SACD ripping using your PS3 (part 2)

[GaryWW]

+1 for JRiver MC

JRiver Media Center software

[ted_b]

Guys, thanks for the quick reply. Ted, your setup certainly proves it can be done and I am excited to hear of the great sound quality you are getting. I am hoping that multi-channel DACs are in the very near future. In the next month or two I would like to purchase a Mac Mini, Audirvana, and if need be a 2 channel DAC and start digitizing/listening to my collection. Past that I am hoping to use the great directions Ted sent along to digitize my SACDs but of course to play them back in multi-channel I need a multi-channel DAC. I am hoping to use the iTunes App on a iPad Mini to control the whole thing.

 

Since much of this is new to me, do most DACs hook to surround sound receivers over RCA connections? Will multi-channel DACs use an HDMI connection to a surround sound receiver?

 

HendersonD, a few things. One, iTunes cannot do DSD so you'll need to use another software player, as per my comments (A+, PM, JRiver). Second, there are already several PCM multi-channel DACs (exasound E18, does stereo DSD, Metric Halo, Prism Orpheus, Steinberg, etc), but to do DSD multichannel is more difficult (which is why the stack was such news). Other DAC mfger's are moving there, though, so I think we'll see others in 2013. Third, you are confusing where the DAC is in you surround receiver example. The DAC you are using is in the surround receiver. When you decide to go to a higher quality DAC, you would not want to send it to a receiver..you would take the DACs analog output and send it to a preamp or amplifier(s). The receiver is the weak link (jack of all trades, master of none) an should not be used.

[HendersonD]

I think I can digitize my CD collection with iTunes and then use A+ for playback. I think I read on their site that I can use A+ in iTunes mode to basically provide playback capabilities directly from music digitized via iTunes.

 

It seems like the output from the DAC would go directly to a preamp, not an amp, is this correct?

[ted_b]

iTunes does not support DSD. A+ is not iTunes. If you said you were going to use A+ I wouldn't have responded as I did. A+ creates proxy files that sit in your iTunes library and point to the real DSD files (becuase iTunes does not support DSD). A mess, in my humble opinion....but whatever. A+ is, overall, a very good program. When i used it I didn;t do iTunes integration, I used its desktop.

 

The output from a DAC can go to either, depending on the functionality of the DAC. Many DACs have the ability to do their own remote volume attenuation, allowing users to connect directly to amps. It's not my favorite way to do things, but it's a growing trend. My only point was not whether it went to a pre or an amp, it was making sure it doesn't go back, in your examples, to the receiver (especially via HDMi as your example used) or you'd be likely re-digitizing the signal, and/or worst case, using the mid-fi analog stage of a home receiver. There is nothing wrong with a home receiver,per se, but don't use it in the signal path after working so hard to get native pure unconverted DSD multichannel playback!!

[HendersonD]

I will download the trial for A+ and give it a spin. I will also download the J river software and try it out. My only thought about going with iTunes is I have an iPhone that I like to use in the car for music playback. iTunes makes it easy to transfer music to the phone. Does the J River software allow any music transfer to an iPhone?

 

My Denon receiver I believe has straight pre-amp RCA inputs but if I am reading you correct, purchasing a better quality integrated pre/pro or separate preamplifier and amplifier will yield better results. If I go that route, of course the only thing I give up is the tuner

[ted_b]

hendersonD, I am in no way telling you to delete your iTunes library or uninstall iTunes. Yes, it works great with your iPhone (and ipad, etc). We all have iTunes somewhere in our life. Again, my point is that DSD playback (and quality PCM for that matter), not to mention multichannel, requires better playback software than iTunes IMHO. But they can coexist in ones world.

 

If you like your Denon receiver as your preamp, go for it. But yes, purchasing better stuff will result in better sound...if not, return them.

[HendersonD]

Thanks for the advice, I will take a look at some pre/pros. There are certainly much better options for playback than iTunes and the interface has gotten more cluttered over the years. The advantage with digitizing with iTunes is the ease of transfer to my phone. Digitizing with one method for playback at home and digitizing the same content with iTunes to make ease of transfer to my phone is certainly a lot of extra work.

 

Do you know if CDs digitized lossless into iTunes can be used by the J River software?

[ted_b]

Thanks for the advice, I will take a look at some pre/pros. There are certainly much better options for playback than iTunes and the interface has gotten more cluttered over the years. The advantage with digitizing with iTunes is the ease of transfer to my phone. Digitizing with one method for playback at home and digitizing the same content with iTunes to make ease of transfer to my phone is certainly a lot of extra work.

 

Do you know if CDs digitized lossless into iTunes can be used by the J River software?

 

Yes, JRiver can use your iTunes library as its own. Just point it to the actual music folders.

[mugsy]

Hey ted_b!

 

Stumbled upon this thread a couple months back, which sent me on a wild Ebay hunt to get an appropriate PS3. After three failed 'outbid at the last second' attempts, I finally snagged a 'ylod' example for £40. A complete tear-down and very thorough clean, new properly applied heatsink compound (Arctic Silver 5), an original 19-blade fan (again from Ebay) and new 15mm high adhesive feet (important for better airflow) resulted in a far quieter & working machine!

 

Your superb guide & download links have been a godsend - Got it all working this afternoon and am already on my tenth SACD. Touch wood, no return of the 'ylod', and I'm making sure I give the PS3 a rest after every third disc.

 

So basically this is a rambling post to say thank you for breathing much needed life & usability into the SACD format for so many! Much appreciated indeed

 

John.

[ted_b]

Thanks John! Nice to hear this feedback.

 

BTW, these guys supposedly do great YLOD work.

eFX-Computer - PS3 Repair

[elcorso]

Hey ted_b!

 

Stumbled upon this thread a couple months back, which sent me on a wild Ebay hunt to get an appropriate PS3. After three failed 'outbid at the last second' attempts, I finally snagged a 'ylod' example for £40. A complete tear-down and very thorough clean, new properly applied heatsink compound (Arctic Silver 5), an original 19-blade fan (again from Ebay) and new 15mm high adhesive feet (important for better airflow) resulted in a far quieter & working machine!

 

Your superb guide & download links have been a godsend - Got it all working this afternoon and am already on my tenth SACD. Touch wood, no return of the 'ylod', and I'm making sure I give the PS3 a rest after every third disc.

 

So basically this is a rambling post to say thank you for breathing much needed life & usability into the SACD format for so many! Much appreciated indeed

 

John.

 

Great John,

 

I have mine on 25 mm (1") feet always on AC when ripping and covered from dust when not. About 600 SACD ripped plus previous use from the other owner and still pushing...!

 

Mine was 'constructed' from two bad condition PS3.

 

Cheers!

 

Roch

[agentsmith]

Tried ripping yesterday and my PS3 seems hesitant to read SACD discs, with PS2SACD giving me error message of no SACD inserted.

 

It seems to be able to read it after turning machine off and on etc.

 

My machine is relatively new condition and have been dedicated only for SACD ripping, and usually 2 or 3 at a time before retiring for the night.

 

Any idea if this is a sign the drive or the motherboard may be heading to a demise? Is there anything I can do? e.g. cleaning laser head? Any recommendations?

[hardfour]

I wanted to let everyone know that there is now a plug-in that supports DSF tagging in MusicBrainz Picard. Picard isn't my favorite tagging program, but given the limited tags that come off a SACD ISO, it's very useful nonetheless.

 

More info can be found here:

DSF file format plugin (Page 1)

[edorr]

OK. I'm on board and will join the ripping party. Planning to build a HTPC for my concert Blu Rays and SACD collection, with a BR drive to play one off movies as well. Will also run my satellite TV into this box - the works.

 

I had my 2 channel SACDs ripped by someone else but will do my MCH collection myself. First need to get the hardware. Will ANY PS3 with 3.55 or below do. I see some PS3 "slim" for sale on eBay. Will these work? How do I know if the unit has a drive that reads SACD? Ted, where can I find your guide? Can anyone send me the more detailed specs of the hardware I need? I want to make this as painless as possible.... Thanks in advance.

[ted_b]

OK. I'm on board and will join the ripping party. Planning to build a HTPC for my concert Blu Rays and SACD collection, with a BR drive to play one off movies as well. Will also run my satellite TV into this box - the works.

 

I had my 2 channel SACDs ripped by someone else but will do my MCH collection myself. First need to get the hardware. Will ANY PS3 with 3.55 or below do. I see some PS3 "slim" for sale on eBay. Will these work? How do I know if the unit has a drive that reads SACD? Ted, where can I find your guide? Can anyone send me the more detailed specs of the hardware I need? I want to make this as painless as possible.... Thanks in advance.

 

Erik,

email sent. One of four older SACD-compatible models, and must be 3.55 or less. Info and links in email.

 

However, if someone already ripped the ISOs (needed to do before they extracted 2 channel) then you don't need hardware, you just need sacd_extract and my

extract DST DSF multichannel " bat file. Please advise.

[edorr]

Erik,

email sent. One of four older SACD-compatible models, and must be 3.55 or less. Info and links in email.

 

However, if someone already ripped the ISOs (needed to do before they extracted 2 channel) then you don't need hardware, you just need sacd_extract and my

extract DST DSF multichannel " bat file. Please advise.

 

Thanks. Someone ripped my 2 channel ONLY SACDs. I have no ISO for any of my multi channel discs (the majority).

[DaveX]

Like many others I found this site and thread while looking for a way to rip SACDs. I purchased a PS3 on eBay, contacted Ted B for his guide - which is remarkably well written and complete, thanks! - and started by installing OtherOS. It would not install through the PS3 menus even though the firmware was at 3.50. I ended up using the recovery method which seemed to work fine. After the firmware update I went to settings to verify that the new version was 3.55. It was, excellent! Then the unit froze, including the screen. I waited to see if it would recover, then powered it off forcefully, waited a second and turned it back on. Now there is no video output on HDMI or composite. Any suggestions?

[DavidMC]

Hi All, I am having trouble finding an early PS3 and am running out of time - I am preparing for the Newport show. Would anyone be able and willing to burn my (few) SACDs to my hard-drive? I also have DVD-A I would like burned and am not sure how to do that either. All I am interested in is the stereo version as I have a loaner DAC (exaSound) for the show that will pass the highest resolution and want to show it off well.

[DaveX]

DVD-A is pretty easy. I use DVD-A Audio Explorer. Open the Audio_TS file on the disc, the program shows you what's on the disc including the format, bit depth and sampling rate. Select the tracks you want to extract, click on the disc icon, pick your destination, check Store and Ignore stream encryption then Go. When it's done you can open the files in Foobar2000, convert them to FLAC or whatever you like in bulk, then add tags and rename the files using the File Operations > Rename to, and enter %track% - %title% if you want your tracks to be formatted as track number - cut title. If you've already got the disc in another format with the tags the way you want them you can copy those tags to the new files with a couple key strokes. Foobar makes a lot of this very easy after you get to know it.

[DavidMC]

DavidX - thank you for that information, I will give it a try. I want to go with the JRiver and want the highest resolution I can record as I have a DAC available that will go up to 384k / 32 bit.

[DaveX]

I assume JRiver will do what you need to do after you get the MLP files extracted with DVD-Audio Explorer. The sound quality would be the same for Foobar2000 or JRiver or pretty much any other player.

[Bootzilla]

Hi Ted and thanks for all that you do for the SACD ripping community! I have a TEAC UD-501 DSD-capable DAC and just last night I took delivery of a PS3 (CECHA / OFW 2.42) from an eBay seller. I want to prep the PS3 properly and would be most grateful for a copy of your guide. Thanks very much!

[ted_b]

DavidX - thank you for that information, I will give it a try. I want to go with the JRiver and want the highest resolution I can record as I have a DAC available that will go up to 384k / 32 bit.

 

As I said in my email, no need to reinvent the wheel. I helped Chris discover software to do DVD-A rpping (DVAudio Extractor, although Explorer works too) and he wrote, for us, a huge instructional article that is in his academy section now.

 

Computer Audiophile - How To Rip DVD-Audio, DVD-Video (Audio) And HDAD Discs

[ted_b]

Hi Ted and thanks for all that you do for the SACD ripping community! I have a TEAC UD-501 DSD-capable DAC and just last night I took delivery of a PS3 (CECHA / OFW 2.42) from an eBay seller. I want to prep the PS3 properly and would be most grateful for a copy of your guide. Thanks very much!

 

Pm sent. But remember folks, I mentioned just a few pages ago that the guide is now available on the DSD database site. Anyway, welcome to CA. Good luck with ripping your SACD collection.

[JeffreyP]

Ted, thank you VERY much for your guide. Managed to find an older PS3 on eBay that had an older firmware version (below 3.55). Just ripped the Alison Kraus - Union Station SACD. Wow! Enclosed a screenshot.

 

Will be backing up my entire collection this week.

 

Jeff