2. digital
  3. 187219-159065

SACD is VERY confusing

Seems there are thousands of folks out there buying and playing SACDs using coax or optical from a player to a DAC and thinking they are listening to the SACD layer and they are listening to the CD layer. I was assured the Denon DVD-2910,3910,5910 would play SACD through the digital outputs but on the back of the units they clearly state PMC from the digital outputs.....Seems the ONLY way to truly play a SACD is HDMI to HDMI.....Even stripping the audio off the HDMI signal returns it to PMC ..... And everything I've read states the analog outputs, stereo and 5.1 are PMC...

 

Oppo’s User Manual states: “Due to copyright restrictions, SACD audio cannot be sent through the coaxial or optical digital audio output. To listen to SACDs, please use the HDMI or analog audio connections.) IOW, with a DAC that is connected via coax or TOSLINK, you might be limited to playing the CD layer of a hybrid SACD.

I can't believe they would allow DSD files through analog outputs....Wouldn't this violate the whole copyright issue?

.....There are thousands of people out there buying SACDs and listening to them on their OPPO, Marantz or Denon ..."SACD" players, either through digital or analog and they are listening to the CD/44.1 layer.....This is nuts!

rbertalotto

Showing 2 responses by mahler123

mahler123
3,089 posts
 

I output DSD from my Oppo 105 into my Bryston DAC 3 over HDMI.  The Bryston cost me $3K at the time and has gone up..  There were other DACs that had HDMI inputs at the time.  I remember an NAD DAC that was cheaper than the Bryston getting a thumbs up from Stereophile

  Before I got the Bryston I just used the internal DAC on the Oppo and outputted over the analog output.  I seem to be missing something here, as the OP considers using the analog output as unacceptable . Not sure how that violates copyright as any recording made from analog output is an analog, not digital, recording 

  Of course one an output the HDMI into a AVR, but that is a separate can of worms

  

mahler123
3,089 posts
 

I have that player sitting in my basement, unplayed for about a decade.  There is a problem with the drawer; it opens and shuts but in continuous motion, no stops.  Inserting a disc is like shooting fish in a moving barrel.

  I still don’t know why you had a “problem “.  In the end you purchased a SACD player for its analog outs.  Plenty of more modern players do that, with presumably better DACs.  Are you sure the Denon doesn’t convert DSD to PCM?  It’s been so long since I have given that player a thought that I don’t remember 

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