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Why SACD Disc playback sounds better than its equivalent ripped DSF file / streaming

Over the weekend, we had a chance to rip a few of our own SACD discs into DSF file.
We then compare the playback of SACD Disc vs the Ripped DSF File on the same audio system.

Player: Oppo 105 SACD player (has USB input to playback the DSF file from original SACD Disc) - using XLR output
Pre-Amp: Denafrips Athena
Amplifier: Two Mark Levinson 333 Bi-Amp
Speakers: A Pair of B&W N801
Room: Acoustically treated
Playback is level match with pink noise track so both SACD Disc and DSF file playback are the same volume SPL.

The ripped DSF file sounds good, but when compare to SACD Disc playback of the same album/song, the Disc playback has slightly better dynamic and transparency.
We could tell with our eyes closed when one of us switches between Disc Playback vs DSF file playback from the same Oppo 105.

Why is that?
Is it because the Disc playback are clocked signal inside the SACD player circuit so it has less digital jitter than the USB file interface playback?

asin

Showing 1 response by audphile1

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,443 posts
 

Try the same experiment but with a redbook CD. 
The outcome will most likely be the same. 
The reson, most likely, is the computer feeding the signal into the Oppo via USB is too noisy and the Oppo is not able to cope with amounts of jitter in the data stream. 
The quality of the USB cable matter as well. 
 

I compared CDs played on a marantz sa-10 to the exact same albums ripped as FLAC fed into the sa-10 via USB from the Aurender N200. It sounded identical. 

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