PCM or DSD listening

Is it better to listen to PCM on a great DAC or DSD on a not-so-great DAC?

[greatm]

Wow, I'm surprised. My old ears can't discern one DAC from another so, based upon Paul's analysis, to determine PCM for DSD would be a challenge for me. Guess that this situation saves me a lot of money in the long run.

[matteoromenghi]

Pure DSD256 rocks!
Pure DSD256 leads!
Nothing compares to it.

[danielramirezv]

DSD, always! Thanks for your great videos Paul! 0:44

[ptg]

My experience is the sonic differences between internal DSD DAC of Sony (hence, using SONY's Analog out) and External PCM DAC from the Sony SACD player to a decent PCM DAC is minimal. As a mater of fact, I rather enjoy the Sony SACD players MULTI CHANNEL SACD out much more..

[goodsound]

Only fewest of SACD player/transports will output DSD digitally anyways.

[manitoublack]

Get a decent receiver/amp and transfer over HDMI.

Pink Floyd DSOTM will blow you mind. Especially in 5.1.

[DavidslvPT]

I would have loved to know what was the player, my Sony SCD-555ES delivers a lot of detail. I wouldn't negate that something built today would outperform the DAC on my SACD player that was built in the year 2000, but I would have my doubts if a cheaper recent model would do it (for instance the Sony SCD-XE800 comes to mind, and I have tried both and they are not the same)

[Hi-EndAudioGuy]

Agree with others that DSD64/SACD is not better than PCM, maybe a slight improvement over CD (16/44.1) below 10kHz but it does get more noisy in the higher frequencies. The old Sony SACD players actually sounded very good already so I would not get hopes up too much.

*No way DirectStream MkII "blows away" the Sony.* Dare anyone succeed with a volume-controlled blind listening test. Paul's obviously doing a sales job here.

[carlosalvarez]

This is the classic and greatest problem with DSD, yes, 128 and above sounds better than anything else, but, and this is a big one, only USB can carry the signal, and the inconveniences of USB are known, plus, only high end streamers include USB outputs. I love my few DSD pieces, but I can only play them from my computer using foo bar out with USB.

[SSTC.]

Well... Most likely, you're listening to "DSD" already. Virtually any modern DAC chip uses some form of a 1-bit delta-sigma modulator at the output. Even your phone, your TV and your crappy bluetooth speaker does it's actual digital-to-analog conversion using "DSD"

[louisperlman]

Best way is to try it both ways. Buy a DAC with return privileges see for yourself.

[gdownz]

I've tried a few different dacs including the stock one in my optical out CD players and streamers and always enjoy both the Schiit modi and the multibit. For the money it's hard to beat and the sound is night and day 👍

[dangerzone]

The problem with DSD is it has a poor transient performance. Maybe old ears don't hear it.

[JonAnderhub]

Unfortunately, Paul is wrong DSD is not better than PCM, in fact, it's worse but first let's look at the source of DSD.
Do you think the DSD you are listening to is "pure" DSD?
It's not!
98% of SACDs either have an analog source with a lower dynamic range, higher noise level, greater harmonic distortion, and lower frequency response, or the source is PCM right Paul?
Now DSD cannot sound better than the source because DSD cannot be used to improve the signal quality right Paul?
Typically to improve the source quality the best option is (you guessed it) PCM.
DSD is limited to a dynamic range of 120 dB while 24-bit PCM is capable of 144.5 dB and 32-bit floating point PCM has an incredible dynamic range of 1, 528 dB right Paul?
Most salesmen trying to sell you DSD will dismiss the greater dynamic range of PCM claiming that the greater dynamic range of PCM is unnecessary but are quick to toute SACD's greater dynamic range than 16-bit 44.1 kHz right Paul?
Let's talk about DSD noise, particularly excessive noise that is so excessive it has to have a filter in place because it will damage audio equipment right Paul?
The only way to stabilize DSD's one-bit architecture is to add a massive quantity of noise which must be "shifted" into the "ultrasonic range right Paul?
Now those salesmen selling you DSD will tell you that this noise is virtually unhearable but they won't tell you how it affects the hearable audio.
If you take a 1kHz sine wave and combine it with a 30 kHz sine wave the 1kHz wave will no longer be a pure sign wave but will be distorted even though you can't technically hear the 30 kHz sine wave right Paul?
Adding sine waves of different frequencies results in a different waveform.
The presence of higher harmonics in addition to the fundamental causes variation in the timbre, which is the reason why the same musical pitch played on different instruments sounds different.
So no Paul DSD is not only NOT superior to PCM, it is in fact far inferior to PCM.
#PaulMcGowen
#PSAudio
#OctaveRecords

[digggerrjones]

You can't beat PCM properly done!!