Are We Really Getting Pure DSD From SACDs? 🤔

Audio Systems
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Hey everyone,

I came across this article on Headphonesty — Most SACD Players Don’t Deliver Pure DSD Sound — and it got me thinking.

it claims that a lot of SACD players convert DSD to PCM somewhere in the chain, even high-end ones. Only a few actually keep it pure DSD all the way through.

Is this true? And do dCS players keep it truly DSD from disc to analog?

Would love to hear what everyone’s noticed!

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Hi Franco. This is a good article and, yes, it is true. It mainly refers to SACD players but the same can be true for DSD handled in some streamers and/or streamer DACs. Some of them require the user to enter settings menu to select or or cancel conconversion from DSD to PCM.

So it is worth reading instruction manuals carefully and also any technically based reviews such as in Stereophile.

As for dCS SACD transports and DACs, be assured that they are the real thing. However users need to ensure that the SACD layer has been chosen for playback of hybrid discs and that dual AES outputs from transport are used.

The history is that dCS were intimately involved in the development of SACD. The invention of SACD was a joint venture between Sony and Philips and Sony engaged dCS as partners to develop the packing of DSD data on the SACD disc. Note that as joint patent holders Sony/Philips prohibited DSD data from exiting the player. A problem as dCS only made a muti-box SACD capable player. The solution was to encrypt the DSD digital output from the transport and decrypt it in the DAC. The process was ( is?) proprietary ,meaning that dCS transports cannot be used for SACD with other makes of DAC.

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Pete, that’s a great and very informative post — thanks for sharing it. I have a dCS Vivaldi setup, and your note about making sure the SACD layer is selected on hybrid discs caught my attention.

Could you please explain how to select the SACD layer for playback on the Vivaldi system? Thanks. F.

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very simple. Go to transport “Settings” menu and choose Layers". This allows you to switch from transport accessing CD( PCM) to SACD ( DSD) layers or vice versa with hybrid discs.

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