Wish List

[NickB]

1.  UPnP streaming, now that we have an Ethernet port - no reason why it can't be done?
2.  An iOS control app, like ipeng, that allows me to control the Devialet and access my library from the same app.  Currently have to flip between ipeng and the Devialet iOS app to do this.
3.  Direct playback from USB HD - remove NAS, router and all the other stuff from playback chain that we need to manage.  
4.  DSD support - not that I've actually managed to find a DSD album that I want to buy, mind you!   But good for resale value, if nothing else.  
5. AIR for Linux NAS.

Appreciate that most of the above see mutually exclusive, but wanted to get them all down!

"I really think any DSD implementation would just end up as a conversion to the internal PCM format for DSP processing anyway, so what's the point?  Just have one of the many capable software programs decode DSD and send it PCM to the Devialet.  Having the Devialet capable of talking DSD from beginning to the end would be a major rewrite."

Likely yes, but guessing you don't have large DSD collection you'd like to use with Devialet. Some of us do and converting DSD discs with PS3 to DSF files was arduous and we'd like it to have been worth our time. I'm all in with Devialet spitting out new product after new product, although I hope they don't put off DSD implementation for too much longer regardless whether it's native or DoP. BTW. Just how many HDCD recordings do most Devialet users own? I had over 1500 discs and of those, only a couple dozen at most had HDCD encoding. I do remember Joni Mitchell's catalog had a few of them.

I own a few hundred HDCDs, zero DSD.  If I had DSD files I would just use J River to convert them to PCM on the fly.  I'd have to switch to Foobar to do the same with HDCDs and lose the advanced cataloging and awesome remote control of J River.

PS) HDCD encoded disks are still being released, depending on the studio and the use of the Pacific Microsonics A/D converter was involved.

I know, I know converting DSD to PCM is sacrilege, but the Devialet would do it internally anyway for it's DSP processing so what is the difference feeding it DSD and it converting to PCM or you converting to PCM prior?  I don't see them ever implementing a true DSD front to back solution, it's a complete rewrite of everything they have done to date.

As someone who does not really understand the different coding systems, and having read that DSD is a complete waste of time as a system as it gives nothing SQ wise that a good 24-96 or 24-192 flac or wav gives. Can someone explain what would be achieved by have DSD native playback apart from semantics?

Nick

[f1eng]

1.  UPnP streaming, now that we have an Ethernet port - no reason why it can't be done?
2.  An iOS control app, like ipeng, that allows me to control the Devialet and access my library from the same app.  Currently have to flip between ipeng and the Devialet iOS app to do this.
3.  Direct playback from USB HD - remove NAS, router and all the other stuff from playback chain that we need to manage.  
4.  DSD support - not that I've actually managed to find a DSD album that I want to buy, mind you!   But good for resale value, if nothing else.  
5. AIR for Linux NAS.

Appreciate that most of the above see mutually exclusive, but wanted to get them all down!

"I really think any DSD implementation would just end up as a conversion to the internal PCM format for DSP processing anyway, so what's the point?  Just have one of the many capable software programs decode DSD and send it PCM to the Devialet.  Having the Devialet capable of talking DSD from beginning to the end would be a major rewrite."

Likely yes, but guessing you don't have large DSD collection you'd like to use with Devialet. Some of us do and converting DSD discs with PS3 to DSF files was arduous and we'd like it to have been worth our time. I'm all in with Devialet spitting out new product after new product, although I hope they don't put off DSD implementation for too much longer regardless whether it's native or DoP. BTW. Just how many HDCD recordings do most Devialet users own? I had over 1500 discs and of those, only a couple dozen at most had HDCD encoding. I do remember Joni Mitchell's catalog had a few of them.

I own a few hundred HDCDs, zero DSD.  If I had DSD files I would just use J River to convert them to PCM on the fly.  I'd have to switch to Foobar to do the same with HDCDs and lose the advanced cataloging and awesome remote control of J River.

PS) HDCD encoded disks are still being released, depending on the studio and the use of the Pacific Microsonics A/D converter was involved.

I know, I know converting DSD to PCM is sacrilege, but the Devialet would do it internally anyway for it's DSP processing so what is the difference feeding it DSD and it converting to PCM or you converting to PCM prior?  I don't see them ever implementing a true DSD front to back solution, it's a complete rewrite of everything they have done to date.

If I understand correctly it is not even possible to have a digital volume control without converting to PCM, so spending a millisecond on trying to implement it on a Devialet would be a complete waste of time which could be usefully employed making the existing systems work as well as they used to.
Yes, I am fed up...

[Dr Tone]

As someone who does not really understand the different coding systems, and having read that DSD is a complete waste of time as a system as it gives nothing SQ wise that a good 24-96 or 24-192 flac or wav gives. Can someone explain what would be achieved by have DSD native playback apart from semantics?

Nick

You wouldn't want to bring up this subject on the Computer Audiophile forum.  There are threads and threads on it.

I've done some on the fly PCM to DSD conversion into my old Ayre QB-9 DSD and sound did change, it got softer, which many might describe as more analog.   I think that's what the DSD folks like.

[GuillaumeB]

As someone who does not really understand the different coding systems, and having read that DSD is a complete waste of time as a system as it gives nothing SQ wise that a good 24-96 or 24-192 flac or wav gives. Can someone explain what would be achieved by have DSD native playback apart from semantics?

Nick

You wouldn't want to bring up this subject on the Computer Audiophile forum.  There are threads and threads on it.

I've done some on the fly PCM to DSD conversion into my old Ayre QB-9 DSD and sound did change it got softer, which many might describe as more analog.   I think that's what the DSD folks like.

Very interesting. 

Would be good to get more input from other DSD users on here. What is it that you like about DSD? 

Guillaume

[NickB]

As someone who does not really understand the different coding systems, and having read that DSD is a complete waste of time as a system as it gives nothing SQ wise that a good 24-96 or 24-192 flac or wav gives. Can someone explain what would be achieved by have DSD native playback apart from semantics?

Nick

You wouldn't want to bring up this subject on the Computer Audiophile forum.  There are threads and threads on it.

I've done some on the fly PCM to DSD conversion into my old Ayre QB-9 DSD and sound did change, it got softer, which many might describe as more analog.   I think that's what the DSD folks like.

Oh I might just to see the response - I may have lied about the digital stuff and I am a little tired of the "fact" that every time they find a bigger more expensive way of selling us the same original data over and over again a little wearing. If the original was recorded in 16/44.1 or 24/192 or anything less then making it ten thousand times bigger will not help.

If it was/is recorded in DSD and the dynamics compressors are told to keep there nasty fingers out you might hear a difference. But neither is likely to happen to soon is it?

Nick

As an add on to my post above please see this taken from the latest Dr AIX email.

It's starting to make sense to me. After trying for over 10 years to elevate the fidelity of recorded music and establish a meaningful stratification of quality levels, someone finally explained it to me in a single sentence in an email this morning. Simply put, refusing to accept that compact discs are "high-resolution audio" is bad for enterprise. There it was in plain black and white. The message from this individual and lots of other providers of high-end audio components, cables, accessories, and software is that what matters most is not an accurate and meaningful definition of high-resolution audio. What actually matters most with regards to the HRA initiative...and in fact the entire high-end audio business...is how much money can be extracted from audio enthusiasts and music lovers in the quest for the "Absolute Sound" or the "Soul of Music".

Nick

[Music or sound]

DSP has a lot of possibilities in improving sound reproduction and there was in the 90s an early start to implement it. But 1999 the SACD got introduced and as DSD is incompatible with DSP, DSP was at least in consumer electronics disappearing. Then the SACD dwindled away and DSP reappeared. Devialet's ADH is DSP based and therefore can not be done in DSD. DSP is also required for digital cross-overs (I am using that function of my D250 but also now frequently used in active speakers like the Phantom), speaker correction (SAM) or room corrections. Most DACs convert DSD anyhow to PCM but there are also some which do the reverse (or back and forth like the new version of PSaudio). Of course it would be good that Devialet can use DSD files but I see it as last years fad. Not that there are good DSD recordings (many are only converted PCM files) but I think the restrictions of the DSD require a simpler and therefore purer recording process.