DSD Audio

Don't ditch the NAS !!!!    PC's do not do the same job, & then some   

Bottom line first  -  CD is best ripped to 16/44 PCM.  Chose WAV or FLAC etc ,  but that's it.

DSD is a high density bit rate format & is either downloaded as a DSD file or ripped from SACD disc's.  Its a really nice audio format,  but it needs to be native - recorded & processed in that (or related) medium & played in DSD,  It's also more/most suited to simple small group single mic recordings,  complex recording such as full orchestra are better with multichannel PCM. 

Re ethernet,  ditch everything else - ethernet all the way is the only way !!!  

You will be very close to the limit with high density files - 24/192 & DSD - with anything other than ethernet.   You need a LAN switch between NAS & network player connected with ethernet & ideally ethernet between switch & router,  but its OK to wireless or EoM on that link. 

AFAIK SACDs can only be ripped using a specific model of the Sony PS3 and not a PC DVD/CD drive. You can doubtless find more info about this on the interweb.

As Mike says, it seems pointless to rerip or convert your CDs to DSD assuming that the new version of dBpoweramp can actually do this.

It would however be worthwhile extracting the stereo HiRes audio content from your DVD-Audio discs (in PCM WAV or FLAC format) for streaming which can be done using DVD Audio Extractor.

Also the Uniti 2 cannot play DSD content. The only Uniti that can is the SuperUniti. Your NAS would have to transcode DSD to PCM, an entirely pointless exercise. 

 "Redbook" 16/44.1 cd's are PCM.  You cannot "rip" a cd to DSD, as there is no DSD content on it.  You can take the PCM file and convert it to DSD . . . to no apparent benefit as far as I know.  But the later is where people will start to get all worked up and, well . . .

(So if you want to experiment, you can convert something you've ripped and see if you can tell the difference, blinded.)

No gains in re-ripping anything as far as I can see.

DBPoweramp can probably transcode to DSD on the fly, and if your DAC is DSD-capable its possible you may find this preferable from a musical presentation point of view.  Or less so.  Or not fundamentally different  ;-)   Something to experiment with anyhow (though note its then no longer bit perfect).....

PS  Many SACDs were dual layer, and as such may appear to rip OK on your PC.  But what you'll have ripped is only the 'normal' CD layer at 16bit/44khz

The question is if the new DBpoweramp is capable of ripping CD to "DSD" files with the whole awareness that there are not a real DSD files? As in my other posts I have tried to rip CD to semi “DSD” files by JRiver. There was an interesting difference between WAVE and this “DSD” file. However the crack noise between the tracks of the record disqualified this process even as an experiment.

Talking about ripping SACD's.... Is there anyone here on the forum with that specific Sony Playstation 3? I have a lot of SACD's to rip and would be grateful if anyone could help me with this.

 

Originally Posted by sjbabbey:

AFAIK SACDs can only be ripped using a specific model of the Sony PS3 and not a PC DVD/CD drive. You can doubtless find more info about this on the interweb.

 

As Mike says, it seems pointless to rerip or convert your CDs to DSD assuming that the new version of dBpoweramp can actually do this.

 

It would however be worthwhile extracting the stereo HiRes audio content from your DVD-Audio discs (in PCM WAV or FLAC format) for streaming which can be done using DVD Audio Extractor.

 

 

 

Fortunately(!) I only have a handful of hybrid sacd discs and am resigned to downloading them again as dsd files where I am so inclined. This, in my opinion, is a lot less hassle then trying to find an ancient sony ps3 with a particular revision and trying to rip the dsd files, seriously.

A big driving force behind SACD, perhaps the biggest, was making them impossible to copy. The system has proved to be very effective. Well done Sony for keeping us all so honest and out of prison. With the advent of DSD downloads we now have the prospect of buying exactly the same thing twice over.  Thanks again music industry. Nice to know you've got our best interests covered.

When media is "copy protected," we know who is being "protected."  It ain't us!

Yeah Bart. But we're such criminals. I had to stop home taping my LPs because I nearly killed music. That was a close one.

;-)   Good one Harry