DSD64 vs 24/96 FLAC vs Tidal

The Thriller (album) was recorded and mixed in an all-analogue domain.

So any DSD conversion is post, which means it does not bring anything meaningful to the table so to speak.

The best re-mastered digital version I could find is a PCM at 176 khZ / 24 bit. Matches my 1st edition Japanese vinyl quite well.

Adam - not so surely - if Thriller was as you say all recorded and mixed in the analogue domain - and an analogue master is produced - if that is then encoded in  Delta Sigma/DSD and not modified until decoding reconstruction time then one would get any apparent benefits of that encoding format without PCM getting in the way.

I agree if the DSD transfer was made from a PCM master then I can see little benefit other than perhaps optimising for a users particular replay system.....

End to end DSD recorded & reproduced material is as rare as hens teeth.   Multi mic, mIxing/mastering is invariably done in PCM,  simple acoustic, coral & small ensemble with little or no post production editing are about the only way to get end to end DSD,  even then it most likely has a conversion of some sort in the process.    The only people I know that are end to end DSD are Blue Coast Records,  but they freely admit there large ensemble recordings have to be in PCM.  Holland based Sound Liaison are trying hard to perfect DSD & have up to recently been recording in PCM,  they now seem to have worked out recording in DXD.    Both have some interesting reading on how recording & mixing is done.     But it has to be said listening to well recorded simple work via DSD can be very rewarding.    

Interested I assumed the two were totally different and not convertible.

Might ask for a refund from the site as it sold as original DSD, but still profess it sounds so much better.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Adam - not so surely - if Thriller was as you say all recorded and mixed in the analogue domain - and an analogue master is produced - if that is then encoded in  Delta Sigma/DSD and not modified until decoding reconstruction time then one would get any apparent benefits of that encoding format without PCM getting in the way.

I agree if the DSD transfer was made from a PCM master then I can see little benefit other than perhaps optimising for a users particular replay system.....

Good point Simon. I was actually thinking the same - if an analogue master tape is available than capturing in any digital format is possible - PCM or DSD.

Obsydian posted:

Interested I assumed the two were totally different and not convertible.

Might ask for a refund from the site as it sold as original DSD, but still profess it sounds so much better.

I wouldn't go as far a claiming discounts. But at least you see now that all that glitters is not gold...

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Adam - not so surely - if Thriller was as you say all recorded and mixed in the analogue domain - and an analogue master is produced - if that is then encoded in  Delta Sigma/DSD and not modified until decoding reconstruction time then one would get any apparent benefits of that encoding format without PCM getting in the way.

I may have the history wrong... but I understood that archival transfer of (2ch) analogue Masters was one of the end goals when DSD was being developed.

Ok so got some feedback and bit of digging myself - 

DSD file created by Gus Skinas from the original Sony Super Audio CD cutting masters.

Ok so got some feedback and bit of digging myself - 

DSD file created by Gus Skinas from the original Sony Super Audio CD cutting masters. 

Also the max FLAC is 24/96 which is what I have.