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

Really? Aren't you the one that posted some images above suggested just how good the pro's are for DSD and how bad the con's look for PCM?

It does read like you are on a mini-crusade here. Not exactly sitting on the fence.

Anyone that technically disagrees does not necessarily have to have vested interests either.

23kHz filter on DSD and lots of HF noise beyond that. Read the last few months of AIX blog on this topic. It is quite interesting.

The reviews of the DCS Verdi and the Auralic processors in the January and February 2014 Stereophiles make interesting reading. Having heard a DCS stack once, it is clear that Meridian is not the only digital way for SOTA sound. Of couse the proof is in the D2A since none of us actually listen to digital sound; perhaps DCS and Auralic are both really good at D2A and the digital format is incidental?

To listen to DSD content via a Meridian system surely all one needs is an SACD player capable of decoding to PCM or a USB device capable of receiving downloaded DSD (the latest Oppos do all this and more) plus an HD621. Meridian have a solution so the content is not unaccessable, it's just that the decoding to PCM is not done in their hardware - not a problem for me.

If the argument is purely about which approach is 'best', which must surely be accompanied by a decision about available content, than that is a personal investment choice.

That fantasy USB to SPDIF device I've been whittering about elsewhere just gained the capability to decode DSD to PCM

In general we have all made this choice with the contents of our bank accounts.

Until the DSD supply chain is complete from studio to ears for a majority of recordings (IMO unlikely to happen as a standard in my lifetime) this is not a viable financial investment option.

I love what I have today Hector.

Hmmm... I see, I understand what you mean, one can actually think that, if you only read that one quote of my post, but if you re-read all that I wrote about DSD, then I'm sure, yes I am, you will get a different opinion of what I'm after here.

This thread started out with the question, whether DSD is coming back as a download based format. I said, I see some people trying to bring DSD back to life, or even to grow its catalogue (download portals) and hardware base. So, if these people succeed, then yes, there appears to be a great catalogue to come and maybe to own.

I saw the same question on other local forums, people bring back SACD to attention. So due to that overlapping I jumped in. Of course we can all ignore it, we can also ignore others enjoying 5.1 via USB. We can ignore so much, but should we?