DSD vs PCM

DSD is the best recording medium in the world. Learn more at Octave Record's YouTube channel!

[pandstar]

I went to a short seminar by Dr Waldrop at an audio show a few years ago. He made it pretty clear that does not care that much about soundstage and imaging.

And to me, that is where DSD is very noticeably superior.

[jopar]

One thing people miss is the EXPERIENCE in the mind that DSD can give you, versus other format is exceptional - There is an assumption that better must always sound 'better' but then dont clarify what 'better' actually entails ! DSD for me does sound better but its the absorption INTO the music that my mind does is different from flac for example - This is subtle - not everyone listens like this

[michaelwhitby]

It depends on what DAC you use. For example the Chord Dave sounds better with PCM whilst various others sound better with DSD. If your DAC suits DSD then it will sound better than DSD & vice versa

[northborneo]

Without going through the technicalities, which truthfully I am not knowledgeable about.. I do hear the difference between DSD recordings and regular recordings, and I can hear more details on DSD recordings. However, a bad recording will still be a bad recording even if it's in DSD.

[imkow]

my guess that in theory DSD's advantage is it's PDM signal can be directly fit into the last stage of a class-D power amplifier, cutting out the decoding and encoding DAC processes thus "direct" in DSD ..But in reality there're very few of such special amplifier devices existing as product. most people use some kind of DAC that takes DSD as input and outputs analog signal then regenerates PDM signal by a common class-D amp at downstream, much like a traditional PCM audio system.. resulting almost no advantage on the consumer market..

[edmaster]

I agree with Paul. DSD sounds so much more natural. I think it is better to compare PCM against DSD. Although PCM in higher resolutions sounds smooth, the 'lightness' of DSD, the fragile details are so missed in PCM and all the effort that goes in getting to sound PCM nice (like on real high-end DAC's) are like lipstick on a pig. Thank you guys for advocating for DSD!

[ptg]

For some reason, my ears are not as discriminating.. I've had many opportunities to listen to both DSD and PCM (including Octave Record releases) and can hardly tell the difference.. It is possible that my stereo is not resolving enough but regardless both sounds AMAZING to me. It is always good to have CHOICES !

[PartyMusic]

Thank you for being the champion of DSD and leader to shepherd us out of the dark ages.

[ShahidiSabri]

digital conversion chips available now, are mostly 24 bits, delta to sigma conversions technique, the latest conversion technique, the best of all it is in a stereo format.

[RingZero]

To the mechanically inclined group, PCM to DSD is like Geared ratchet to a Gearless ratchet.🙏🏽

[Enemji]

It makes no difference to people who can’t hear the difference 🤣

[chrisharper]

Seems to me the only value to DSD is that you could directly drive a class D amplifier with it. Seems silly to use the format for mastering as you'll always be converting it to another format for editing and mixing. What is the point? Sounds like misinformation being propagated. If you went from DSD to PCM and then back to DSD and claim it sounds great, then the PCM format must be okay.

[phanboyiv]

High res PCM and DSD capture the same information, mathematically speaking. One does not capture more than the other, one does not encode more information than the other.

The only difference between them is how they capture that information.

Both DSD and PCM's means of capturing that information produce artifacts (also provable with math), which each format deals with differently.

Which means someone that says "DSD is better" needs to show mathematically that the way DSD vs PCM captures information and deals with artifacting produces effects on the audible spectrum - which to date no one has been able to do, because neither format does.

Otherwise we're all just talking about subjective experiences, which aren't reliable data and can't prove anything. If your brain thinks DSD is supposed to sound better, your brain will make DSD sound better - whether or not DSD actually sounds better in a measurable sense.

My personal theory is that DSD has gotten a reputation for being "better" precisely because it *is* hard to work with in the studio - editing DSD is so hard people usually don't bother to manipulate it much post-recording, so DSD recordings tend to be pretty "flat" and less-manipulated (unless people recorded in PCM and then converted to DSD after mixing and recording, which often happens, in which case it doesn't matter)

It's not a better format in any technical way at all, it's just so hard to work with it discourages recording and mastering engineers from monkeying with it :D

[WSS_the_OG]

The whole system needs to be good enough to reveal the difference. DSD isn't something I miss if it's not presented AB alongside PCM. I don't have an incredible system by any means (mostly NAD class AB ampifiers, late 80s era JBL monitors), and even I can hear the difference between DSD and PCM on that stuff; to me, it's especially noticeable on very fast higher frequencies, like busy hi-hat work. The difference is likely considerably more profound on better playback gear.

[raulgarcia]

For me when I listen to DSD I get a better sense of space in the recording. I hear more of the trail off after a note is released giving the music a more realistic feel. It’s like the space between the notes is more active but in a natural way even on my modest setup.

[barebarekun]

To me PCM sounds great but I can tell it still sounds like a "record" a bit edgy and ringing a bit on highs especially when things get busy while DSD are much more dynamic and natural sonically still the closest thing to Analog recording.
DSD really showcase its advantages in genres that have a lot of instruments, big band, jazz fusion and classical when things gets to crescendo DSD remains clear and detailed while PCM would struggle at highs and smear and ringing harshness starts to occur, brighter masters on PCM really exacerbate its weakness.
Too bad SACD specifically are so hard to rip due to its proprietary nature and high level copy protection makes them hard to archive for people who just wants to listen to their SACD collection elsewhere.

[MCMTL]

Solid video, Paul!
Dr. Waldrep is a fountain of knowledge, and he has convincingly established that most people cannot reliably distinguish between hires formats in blind tests (although I don't remember if DSD was part of that study).
But my biggest concern with him is that it sometimes feels like he's got a horse in the race since he also has a label.
On my Grado SR325is headphones, with my CHORD Mojo using the UAPP app, DSD sounds somewhat cleaner, more transparent. But it's by no means worth the headache to find free or affordably priced files to download.
I've also been trying to build an SACD collection but short of spending thousands of dollars, it'll remain limited in size and it'll never be comprised of albums I actually chose, just the best titles currently available out there. (If I was into classical music, it'd be easy. But for jazz and classic rock, foggetaboutit.)
So yeah, DSD is a pain in the a$$ at the user end as well.
Cheers from Montreal.

[amdenis]

I love the “docta, docta”, a la Little Shop of Horrors. Love your show Paul. Thanks!

[Telemed]

I agree with Paul on this one - DSD does sound better IMHO. Hey Paul- "Leslie" from the UK is probably a male, not a female. In the UK, the feminine version is most often spelled "Lesley."

[ThinkingBetter]

It's simple: Record in DSD (best for preserving the music with what the sigma delta ADC outputs). Play in PCM (best for distribution and device support, still with scalable audio fidelity).