Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion HiFi & HT Chat DSD making a return as a download based format?

Interesting to see this discussion has popped up, as I see it also coming back over here in some forums now with the introduction / distribution of the PLAYBACK players developed by Andreas Koch (CH), also with Apodising. Obviously DSD is not as dead as some people think it is.

Video

However I share the believe that was mentioned here before. I also want the most out of my system, and as much as I loved Meridian to follow Surround Standards quickly some year ago, I also would like especially for music to be able to feed it all into any of their processors. The same is true for the USB support of formats. If my G68 would have one.

Andreas,

Who's saying DSD is dead?

What is the difference between dead and a fractional market share ? Feel free to elaborate

I'm far less excited about high resolution formats since I've owned M gear (of the upsampling/apodizing type). While it's very hard to do direct comparisons (as hi-res copies of the same recording usually undergo remastering, etc.) in general I'd say that overall I notice little to no difference in quality between RB and hi-res formats (although I only bother to buy 24/96 variants as there's not much point in taking up extra storage space on M system).

What does make a huge difference to my ears, in all formats, is the quality of the engineering and mastering - I have numerous wonderful RB recordings, many from the 70s, from highly skilled engineers like Tony Faulkner, which consistently sound better than badly engineered modern high-res recordings.

That said, in terms of convenience, I don't necessarily see why M chose not to, for example, implement promised 192 upgrades (presumably firmware only since they appear on product data sheets over 10 years ago?), not sure what harm it would do, and presumably would open them up to customers who don't necessarily do enough homework to understand they're not actually benefiting much from it (try telling the average camera enthusiast they don't want more megapixels, but they might want more dynamic range, better bit-depth, etc...)

Just my 2p worth.

Meridian just don't work that way up to now in my experiance. If it doesn't improve sound, they don't bother. Why should they? As you say, RBCD done properly and played back through Meridian sound superb.
Thoughts, Chris

The one and only reason why Meridian may not bother with DSD is probably license fees (Sony) and the need to convert to PCM anyway in order to use their current DSP structure (like so many use for x-over or room correction, also brought up as a point in the video I linked above) unable to process DSD "analogue like" digital signals natively.

However, I second the thought that most often new masters are created. So the great DSD sound may come from a better master used or remixed. However, that is why I want DSD in Meridian gear. I simple want all great formats that deliver the best, not necessarily a selection of formats. In that respect I do not care, if PCM 96/192 or DSD is better, I just want all the good and great stuff

Source: Playback Designs

Regardless of the technical rights and wrongs, I've heard SACD sound stunning in the past, and would like the ability to play as many types of good recordings as possible on my gear, if Meridian could make that happen with firmware/software mods, that would be awesome.

I think we should be more concerned with compression and limited dynamic range overall than being overly concerned with format wars or niche hi-res re-issues.

DSD - pfft!

This is a very weird argument, as some here have just pointed out, you get exactly that on SACD, what you ask for, be it for a better master, or else, you just get it there. Not on all, but on quite a few.

I find it much more realistic to then just accept another good high end format than trying to turn a "full MP3 industry" away from their headphone / iPhone mega-trillion clients (known as the "loudness war"). Will never happen... never.

So indeed, you should be all in favor of SACD, if people that listen to their audience needs actually make their desires happen.

PS: I do not believe for its PCM structure that a 861 will ever decode DSD natively, but for sure all players of Meridian should offer the very best DSD playpack to PCM conversion.

Well I see your point to a degree. Personally I've never been inspired by the catalogue available on SACD, and a good deal of the so called hi res downloads are little else but upsampled original 16 bit recordings which I don't see the point of. DSD will end up being so niche as to be irrelevant - I'm not surprised that many manufacturers are not falling over themselves to jump onto a very small band wagon.

Have you read the thoughts on DSD from folks like Bob S, Mark Waldrup ?

That is true, and in the video, exactly one of the major points, with the finger into the wound, that was asked for, "core titles" still being absent, hence I also said it is dead, and friends as well. On the other hand some folks have 350 SACDs. It appears a bit, as the CD license has expired, there is that new gathering of parties, and interestingly also download portals, that try to reanimate the format, maybe also by Sony to bring back license payers? Who knows?...

Most likely not, as SACD was recently not on my scope, not at all. Only when I turned after many, many years of home cinema back to music, it came a bit more into my awareness area. As long as good sounding titles are produced, I do not care for pros or cons. Also, on each side, Andreas Koch, as well as Bob Stuart, there will be for sure some personal interests for the platforms they have chosen. In the past, certain hardware appeared to be missing. The video implies this is changing, so certain believes and opinions may change as well. I just like well recorded music.