my offer to visit, I would be happy show and tell in more detail.
Still news to me. If someone wants to crank their bass and treble knobs to the max to rock out that's entirely up to them. unless you are repeating some high end BS mantra. It is still entertainment not dialysis after all
Converting PCM to DSD in an external program is really no different from what a DS DAC does internally in its DSP, just you can throw floating point maths and silly long filters at it.
Not quite all there is to DSD versus PCM. Please see the attached excerpt from an Analog Devices presentation.
On the subject of adding effects during reproduction versus during production, its a morality I have mostly seen expressed by some of the so-called objectivists. For example, Evenharmonics (remember him?) brought it up many times. So have others.
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First a theory, now a belief. Do you have any quotes for these or are you just making this up?
that's hand waving and you know it. The source material is PCM 99.9% of the time unless you listen to only music from one or 2 specialist labels in europe who record in DSD or you are a sucker who bought into the hires streaming gumph.
I would not use a banned troll as a reference point for a belief.
Hi Bill,
Maybe I wasn't clear enough about what I thought would be obvious from the AD graphic. Here is the way I see it: Most modern ADCs digitize into something called Raw mode, its a few bits at a high sample rate. From there it can be converted internally or externally into PCM, DSD, or whatever. What I think matters most in the context of the present discussion has to do with the quirks of dacs. Some sound better when operated in DSD256 (or higher) mode rather than they do in PCM mode at any sample rate. That's the only reason I suggest conversion of PCM to DSD256 or higher. If you don't hear it then you don't hear it. Fine. Some people do hear it and they aren't all hallucinating. Similarly, some people using some dacs can hear the difference between high res and CD quality. If you don't hear it, fine. Doesn't mean no one else can hear it. Again, this is the way I see it, my opinion on it for now. Also, my opinions are subject to change as new information becomes available. Please have a nice day.
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