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

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

  

OP, others

When seeking a ’new to me’ SACD/CD Player, I found out about this DSD to PCM issue.

I started a similar discussion, some people mentioned specific models that output DSD there. It was mentioned somewhere, that using DSD in the production process was beneficial to the content even if converted to PCM output.

 

the quote below matched my experience listening to SACD: Quieter Noise Floor is about it

"

"Comparison with CD

In September 2007, the Audio Engineering Society published the results of a year-long trial, in which a range of subjects including professional recording engineers were asked to discern the difference between high-resolution audio sources (including SACD and DVD-Audio) and a compact disc audio (44.1 kHz/16 bit) conversion of the same source material under double-blind test conditions. Out of 554 trials, there were 276 correct answers, a 49.8% success rate corresponding almost exactly to the 50% that would have been expected by chance guessing alone.[38] When the level of the signal was elevated by 14 dB or more, the test subjects were able to detect the higher noise floor of the CD-quality loop easily."

.....................

articles I found back then

 

 

as any recording made from analog output is an analog, not digital, recording 

Exactly!...My point is lots of fo9lks think they are listening to pure DSD files.....But they are really listening to a cheap DAC chip in most cases if they are using RCA analog outputs. Some have suggested that the sound actually improves if using Coax output playing Red Book CD into a good DAC.....At 44.1

Roy,
Some SACD players’ analog outputs were not cheap.  Sony as usual launched the format with a no holds barred implementation at a hefty price, and over a few years brought it down to Earth, with attendant compromises.  HDMI 1.2a introduced DSD playback.  I can play an SACD into my Sony AVR in full digital to digital, or use the LDAC of my UBPX1000, but in my “better” 2 channel system….Tidal is the best choice!

Post removed