Not according to Nielsen Soundscan, where CD, for the moment, still reigns as king. Digital sales have levelled off.
Actually, Steve didn't write it is the only one. The key word is "like". "Also, unless you have a wonderful player "like" a first generation Sony which is a true DSD player ...."
Second that. I have the entire first set of AP Blue Note discs, and have subscribed to the Impulse series as well. (I'll pick and choose after that.) Nevertheless, psychologically I just cannot pull the trigger on the $60 discs. While I enjoy jazz, especially from the 50's and 60's, it makes up a comparatively small part of my music collection. In this context, I have to say that given the sound quality of my jazz SACDs and DCCs (including not only the discs mentioned above but also a bunch of Miles Davis discs and some others - maybe 80 discs in all) I am pleased to have a satisfying core library of great jazz music with great sound.
Same here and that's why I'm almost glad they cost that much because it takes them completely out of consideration thereby saving the money for something more financially palatable, like the AP Blue Notes etc.
Has it ever ocurred to you that their high price is precisely the reason why they are being released?
I get your thoughts, but must point out that wanting better resolution and better dynamic range is, effectively, focusing more on the music than those people who don't give a darn about those qualities. After all, sound is the medium that carries the message in music. If it sounds like crap, the message has been soiled, no matter the style of music you prefer.
Ye olde Pioneer 565a (563 in the US, IIRC) plays DSD without PCM conversion, although it is through its analog outs.
If you set them for bass management and distance compensation, you can be sure that DSD has been converted to PCM. I don't know of a player that can perform both on the DSD domain.
Yes, I know. All my speakers are set to large and distance compensation is done at the amp level, not inside the player. I think that any of these adjustments on any player needs conversion to PCM because DSD just can't be tweaked. That is why technologies such as DXD (24/352.4 PCM) came to be, in order to be able to tweak DSD format files by porting them to PCM.
DSD Direct An effective solution for Pure DSD playback is to use an SACD player with digital DSD output and a receiver which can accept DSD and decode it directly into analog. List of SACD Players with Pure DSD Digital Output http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1155206 List of AV Receivers & Pre/Pros with Pure DSD to Analog Processing http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1230824 (and how to play back SACDs the PURE way) http://groups.google.com/group/surr...-pre-pros-with-pure-dsd-to-analog-processing/ "We want as little as possible happening in between the disc spinning in your SACD player, and your speakers providing the pleasure to your ears."
I bitstream DSD through HDMI to my Denon AVR-4310ci Receiver, which also carries the Direct Stream Digital conversion chip and does the bass management instead of the player...I have Sony and Yamaha blu-ray blu-ray players that play back SACD and act as digital transports for the DSD signal. It ain't rocket science and only requires one cable hookup from the player to the receiver to accomplish this!!!
Yep...the receiver does both the D/A conversion and bass management duties without mucking up the DSD signal!
If distance compensation is donde on the amplifier, then the incoming DSD signal is converted to PCM, there's no way to do distance compensation on the DSD domain, and I personally doubt your amplifier or A/V Receiver has an old fashioned analog line of retard which would be expensive and introduce much noise ala old-times Dolby Prologic.
As far as I know if the player or the AVR/prepro is doing any form of bass management or distance compensation the DSD signal is converted to PCM. If you mean that the DSD signal is not being converted to PCM I believe you are wrong. If there is a D/A conversion the DSD signal is being mucked up . Bill
SHM-SACDs Considering the premium price, I agree with Steve that they should clearly spell out where they sourced the material and who was involved with the technical side of things. Does anyone know where they sourced the Monaural masters for the Miles Davis Quintet series (Relaxin', Cookin', Workin'). Both Relaxin' and Cookin' are in better condition than Workin', well, I just picked up Workin',, thats from my initial listen. Has Workin' been released on SACD before?
My Denon receiver's front panel and HDMI video displays both read back as "Multichannel Digital Input DSD", so I have no reason to believe that I'm not reproducing full resolution Direct Stream Digital bitstream with proper bass management for surround playback. I also have a Sony SACD-555ES dedicated player in my system so I know what proper DSD resolution sounds like...I'm getting it in multichannel with my current equipment!!!
There's a huge difference in soundquality between pcm conversion and pure dsd over here. More noticeable than any high end cable, power cords, etc.
