But the DSD encoding is not the sole domain of SACD. Both the CD and SACD layer use the DSD process.
And yes I have conducted a lot of testing over the past couple of weeks, using 2 channel as the main test criteria for A-B comparisons.
I should say straight off that every demo I have had of DVD-A and SACD, before I got my own player, has left me decidedly underwhelmed. I have heard several universal players and several dedicated audio players, including Marantz's new dedicated player, a brand that I rate very highly for digital reproduction.
However I decided I would not draw any conclusions till I could listen through my kit and do direct A-B comparisons with my CD player. Finally, a few weeks ago I took the plunge and bought a Pioneer 757i Universal player and a Pioneer AX5i AV amp. These were bought for home cinema purposes, but of course the hi-def audio capability was definitely anticipated.
I have a fair collection of SACDs that I had bought for the re-mastered CD layers, all of which sounded superb. On playing these in the Pioneer deck (connected via the i-link) I was still underwhelmed. Very sweet and clear and smooth, but no more so than on my CD player.
Listened to a wide range of two and multi channel discs, new and old from Miles Davis and the Stones, through to Nora Jones and The Snow Patrol. Played Diana Krall and Bob Dylan discs with subtle, mainly ambient, 5.1 mixes. The odd discreet tinkling from the rears apart, there was no more of a nice tangible 3D soundstage than one would get with a quality CD player. For the full bells and whistles surround experience I tried "Dark Side of the Moon". Much more obvious surround effects, but in terms of detail and resolution, no more impressive than the CD.
My Audiolab amplifier was having a new bank of phono sockets fitted at the time, so I decided to reserve judgement until I got it back and could plug the 757i directly into it and do a direct A/B stereo comparison with my Marantz CD player, a Ken Ishiwata customised edition.
When I got the amp back, myself and two fellow hi-fi anoraks armed with a huge pile of discs, sat down to a few afternoons and evenings of anorakish behaviour. I connected the analogue L-R outputs of the Marantz and the Pioneer into the Audiolab using Audioquest Topaz interconnects, a highly open and revealing cable in my experience.
Was also able to conduct A-B-C-D comparisons in several cases. Played Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" and The Stones "Let it Bleed" in original vinyl pressings, original CD versions, remastered CD layers and SACD layers. Between vinyl and original CD it was swings and roundabouts as it always has been, both having their strengths and weaknesses. The big difference came with the next comparison, the remastered CD sound. A revelation, putting both the original CD and vinyl firmly in the shade.
Vinyl purists can howl all they want in disagreement over this, but the reason is simple. The record companies are, in the main, making these new masters from the original multi track studio master tapes. These tapes contain the pure studio sound. A sound that is inevitably compromised by undergoing several levels of degradation by the very processes of equalization and compression required to make a vinyl disc. Digital discs do not need to go through these stages, so for the first time ever we are able to re-produce this "first generation" sound in the home environment. Even from master tapes over thirty years old!
However in the next stage, comparing the re-mastered CD layer to the SACD layer, the differences were barely, if at all, noticeable, but every time all three of us listening gave the edge to the CD player in terms of slightly more solidity and a sense of "architecture" to the soundstage. The much touted "sense of involvement" or immersiveness in the sound, attributed to SACD by many contributors to the forums, is nothing new to anyone who has been listening to a well configured CD system of even the most modest audiophile components.
Bought two DVD Audios specifically for demo purposes, "Yoshimi..." by The Flaming Lips, as it was recorded specifically with the format in mind, and "Pet Sounds" a marvellouslly produced album which I was eager to hear in a 5.1 mix. Both were albums I have on CD and know thoroughly, particularly "Pet Sounds" (original vinyl pressing, DMM vinyl, CD, HDCD re-master, 4 disc box set and now DVD-A - boy do I know that album!).
The Lips disc was initially the most obvious "wow" inducer, but only for the heavy reliance on surrounds. Again listening in 2 channel, fidelity wise it didn't seem any more revealing or impressive than the CD. Ultimately I grew tired of the constant and distracting sounds whizzing around the room, which seemed gimmicky and ultimately pointless and irritating. The 2 channel mix alowed one to concentrate better on the performance.
"Pet Sounds" was disappointing as I was expecting to get an insight into the dense production, akin to the revelation of the first stereo mix of the album, but the 5.1 track was mainly subtle ambience and was no more impressive than the superb HDCD remaster.
So I was left with mixed feelings. Pleased that I could still listen to my CD collection and I wouldn't be dissatisfied in comparison to hi-def, but disappointed in that I was expecting to be wowed by the new formats and wasn't.
I really wanted to be lifted to the next level in audio. I'm afraid I am the music industry's dream punter. Replaced the bulk of a huge vinyl collection on CD, then replaced a good 1,000+ of those same CDs over the past few years with the current generation of superbly remastered re-issues. so I was quite prepared to be seduced by new sonic heights and start upgrading everything to SACD.
No need to ...
and at the same time
Beatles/Neil Young/Prince/U2/Kraftwerk remasters 
Linear Mode
