Playing DSD files

@o_holter ,

I have been sing Foobar2000 since July-2020 and have not played a disc again. I have ripped my 150 SACDs to DSF files. I play these WITHOUT converting them to higher rates.

But I to convert my 500+ FLAC albums to 512 DSD via Foobar. Please see the link below that is super helpful for the initial setup on how to play DSD using Foobar.

Foobar2000 setup for DSD playback

Once this setup is complete, experience it. And when you are ready, you can use the foo_out_asio+dsd for playing NATIVE DSD Vs DoP.

foo_out_asio+dsd component

Good luck and let us know about your experience.

In short, Audirvana seems up to the task, while Foobar doesn't

I am able to get pure DSD out of the Foobar. So I feel it is a user setup issue and not software issue. What is the Output "device" that you have selected? It should be the ASIO+DSD one and not just the Topping that you might be selecting. Also under Preference -> Tools -> SACD try to seletc the output Type as "DSD" instead of "DSD+PCM".

That tutorial like that I have provided is excellent resource for setting up Foobar2000. Yes, Foobar2000 setup is a bit technical in nature. Hence most folks here don't want to deal with it. But the gains are awesome, once you set it up. If you think that Audirvana gives you the results, then that should be the way to go for you.

And you are correct - don't mess with DSF files to convert then to 2X or 4X DSD. The PCM files can be converted to 1X, 2X, 4X DSD if you use the "DSD Processor". The only other s/w that does NOT convert DSD to PCM while upsampling 1X DSD files to 2X, 4X DSD is the HQPlayer. But that requires even more complex setup, which might deter folks.

I recently came across a podcast where Peter Comeau from Mission mention that - the reason why people like upsampling to higher bit rates is because it pushes the noise to higher frequencies. Maybe that is why we prefer DSD to PCM? Whatever - but correct mastering is the key to a great recording.

@o_holter , you are welcome.

Please understand that Foobar2000 is an old software and the user needs to be a bit savvy. And very sincerely - I am not meaning that in any derogatory sense. I have investigated a lot of time for this software than any other piece of software that I could care. It happened because this audio stuff has become an addiction for me, rather than a hobby. So, unless I check your setup (not my intention) I cannot tell you why your Foobar2000 setup seems like an issue, while Audirvana is not. There are other things that you need to check in the Foobar like "exclusive more", etc. Audirvana is probably doing that for you already - hence you are paying for it.

I think most folks might be served better by going to Audirvana or JRiver or other install-and-play softwares, albeit at a price.

And since you are using a laptop, you can try the FREE version of Fidelizer software and see if that improves your Audirvana experience. In my case, it made a big difference, that I went ahead and purchased the license. YMMV.

Good luck.

@o_holter , Fidelizer has nothing to do with DSD. It optimizes playback by shutting down unwanted services and daemons running in the background. There is something more that it might be doin. You can go to their website and lookup.

Like I said, Foobar2000 is not for everyone. I can set it up and configure it in under 30 minutes due to the sheer amount of time I have spent on understanding and setting it up on 2 previous laptops before I installed and set it up on my server. On Audiophilestyle.com website they have a thread on T+A DAC 200 and how to use HQPlayer with that DAC. It is far too complex than Foobar2000, but is supposed to provide the best possible DSD listening experience. Seems like you can convert even Tidal and Qobuz to DSD 512 or 1024. I am thinking of going that route, some years from now.

Here is my setup to get DSD raw out of Foobar and not DoP: