Impressive DXD downloads

[oso]

Has anyone compared the Carmen Gomes sings the Blues with DXD vs DSD?

[audio.bill]

15 minutes ago, oso said:

Has anyone compared the Carmen Gomes sings the Blues with DXD vs DSD?

I haven't but I think that preference will likely come down to whether the DAC being used excels in PCM or DSD.

[christian u]

16 hours ago, audio.bill said:

I haven't but I think that preference will likely come down to whether the DAC being used excels in PCM or DSD.

Which you will only know by comparing the DXD with the DSD

Quote

Carmen Gomes Sings The Blues - ALL TRACKS - DXD (352khz) PREMIUM (5.82 GB) €25.00 Carmen Gomes Sings The Blues - ALL TRACKS - DSD256                         (5.61 GB)€25.00

Would be nice if they would those 2 files on their free sampler;

Sound Liaison Compare formats sampler

[oso]

On 2017-6-7 at 9:27 PM, audio.bill said:

I haven't but I think that preference will likely come down to whether the DAC being used excels in PCM or DSD.

and then how do you know?

[bmoura]

11 minutes ago, oso said:

and then how do you know?

 

By listening to the same track in DXD and DSD on your music system.

Here the DSD does sound more musical when I do that comparison. 

 

[audio.bill]

6 hours ago, oso said:

and then how do you know?

Frans (the recording's mastering engineer) has stated his clear preference for the DXD files as being the best, but if you have a DAC that excels at DSD you may prefer the DSD conversions. I simply stated "I think that preference will likely come down to whether the DAC being used excels in PCM or DSD" which is not a statement of fact. Sorry if you found my input less than helpful. Good listening in whatever format you choose!

[bmoura]

19 hours ago, audio.bill said:

Good listening in whatever format you choose!

 

 

Exactly.

Listen to both editions and whichever sounds best to you, on your music system, that's the way to go.

 

[oso]

On 2017-6-14 at 3:01 AM, audio.bill said:

Frans (the recording's mastering engineer) has stated his clear preference for the DXD files as being the best, but if you have a DAC that excels at DSD you may prefer the DSD conversions. I simply stated "I think that preference will likely come down to whether the DAC being used excels in PCM or DSD" which is not a statement of fact. Sorry if you found my input less than helpful. Good listening in whatever format you choose!

Hi AudioBill 

I found your reply very helpful. I think you are absolutely right. What I mean is you will have to have the recording in both formats, DXD and DSD, to know which sounds best on your system.

I guess that on Sound Liaisons system it will be the DXD since their recording system is build to record DSD.

 

[bmoura]

8 hours ago, oso said:

Hi AudioBill 

I found your reply very helpful. I think you are absolutely right. What I mean is you will have to have the recording in both formats, DXD and DSD, to know which sounds best on your system.

 

I guess that on Sound Liaisons system it will be the DXD since their recording system is build to record DSD.

 

 

 

You can also compare DSD (at bit rates up to DSD 256) and DXD in the "Members Area" over at NativeDSD Music.  Free downloads when you set up an account.

https://members.nativedsd.com/albums/just-listen-1-compilation

https://members.nativedsd.com/

[elcorso]

On 6/13/2017 at 7:01 PM, audio.bill said:

Frans (the recording's mastering engineer) has stated his clear preference for the DXD files as being the best, but if you have a DAC that excels at DSD you may prefer the DSD conversions. I simply stated "I think that preference will likely come down to whether the DAC being used excels in PCM or DSD" which is not a statement of fact. Sorry if you found my input less than helpful. Good listening in whatever format you choose!

 

Some recordings engineers like better DXD since being PCM it's easier to edit than direct DSD recordings.

 

In my case, as a listener only, I like better pure DSD recordings and do not like DXD (PCM) to DSD converted music.

 

Just my taste,

 

Roch

[bmoura]

12 minutes ago, elcorso said:

 

Some recordings engineers like better DXD since being PCM it's easier to edit than direct DSD recordings.

 

In my case, as a listener only, I like better pure DSD recordings and do not like DXD (PCM) to DSD converted music.

 

Just my taste,

 

Roch

 

And some don't.  

 

At the recent LA Audio Show, Cookie Marenco from Blue Coast Music said she didn't like listening to DXD "for even one second"...

 

[oso]

On 2017-4-30 at 0:27 AM, PAP said:

I must say I find this download very impressive. This really sounds as if being there. The label has a very good track record. Their previous releases has all been 96 pcm, and very very good indeed but this DXD takes it all up a notch.

If this is exemplary for DXD recordings then that is what I will be searching for.

 DXD recommendations please!

Sound Liaison; Carmen Gomes sings the Blues. 

Native DSD seems to have embraced DXD. And I wonder if anyone can hear the difference between a DXD recording converted to DSD 256 or one recorded straight to DSD. I  understand that the Carmen Gomes recording was recorded straight to tape as well. Would be interesting if Sound Liaison would release the tape version in DSD next to the version converted from DXD.

[bmoura]

46 minutes ago, oso said:

Native DSD seems to have embraced DXD. And I wonder if anyone can hear the difference between a DXD recording converted to DSD 256 or one recorded straight to DSD. I  understand that the Carmen Gomes recording was recorded straight to tape as well. Would be interesting if Sound Liaison would release the tape version in DSD next to the version converted from DXD.

 

NativeDSD is making DXD files available as well as DSD files up to DSD256.  In the end, NativeDSD leaves it up to the listener to decide which edition of the album they prefer.  The NativeDSD Blog describes it:

 

Quote

 

Ultimately the Listener Decides

The merits of DSD are great, regardless of bit rate. As technology moves forward, opportunities arise to advance the state of the recording and playback art, and that’s what the higher DSD bit rates (DSD 128fs and DSD 256fs) allow. It’s for each listener to say when they are satisfied with their sound quality results.

As a recording producer or engineer, we believe it’s always never good enough. That’s one of the reasons NativeDSD goes to the effort of offering all three DSD bit rates to listeners, as well as the original edited DXD masters for those projects of which we have these files.

It’s ultimately the listener’s decision to choose what’s best. The deciding factor is your playback system’s capabilities combined with the listening environment and your ears. It is our experience that listening to an album from NativeDSD at the highest DSD bit rate that your DAC supports is the best sounding. When you buy high bit rate DSD editions of albums on NativeDSD (DSD 256fs or DSD 128fs), we provide you with the lower bit rate DSD editions at no added cost for your listening convenience (e.g. a portable/other DAC) and comparisons.

We invite you to experiment with the different versions of music (DSD 64fs, DSD 128fs, DSD 256fs, DXD) to understand why one may sound better on your audio system than the other. To facilitate this process, you can visit the Members Section at NativeDSD Music (available to all by signing up for a Free NativeDSD account) on this page: http://members.NativeDSD.com for Free DSD and DXD music downloads to start your experimentation and listening process.

 

1

1

 

http://blog.nativedsd.com/sell-albums-multiple-dsd-bit-rates-dxd/

 

[elcorso]

5 hours ago, oso said:

And I wonder if anyone can hear the difference between a DXD recording converted to DSD 256 or one recorded straight to DSD.

 

The final SQ is very different.  If not, what would be the merit of recording in DSD?

 

5 hours ago, oso said:

Would be interesting if Sound Liaison would release the tape version in DSD next to the version converted from DXD.

 

I'm eager and would pay again.

 

Roch

[PAP]

Nagra seems to have a copy of the tape recording. They used it at the Munich 2017 audio show;

Nagra plays Sound Liaison

 

[bmoura]

On 6/7/2017 at 0:09 PM, oso said:

Has anyone compared the Carmen Gomes sings the Blues with DXD vs DSD?

 

Speaking of comparisons, be sure to check out the newly remasfered Stereo SACD of the original Belafonte Sings the Blues album from Analogue Productions.  Outstanding! 

 

http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/98991/Harry_Belafonte-Belafonte_Sings_The_Blues-Hybrid_Stereo_SACD

[PAP]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTSMwi9Dho0

A fine album indeed.

[bmoura]

4 hours ago, PAP said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTSMwi9Dho0

A fine album indeed.

 

Yes.  A classic.  And kudos to Analogue Productions for such an excellent new SACD reissue! 

 

[tailspn]

On 6/13/2017 at 9:01 PM, audio.bill said:

Frans (the recording's mastering engineer) has stated his clear preference for the DXD files as being the best, but if you have a DAC that excels at DSD you may prefer the DSD conversions. I simply stated "I think that preference will likely come down to whether the DAC being used excels in PCM or DSD" which is not a statement of fact. Sorry if you found my input less than helpful. Good listening in whatever format you choose!

 

Hi guys,

 

Not to diminish any mastering engineers format preference, the question that should be asked is in what context is the preference? I have a different experience than Frans in my work, which involves no post production processing, which may prove helpful I would hope.

 

First just a few words about the recording and playback process. All currently manufactured and available A/D converters used by the vast majority of labels and recording engineers are front ended with Delta-Sigma modulators; a DSD (Pulse Density Modulation) producing bitstream of one or more bits wide. This was to get beyond the PCM 19 bits of resolution (at best, more like 16 bits actually), and significantly lower costs. Recording at 352.8KHz PCM (DXD), 192KHz, 96KHz etc. simply means converting through decimation filtering and sample rate interpolation the PDM bitstream(s) to PCM on the fly within the A/D converter hardware, with its computational limitations. Conversely, the vast majority of available D/A converters (DACs) are rear ended with Sigma-Delta modulators for the actual PDM bit stream(s) to analog audio from a PDM/DSD source bitstream. From a PCM source, the conversion to PDM/DSD takes place in realtime with the DAC's on-board/on-chip computational engine, with its computational limitations.

 

The PDM (DSD) to PCM and PCM to PDM (DSD) conversions in the middle of this recording/playback stream are necessary lossy conversions if any post process sweetening other than simple editing is required. 

 

To that end, if PCM (DXD in the spirit of this thread) is required, which it most often is, then at least performing the conversions in computer hardware offline is preferable to "within the chip/box. Better, less lossy algorithms can therefore be employed. 

 

So, to my point, while it's obvious that if a PCM conversion is required from the original PDM/DSD A/D conversion in order to meet the producers artistic desires through post process sweetening, than that DXD earlier generation is closer to the original source recording. However, from a consumer's perspective, it will usually always be sound quality wise better (with the exception of HD Player software users) to purchase the professional studio software converted DSD version than the preceding DXD source version, and relying on the consumer DAC to perform the conversion.

 

If anyone is interested, PM me, and I'll send you DSD and DXD of the same files for you to compare.

 

Tom

[PAP]

Sound Liaison has released a comparison download. They use the Aul ConverteR to convert from DXD to DSD. http://www.soundliaison.com/all-categories/6-compare-formats

Quote

Which format is best for your DAC?
Every DAC has it's own character, some sounds better using PCM files and some sounds better using DSD files...... Some people find the convenience of FLAC files more important.
Here on this page is a list containing 2 minutes of a song in 11 different formats.

 

http://www.soundliaison.com/all-categories/6-compare-formats

The song is called 'A Fool For You' and is performed by Carmen Gomes Inc.
It’s taken from the album 'Carmen Sings The Blues'.

http:// http://soundliaison.com/studio-showcase-series/276-carmen-gomes-sings-the-blues

 

All the different formats have the same source file, DXD 352kHz (Studio Master).
We used the AUL ConverteR 48x44 for the conversion to DSD and Wavelab for the conversion to the other PCM formats and FLAC.

When you compare different sample rates always start with the lowest resolution.
During listening don't focus too much, hearing is as individual as taste but hearing is also something which can be acquired, like the taste of good wine.

You can choose from the following formats:

1.  DXD 352kHz

2.  PCM 192kHz

3.  PCM 176kHz

4.  PCM 96kHz

5.  PCM 44kHz

6.  DSD 256

7.  DSD 128

8.  DSD 64

9 . FLAC 352kHz
10. FLAC 192kHz

11. FLAC 96kHz

Read more  

 

[bmoura]

NativeDSD also has Free Test Tracks from various albums in Stereo and Surround DSD (up to DSD 256) and DXD in their "Members Only" section.  Available to download at no charge to compare formats and bit rates. 

 

You need to create an account with your email address to access them. 

 

13 DSD Test Tracks

(DSD 64, DSD 128, DSD 256 & DXD Stereo & Surround Sound)

https://members.nativedsd.com/albums/just-listen-1-compilation

 

Mendelssohn Session

(DSD 64 & DSD 128 Stereo)

https://members.nativedsd.com/albums/mendelssohn-session

 

Mahler Symphony No. 3 Outtake

(DSD 64, DSD 128, DSD 256 & DXD Stereo & Surround Sound)

https://justlisten.nativedsd.com/albums/JLBFOMahler3-mahler-symphony-no-3-in-d-minor

[oso]

That's  a good combo those 2 free test files from Sound Liaison and Native; intimate vocal Jazz/Blues and Symphonic orchestral.

On 4-7-2017 at 4:02 PM, PAP said:

Sound Liaison has released a comparison download. They use the Aul ConverteR to convert from DXD to DSD. http://www.soundliaison.com/all-categories/6-compare-formats

 

1 hour ago, bmoura said:

NativeDSD also has Free Test Tracks from various albums in Stereo and Surround DSD (up to DSD 256) and DXD in their "Members Only" section.  Available to download at no charge to compare formats and bit rates. 

 

You need to create an account with your email address to access them. 

 

13 DSD Test Tracks

(DSD 64, DSD 128, DSD 256 & DXD Stereo & Surround Sound)

https://members.nativedsd.com/albums/just-listen-1-compilation

 

Mendelssohn Session

(DSD 64 & DSD 128 Stereo)

https://members.nativedsd.com/albums/mendelssohn-session

 

Mahler Symphony No. 3 Outtake

(DSD 64, DSD 128, DSD 256 & DXD Stereo & Surround Sound)

https://justlisten.nativedsd.com/albums/JLBFOMahler3-mahler-symphony-no-3-in-d-minor

 

[bmoura]

7 minutes ago, oso said:

That's  a good combo those 2 free test files from Sound Liaison and Native; intimate vocal Jazz/Blues and Symphonic orchestral.

 

 

Lots of choices - and listening.  Between the Sound Liaison test files and the 15 test files from NativeDSD.

[bmoura]

Here's another one to compare in DSD vs. DXD:

 

Boyd Meets Girl on Sono Luminus

http://sonoluminus.nativedsd.com/albums/DSL92217-boyd-meets-girl 

 

Quote

Early Release & DSD Exclusive! Boyd Meets Girl is the new album from Rupert Boyd - classical guitarist and Laura Metcalf - cellist on the Sono Luminus label. It features the duo's arrangements of a wide range of music including compositions by Jaime Zenamon, Gabriel Fauré, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ross Edwards, Radamés Gnattali, Astor Piazzolla, Manuel de Falla and Arvo Part. The album also features the duo's arrangement of Human Nature, a song made famous by Michael Jackson and written by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis.

 

Due out on Stereo CD disc at the end of month on July 28, 2017. We have it for you today at the Native DSD Music store in your choice of Stereo DSD 128, DSD 64 or DXD. As always, a purchase of the DSD 128 Stereo version of the album entitles you to download the DSD 64 Stereo edition of the album at no added cost.

 

1

1

 

[Milan]

2L the Nordic sound where one of the first to record to DXD and they have some test files as well:

http://www.2l.no/hires/