SACD Ripping using an Oppo or Pioneer? Yes, it's true!

[JediJoker]

Who's going to try first!

Me! Using this method, substituting the Mac Java GUI, I am currently happily ripping the multichannel layer of my recently-purchased AF copy of Breezin'.​

[JediJoker]

Fantastic!

Can you do a brief 'how to' guide. Thanks, in advance.

Sure.

 

First, make sure you have Java installed! It is no longer installed by default on new Macs or in recent/current versions of OS X. More about that here. (If you don't want to install Java, you can run the "sacd_extract" program from the command line in Terminal. I haven't done that, but it should be very similar to how it runs on the Windows command line.)

 

Then, you will need this:

 

OK, here is the link to my dropbox folder called SACD. Inside it are the two folders:

* Autoscript for empty root drive of USB stick, and

* SACD Extract for the two files that go on the pc folder, a command file that needs editing (notepad, etc) once you know your players IP address, and the sacd_extract.exe file.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8cunli3d3basmix/AAAY2mPDW9QH_so52EwCCBhya?dl=0

And this:

 

There is a sacd_extract version for OS X in this package: http://dsd.sonore.us/iso2dsd_OSX_v6.zip. Maybe that one works for this procedure.

Please note that you only need the "AutoScript" folder from the Dropbox link. You can download the whole thing as a zip and then discard the "sacd_extract" folder, if you wish. Then follow these instructions:

 

1) Connect your player to your LAN according to the player's manual. Write down the IP address of your player. Check if you see your player in Windows/Network/Media Devices of your PC connected to the same LAN.

 

2) Copy the AutoScipt folder to the root of a USB stick. You can leave your other files on your stick.

 

For a checking purpose, here are the MD5 hashes of the AutoScipt files for players with MT8580 chipset (eg. Oppo 10X):

85fcb3f87931eac271aefcfa58ab5c7d *AutoScript

14b531b622c92dfe159cf36cff954e5a *sacd_extract

85fcb3f87931eac271aefcfa58ab5c7d *AutoScript.TSS

 

Here's where the process diverges:

 

3) Unzip "iso2dsd_OSX_v6.zip" and double-click on iso2dsd_gui.jar. This will launch the Java GUI utility for the "sacd_extract" program. It takes a moment to load. Once it loads, click the radial button to the left of "Server Input" near the top lefthand corner of the window. Enter the player's IP address in the "IP Address | Port" text field. Leave the port set to 2002.

 

4) Turn on your player and turn off the Auto Play Mode and Auto Resume (or similar) in the Playback Setup. Connect your prepared USB stick to your player. The tray should eject. You can leave your USB stick in your player (it doesn't matter).

 

5) Close the tray with an SACD. Wait until the player recognizes the disc.

 

6) In the "Options" pane of the Java GUI, select your desired "Channel Mode," "Output Mode," and whether you want a cue sheet, DST converted to DSD, and/or a printout (of what exactly I'm unsure). Click "Execute." The rip should begin in a few seconds and progress can be tracked in the bottom half of the window.

 

Happy ripping!

[JediJoker]

If ISO2DSD for Mac works for ripping with its GUI, does that mean the Windows version of ISO2DSD would also work with its GUI, eliminating the need for telnet access to the player?

 

That would simplify the process significantly and make it more comfortable for all useres, regardless of the OS.

I can't imagine it wouldn't work just the same on Windows or Linux, though I don't run any operating system but OS X, so I can't test it myself. I thought @grill had already established Telnet access was unnecessary even using the CLI, as long as the player is on the same local network as the computer?

[JediJoker]

Anyone try on BDP-103D and 105D as well? Because I cannot find new stock 103 and 105 here.

Yes, mine is a 103D. One rip down so far.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

[JediJoker]

The most important thing is the sound quality of the ripped file is much better than that from PS2. I have compared the same SACD ripped with PS2 and the Oppo 103D. There is much better dynamics, detail and clarity and layering with Oppo 103D compared with the PS2 rip(which has a character of old style Sony drive with blurred mid range and artificial warmth and airiness). Now you can hear all the details and rich timbre of SACD even at a low volume. Much improved dynamics as if it is a new recording.

This makes no sense. The copy of the disc should be bit-perfect whether ripping from *PS3 or 103D or any other transport. I would suggest placebo effect or confirmation bias is at play. Try a null test using the two rips to confirm what you're hearing is real and not imagined.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

[JediJoker]

...how about Linux?

Yup, ISO2DSD is available for Linux.

[JediJoker]

It is vital that the USB stick is partitioned similarily as a HD, with (at least) the first primary partition as FAT(32).

It won't work if your stick is formatted as a floppy with no MBR.

Incorrect, at least for Oppo 103D on the latest stable US firmware. My stick is ExFAT formatted (I think; will double-check tomorrow).

[JediJoker]

I think there is something substantially different on these Audio Fidelity SACD's that are recreating old 4 Channel mixes.

Sorry, the pedant in me won't let this go: there is no "recreating" involved with the AF Quad series. They take the original quad master tapes and transfer them to DSD, possibly flat or possibly with some mastering applied. They're not going back to the multitracks and remixing in quad to "recreate" old mixes.

[JediJoker]

Does this work with any player ( i.e the bdp 9x ) and not just bdp-10x?

As stated ad nauseam throughout the thread, this only works with players that have one of two Mediatek chipsets. The Oppo BDP-9Xs are not supported.

[JediJoker]

I specifically quoted the computer based one because I wasn't sure if it was using the chipset or reading the iso and doing the decoding on the computer. It wasn't clear to me based on the thread and my meagre knowledge of sacd ripping.

This whole thread is about computer-based ripping of SACDs using players as transports. However, once you have an SACD .iso, you can use ISO2DSD to extract .dff/.dsf files, which—as the name of the program suggests—is its primary function.

[JediJoker]

I suppose I could use Sonore's 'DSDDIFF Edit Master' mode along with it's (or my own) Cue file for use with my Oppo BDP-103 player.

 

I'll give it a go and report back

It works perfectly for me when playing from USB stick using the IR remote and onscreen interface, but is buggy when using the MediaControl app. I did convert DST to DSD.

[JediJoker]

What I recall is that Oppo pulled the SACD-R Support from their 93 and 95, as well as the 103 and 105 at the same time that they added the ISO Support to the 103 and the 105.

Uh, what? No Oppo player can play SACD ISOs, as far as I know. You sure about that?

[JediJoker]

Max - AFAIK, the Oppo 105 and D are still restricted to stereo only via USB. Mch is only via HDMI.

 

Sonically from other threads, Kal likes the Exasound E28 DAC and the Merging NADAC better than the 105D. But, all 3 use ESS DAC chips. The 105D is good for the money, though, it appears. Except for a small handful of DACS, there is nothing yet that does Mch via USB that I am aware of.

I'm holding out for a high-quality standalone multichannel DAC that has every possible input (USB, ethernet, HDMI, optical, coax, AES/EBU), handles both PCM and DSD natively at all conceivable resolutions (PCM up to 32-bit float 384kHz, DSD up to 256fs), and includes every relevant decoder (HDCD, DTS, Dolby, etc.). I can't be the only one who would find this a useful centerpiece for a hifi multichannel A/V system.

[JediJoker]

Why use USB or HDMI? Use the network.

Not all of us serve, and there are those who prefer to use the computer as a frontend with a natively attached DAC.

[JediJoker]

Still not work.....

[ATTACH=CONFIG]28418[/ATTACH]

Have you confirmed absolutely that your Mediatek chip is one of the supported ones? Just because AutoScript ejects the tray does not mean sacd_extract will run.

[JediJoker]

So... Any guinea pigs tried that new official Oppo BDP-10X firmware yet?

[JediJoker]

JRiver MC encodes DSD to dsf, not dst. Also, I think I read somewhere that dst files are more troublesome than dsf files when it comes to retaining metadata! I think!

DSF is a DSD container filetype, like AIFF for PCM. DST is a DSD compression codec, but unlike FLAC for PCM, it is not a container filetype. As I understand it, DSF is incompatible with DST-encoded data, but DFF—another non-codec DSD container filetype—can contain it. DFF has metadata issues, so that would be the root of the DST metadata issue.

 

What are the ripping speeds you are getting, folks? I am using WLAN, and the ripping is about 1.2Mb/s, which is disappointing. I will try with LAN tomorrow.

I'm only getting about 0.6Mb/s over a combination of WLAN and LAN. Oppo 103D is connected via Ethernet switch to an 802.11N extender, while my PC is connected via Ethernet to the main router. I like the sound of your setup, ripping to a local disk. True wired LAN connection not feasible for me, either.

[JediJoker]

The only problem I can see is when the ISO is larger than 4Gb. If the Pioneer or the Oppo only supports FAT then we have to hope that it splits the files like the PS3 version. If however a file system such as exFAT or extN with N one of 2,3 or 4 is supported, then we are in great shape in any case.

I don't know about write, but the 103D reads ExFAT just fine. It's what I use for my USB sticks for that very reason of avoiding filesize limitation. I've used an ExFAT stick to watch a 25GB video before.

[JediJoker]

Just to state the obvious, if the network connections are:

 

Oppo 105 -> wired ethernet -> Airport Extreme router -> wi-fi -> iMac

 

as stated in tmtomh's post, then the Oppo's WiFi implementation isn't being used and therefore is not the bottleneck.

 

The Oppo's WiFi dongle is N, but I'm not sure if it's limited to the 2.4Ghz band or not.

You missed the point: using the WiFi dongle creates a bottleneck, while connecting via Ethernet to a WiFi base station does not necessarily do the same. The example was used to show that WiFi is not the issue; rather, the dongle is.

[JediJoker]

My Oppo 103 has no problem reading hybrid discs. First I would check the initial set up and make sure the default is to read the SACD layer,

 

Setup menu -> Playback setup -> SACD priority -> Multichannel

You don't need to select "SACD Multichannel," just either of the SACD options (the other being "SACD Stereo") rather than "CD."

[JediJoker]

Just to be absolutely certain: ripping confirmed on Oppo firmware version BDP10X-83-0715?

[JediJoker]

sacd_extract-gui might not need Java.

"Written on .NET," so probably no Java necessary.

[JediJoker]

It works perfectly, except a potential issue :

when I look at the dsf file generated through terminal, using the command file -I

it says the mime-type is application/octet-stream while I would expect audio/dsd ?

It's likely your computer has no idea what a ".dsf" is.

[JediJoker]

Ok. And we assume that all new chips will lack this capability?

Best to make that assumption (the worst) and hope that a weakness can be found (the best).

[JediJoker]

Ripping SHM-SACDs also works perfectly.

You know that SHM discs are data-identical to their standard counterparts, yes? The "magic" is all in the plastic and manufacturing processes used to press the disc. Supposedly, this results in a cleaner read and therefore less error correction/jitter.