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My good friend and fellow audiophile Gerald k and I have made a compilation of music files which we feel are perfect for testing new equipment. We wanted to use music that we not only enjoy listening to but which also has the abillity to reveal flaws in the signal chain. I listen mostly on Headphones (Sennheiser/ Audeze/ Audio Technica) while Gerald listen only on speakers (Tad, Kharma/Linn/Naim). We have spend many an evening and several bottles of Cotes de Rhone wines arguing and eventually agreeing on this list of audio equipment test music. This is what we came up with, please feel free to comment or post alternatives, if possible with a link as to where to purchase the music that you feel is ideal for this purpose. We also looked for reviews that we felt agreed with what we hear in the recordings. Sound stage and definition 1. Carmen Gomes inc; '' I'm on fire'' from Thousand Shades of Blue Sound Liaison Music Shop Placement is perfect on this young audiophile classic as well as the near perfect natural recording of the voice, but the real test for audio equipment when listening to this recording is it's ability to separate the kickdrum from the upright bass. The two instruments are playing the same pattern. On less than optimum equipment it might be difficult to separate the two, but with good setup you clearly hear the upright at 10.00 and the kick dead center with a nice decay that one generally do not hear on commercial recordings. There are lots of speakers and headphones with ''extended lows'' but low with definition is a whole different ballgame. Hifi; 2 Alban berg Quartet; Bartok String Quartet no.1 in a minor 1th movement. (LP,EMI) in the beginning of this movement the 4 instruments all play mainly in the same middle and upper register. Despite all that mid and high information the music should not sound harsh. This recording has the same perfect sound stage as the Carmen Gomes recording. We believe that this kind of sound stage with such a sense of depth and realistic placement is only attainable when you are recording the musicians in one room at the same time. Amazone Intelligible representation 3. Frank Sinatra; ''What's New'' from Only the Lonely. Frank is maybe a bit too prominent represented but one should still be able to notice all the different lines played by the various instruments in this incredible Nelson Riddle arrangement. 4. Me'Shell Ndegéocello; ''Levictus:Faggot'' from Peace beyond Passion. Here we have the opposite, the voice is a bit too soft in this optimum funk piece yet you should still be able to hear every word. easily optainable http://www.amazon.com Depth and Space When talking about depth and space we had to include a couple of Reference Recordings tracks. This label has allways done justice to it's name and consistently produced recordings of very high quality. 5. The Concord Chamber Music Society;''Danza del Soul'' from Brubeck and Gandolfi works. 6. Doug Macleod '' the Night of the Devils Road'' from There's a Time here you have two completely different pieces of music, one by The Concord Chamber Music Society and one by blues legend Doug Macleod accompanied only by guitar and kick drum. But the depth and the space of these two recordings is simply outstanding. Enjoy the music.com; Audiophilia; Reference Recordings Complete Audiophile Classical Music Orchestra and Jazz HDCD Catalog 7. Andre Heuvelman; ''Oblivion'' from After Silence 8. Joni Mitchell; ''Comes Love'' from Both Sides Now Andre Heuvelman's rendition of Astor Piazzolla's master piece have a great sense of depth. Every instrument sounds rich and full with a gorgeus natural decay. On lesser equipment the sound of each instrument can become a bit of a blur while on good equipment the sound of each instrument should be clearly defined with a clear sense of the room this recording have been recorded in. Same goes for Joni's wonderfull standards collection, it is a big hall you are listening to. Sound Stage on the Sound Liaison recordings; Sound Liaison Music Shop Both Sides Now won a Separation 9. Miles Davis; ''Stella by Starlight'' from the Complete 1964 Concert 10. John Scofield; ''Just Don't Wan't to be Lonely'' from Uberjam Deux we use these recordings to check for spill between left and right channel. The Miles recording was done on a 3 track tape machine and therefore there is this very wide sound stage and separation between the instruments; piano complete left, horns and bass dead center, drums completely right. drummer Tony Williams sometimes does not play at all and on those moments all one should hear on the right channel of the piano is a faint echo. All Music; John Scofiel's cover of the old Main Ingredient hit has a complete left right separation. The organ is audible on the left channel only and the rhythm guitar is on the right. The separation is so extreme that if you were to disconnect the right channel you would not hear any rhythm guitar at all, just like on the early Beatles stereo LP's. Jazztimes; Imaging 11. Trevor Pinnock; Mahler symphony no. 4 this delicate chamber orchestra arrangement of the great Mahler Symphony is a real beauty. the all music review said; Linn Records - Mahler: Symphonie No. 4 12. Iona Brown and the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra;''the Spring'' from Grieg two Elegiac Melodies. the Grammaphone review puts it well; http://http://www.naimlabel.com/recording-grieg--tippett--beethoven.aspx Batik; '' The Bird'' from the Old Man and the Sea just about perfect imaging, left to right evenly laid out for your eyes and ears to see, piano, bass, drums, guitar and again a one room recording. Unbelieveable why sofew companies do this when it can yield so very satisfactory results. http://http://www.soundliaison.com/ Audio Stream; John Scofield;'' Never Turn Back'' from Piety Street the drum intro has a small imperfection, there is a soft ringing sound on the left channel probably coused by a sympathic resonance in the drum set or in the room. The moment the organ enters it kind of cover up the problem, although if you really listen for it you can hear it through out the track. Wonderful old fashioned sound stage. All Music;

This is the absolute best value all in one integrated amplifier on the market today! New retail for $3500 asking $2395 + Paypal. I'll ship for free.Perfectly maintained Simaudio Moon ACE, all in one unit.Featuring the MiND (MOON intelligent Network Device) module which provides convenience and a full graphic interface, allowing you to effortlessly access your digital music library with power and flexibility; Add TIDAL and an unlimited world of music awaits you. The DAC is also Roon Ready and easily plug into your Roon ecosystem. The ACE is both intuitive and easy to use. Featuring all new advanced setup software, this is the most configurable and customizable MOON component ever offered. Bridging digital and analog audio at a price-to-performance ratio that is impossible to beat, the ACE includes a high resolution DAC with DSD decoding up to DSD256 and 32-bit/384kHz PCM. At the other end of the audio spectrum, a moving magnet phono preamplifier rounds out this complete package.The finest sounding and most complete “all-in-one” available, the ACE can do virtually anything expected of a high-performance audio component of this nature. Accentuated by the world renowned MOON sonic signature - visceral tight bass, transparent midrange, precise natural highs - along with lifelike sound, plus countless features, the ACE will be the “heart and soul” of all your musical indulgences. Top rated, reviewers choice award after award given for this unit: WhatHiFi, Soundstage, Stereophile, Digital Audio Review, all give this unit top rankings and so will you! Significant Design Features • 3 line-level inputs including a front-mounted 1/8” mini-jack for personal media players. • Headphone output on 1/4” jack located on the front panel. • Seamless integration with our MiND app. • 8 digital inputs include USB (hi-res audio), SPDIF (2), Optical (2), Qualcomm® aptXTM audio for Bluetooth®, WiFi and Ethernet. • OLED type screen which provides more detailed information. • Simple MiND setup via on-board software menu. • Moving magnet phono preamplifier input. • Analog inputs are configurable to “pass-through” mode, which bypasses the gain stage to accommodate components like a home-theater processor, whose own volume control is used. Specifications Output Power at 8Ω 50 Watts per channel Input Sensitivity 370mV - 3.0V RMS Input Impedance 22,100Ω Gain 37dB Signal-to-noise Ratio 100dB @ full power Frequency response (full range) 10Hz - 80kHz +0/-3dB Crosstalk -100dB THD (20Hz - 20kHz @ 1 watt / 50 watts) 0.02% / 0.02% Intermodulation distortion 0.005% PCM Bit-depth range / sampling rates 16 - 32 bits / 44.1 - 384kHz DSD sample rates DSD64, DSD128 & DSD256 Thanks for looking and feel free to reach out with any questions and Serious Offers. Price is Firm.

I have just read a positive review in July number of Italian magazine AudioReview about this new little DAC from Project http://www.box-designs.com/main.php?prod=preboxs2digital&cat=s2-line&lang=en A very reasonable entry level price for experimenting with MQA, but apparently not at all entry level performance. Main specs from Pro-Ject infosheet: • Dual mono construction • High end ESS Sabre ESS9038 dual DAC • Proprietary clock circuity design • Organic polymer capacitors and thin film miniMELF resistors • MQA hardware decoding • DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 & DSD512 (DSD over PCM) • Up to 24bit/192kHz for optical & coax inputs • 7 selectable digital filter characteristics • 1 proprietary optimum transient digital filter • Headphone output on the front (6.3mm) • Synchronization of all internal oscillators • Jitter as low as 100 Femtoseconds! • Gold plated four layer PCB • Full alu/metal sandwich casing in silver or black SRP: € 349,00

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.

I just received this new unit, ordered via Amazon.com yesterday. So far, I have been listening to DSD64 files (DSF's) purchased online - plus those ripped via PS3 from my SACD collection. Headphone listening only thusfar - with my Schiit Valhalla/Senn 650 combo and my Grado RS-1/Grado RA-1 amp. Very good sound; better than my Schiit Loki, for sure. I haven't placed it in my big system as yet since my wired network is in a different spot, and still have a lot of files to move over. Speaking of which - the Sony "HAP Music Transfer" application leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. You can only sync a folder - rather than select subfolders (i.e.: albums) to transfer. And since there is a 100 subfolder limit on each sync - and I have over 300 albums each in it's own folder, it has turned into as bit of a pain. Any other HAP-Z1ES owners out there with suggestions, tweaks or other relevant comments? Would love to compare notes. Thanks. Merko

I found that when playing dsd files, dac can only get PCM signals. Could I make it locked in dop mode when playing dsd? Don't know if these lines can help. [email protected]:~# cat /proc/asound/card1/stream0 AUDIOBYTE BLACK DRAGON at usb-aotg_hcd.1-1.1, high speed : USB Audio Playback: Status: Running Interface = 2 Altset = 1 Packet Size = 127 Momentary freq = 95997 Hz (0xb.ffe4) Feedback Format = 16.16 Interface 2 Altset 1 Format: S32_LE Channels: 2 Endpoint: 5 OUT (ASYNC) Rates: 44100, 48000, 88200, 96000, 176400, 192000, 352800, 384000 Data packet interval: 125 us And if I use ssh to tap in "squeezelite -D", system returns nothing, seeming like stuck.

I'm using sparky usbridge(dietpi&allo gui system) connected to hydraz, then coax to dac. When playing pcm through squeezelite, everything is fine. But when it goes for dsd native output, dsd stream can not be detected by hydraz and of course no sound can be heard. Then I tried the dac's internal xmos interface. DSD native output goes fine. I guess this indicates incompletely supporting for sparky, right? So can someone help me get hydraz worked for native dsd playing on sparky?

I just received this from my friend Alex from the Netherlands and I can confirm that the code works. https://www.soundliaison.com/index.php/536-sound-liaison-dxd-music-sampler

Hey CA, As of today I pulled the trigger on this new USB -> IIS/AES/Coax interface from Matrix (literally as in the past week or less, purchased from Shenzen Audio): MATRIX X-SPDIF 2 32Bit/768kHz DSD512 Hifi Audio USB Interface From their (Matrix) website, this is under pre-release / first batch status as of this month. I couldn't help grabbing one to try after reading the spec sheet and the native power topology - meaning the default method of supplying DC is external. Searched around on here and could only find impressions of the V1 (matrix x-spdif), so I'd thought I'd start an impressions, thoughts, etc thread on the latest rev.

I recently purchased a Topping NX4 DSD DAC that was DOA. I exchanged it for a new one and now the replacement seems to be misbehaving, as well. That said, do Topping have a QA problem? The NX4 DSD appears to be unable to switch modes from DSD to PCM and will erroneously decimate DSD to PCM. The rear light is constantly blue, never red which will indicate DSD processing. Is this normal? So it now appears time to make a decision. Do I try for yet another NX4 or look higher up the food chain at the DX3 Pro or the DX7S? Will these be better behaved?

I'm currently on the look out for a new DAC with DSD 512, Streaming etc. I had never heard of this DAC before but there's a very impressive review here: https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2019/06/14/cocktail-audio-x45-pro-music-player-dac-review/ I had my eyes set on the latest Denafrips Terminator DSD 1024 but the reviewer thinks Coctail is better! And the price is the same as Terminator with loads of extras like CD Play/Ripping and phono stage too (not that I need it). This looks like another great DAC alternative. Anyone with any thoughts/experiences with Coctail DACs especially with the latest 45Pro? Thanks.

You're being stupid here. There is no direct comparison in this fashion between 1-bit DSD and 24-bit PCM. Too entirely different encoding methods but you know that. By the way, Bishop is also a big fan of DSD.

8 more DSD Multichannel releases are available this week from Native DSD Music. They include 5 new DSD albums from Challenge Records International Classics, Channel Classics Records, Eudora Records, London Symphony Orchestra Live, and TRPTK plus 3 more from the 2L catalog. Two of the releases are early releases - coming 3 weeks ahead of the official release date. Two also are DSD Exclusive, Not Available on SACD titles. https://www.facebook.com/NativeDsdMusic/photos/a.765895486802195/2153539384704458/?type=3

Sound Liaison has released a handy sampler to test your DAC's preference. http://www.soundliaison.com/all-categories/6-compare-formats Test your DAC! Format Comparison sampler 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. 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://www.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

Hey, guys! Just sold my NAD M51 and looking for a new amazingly sounding DAC with maybe a streaming option. Would be nice also if that was capable of DSD 512 and maybe PCM 768kHz, just in case Must have XLR balanced outputs and Toslink input. The budget is around $6000 US. Can go higher if needed. My other components are: Foobar2000/HQplayer MacBook Pro (late 2017), USB digital interface: "Gustard U16", Integrated amplifier: Musical Fidelity - "Nu-Vista 600", loudspeakers: "ProAc D48R". Would be super grateful for all suggestions! Thanks!

I'm new to computer audio and need help with the following. I have a trial version of Audirvana Plus 3.0. I'm using a Benchmark DAC3 that can receive DSD in DoP1 format. The problem I have is that the Forced Upsampling to DSD option in Audirvana is greyed-out and Audirvana does not recognize the DAC's DSD capability. Otherwise, and in PCM format, Audirvana and the DAC play well together. What am I not doing correctly?

A number of DAC manufacturer's are limitng the output for DSD with -6dB, compared to output for PCM. I have personal experience with Holo Audio Spring DAC and iFi micto DAC's. Other models from these manufacturers do the same, as specified in their manuals. I understand that theoretically DSD can go up to 0dB, and even uo to +3dB for short peaks. But in practice, this turns out to be counterproductive, at least when upsampling both PCM and DSD (DSF) to DSD256/DSD512. From the same SACD album, upsampling the SACD layer (DSF file) to DSD256 results in (+/-) 6dB lower output level, compared with the redbook layer (AIFF file) . This means I have to crank up the volume by 6dB (on my preamp) to keep same sound level. Using a DAC from one of the forementioned brands, the output level is pushed down another 6dB, as the DAC receives DSD data. As a result, I am receiving a -12dB level with DSD, compared with PCM. So, why are these (and probably other) DAC manufacturer's do this? I find this rather annoying to say the least (one of the reasons why I have sold my Holo Audio Spring dac) Dirk

What is a good approach to listening to DSD files (.dsf mainly) with a Chord DAVE? Edited: (my error in setting things up).

Hello, first of all, I'd like to say i'm not fluent with english so please, try be comprehensive with me ? I have 2 questions. Both of them are related to my configuration which is based on : A Raspberry PI 3 B+ (1 board) An Isolator v1.2 card (1 board) A KATANA V1.2 DAC (3 board) That makes a 5 boards stacked in the selled by Allo acrylic Case. This config is powered by 2 external power (both 5V 3A : coming from Allo's website and bought with the Katana) : 1st one directly on the Isolator card (USB-C connector) 2nd one using USB-C connector on the card on top of the set-up (SparkOS Micro Controller) There is a 8GB sd Card on which I've installed Volumio. Volumio is reading audio files from a NFS share located on a NAS. I don't have issues to read FLAC files but I can't read AAC, SACD tracks inside ISO file, DSD tracks inside ISO file, DFF files. 1- Can you explain me how can I do that please ? I also realised that when I don't play any track, it's like if there were some "wind" in the room. I mean I can hear a noise which I don't hear if I switch my amplifier on another source (like CD player, turntable or TV). 2- Do I have to check or change anything to make it work normally ? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks a lot.

My top 3 music for December 2017; Linn has a 3 for the price of 2 offer through out December :Linn Sound Liaison has released a magnificent follow up to the 1st Enghave Barok download, with a sublime recording of one of Bach very best cantatas the Bwv 39. Sound Liaison The download is on special offer for $/€ 10 this month. That is steal for that kind of recording quality.

The preamp Rotel RC-1590 has a built-in DAC based on chip AKM 4495. I am not sure at 100% about the model. Anybody knows how could native DSD be played from a USB attached Linux box (native Linux, DietPi, RoPieee, etc).? I am not sure about this, but this AKM chip can be the same that use the Teac UD-503 unit.s

I use a Rotel RC-1590 preamplifier with an embedded DAC. The DAC uses an AKM Premium 32 bits 768 kHz DAC, probably an AK4495. I play music from Audirvana+ 3.0.7 from a MacBook Pro with macOS Sierra 10.12.6. When I play PCM music, everything seems to work fine, but when I play DSD audio, a click sound can be heard at the beginning and at the end of the playing. The same happens when I play music from the MacBook with Roon as an output. In both cases I use DoP 1.0. I also have attached a Roon Core over Linux using DoP 1.0 and the same happens there. I don't know if it is quite common this click sounds when playing DSD audio or, on the other hand, it is something related with DoP, Rotel or AK4495 chip. I have not tested the system from a Windows box with native DSD.

Ever since abandoning the Apple iTunes/iPod world for a FiiO X5 and Roon life has been a heckuva lot better. I use a MacMini as a media server with Plex and Roon. The only hole is this nirvana is managing the files that I'd like to copy to my FiiO when I travel. In short... is there a Mac OS app that will catalog my music directories or (even better) read my Roon database and allow me to do iTunes-ish things when copying music to my FiiO? How do I come close to the iPod/iTunes experience with Roon (or a directory of FLAC, WAV, DSF files) and my FiiO? Thanks, Adam

Hi, I'm trying t get the best from my configuration JRiver Media Center 24 (on a fanless i3, Windows 10) Audiolab M-DAC+ (using the provided IUSBAudio Driver ASIO) Since the M-DAC+ supports up to DSD256, I give it a try, using the options provided by JRiver Media Center 24, and, since then I'm converting on the fly my material from PCM to DSD128 (it seems that my i3 is unable to do more than that without stuttering). SQ is heavily modified with the standard material, in a way identically described all over the world. I asked to my my guitar teacher to compare the different versions, without telling him what to expect, and, when I asked to listen a 16/48 converted to DSD128 he jumped on the seat, saying: "Uh!?!". Me, I'm using DSP Studio to do the conversion. Let me guess that I'm bypassing the Windows Audio engine, since with this configuration I can disable the JRiver Media Center 24 and Windows 10 volume). Is it the better choice? By the way I tried also HQPlayer with identical results. Now it hangs, and I don't know the reason. Perhaps I have modified the wrong parameter among the 100's available (HQPlayer reminds me a Caterpillar, full of leverages. On the opposite there are cars with the automatic gear. Me, I like better my Alfa Romeo with a manual gear, and so my JRiver Media Center 24). Thanks

Hi, I'm trying t get the best from my configuration JRiver Media Center 24 (on a fanless i3, Windows 10) Audiolab M-DAC+ (using the provided IUSBAudio Driver ASIO) Since the M-DAC+ supports up to DSD256, I give it a try, using the options provided by JRiver Media Center 24, and, since then I'm converting on the fly my material from PCM to DSD128 (it seems that my i3 is unable to do more than that without stuttering). SQ is heavily modified with the standard material, in a way identically described all over the world. I asked to my my guitar teacher to compare the different versions, without telling him what to expect, and, when I asked to listen a 16/48 converted to DSD128 he jumped on the seat, saying: "Uh!?!". Me, I'm using DSP Studio to do the conversion. Let me guess that I'm bypassing the Windows Audio engine, since with this configuration I can disable the JRiver Media Center 24 and Windows 10 volume). Is it the better choice? By the way I tried also HQPlayer with identical results. Now it hangs, and I don't know the reason. Perhaps I have modified the wrong parameter among the 100's available (HQPlayer reminds me a Caterpillar, full of leverages. On the opposite there are cars with the automatic gear. Me, I like better my Alfa Romeo with a manual gear, and so my JRiver Media Center 24). Thanks