28-Apr-2021, 21:06
@ryann ,
The problem is that you can only get DSD data from a player via an i2S link and, while the Devialet will accept DSD data it does not have an I2S link. As far as I know there is no device that can accept DSD data over an I2S link and output it over an AES/EBU or coaxial/optical SPDIF connection so there's nothing you can stick between the player and the Devialet to solve the problem.
That leaves you with limited choices. You can either:
- rip the DSD data from the SACD, store it on a computer drive, and stream from that drive to the Devialet as Chris Marshall suggests which is what I did with my SACDs. I have them stored on my server and stream DSD via Roon to my Devialet over ethernet. That works extremely well.
- you can use a player that converts DSD to 88.2/24 PCM and feed that to the Devialet. If you still have your old Direct Memory Player you could go back to using it to convert DSD to 88.2/24 and feeding that to your Devialet. It's worth noting that the Devialet's DAC is not a DSD DAC so DSD signals are first onverted to PCM in the Devialet before being passed to the DAC so this solution simply transfers the DSD to PCM conversion step from the Devialet to the player.
- there is a 3rd option. If you use a streaming service which offers high resolution streaming such as Tidal or Qobuz, you could check whether they have any of the music you have on SACD available in a high res PCM format and simply stream their version of the album to your Devialet. If they have the music available that should give similar quality results to using a player to convert the DSD to PCM. If you no longer have the Direct Memory Player and you do have a Tidal or Qobuz subscription then this may be a reasonable alternative for you.
Before I started ripping the DSD layer from my SACDs I used to use my Oppo 105 disc player to play SACDs and feed its analog output to my Devialet. The sound quality was very good, better than digital output from the CD layer of the disc to the Devialet. I don't think you lose much, if anything at all, by using analog output from your disc player to feed to the Devialet if that's the only option you have. I think ripping the DSD data from the disc and streaming it to the Devialet may give slightly better sound quality but the main reasons I stopped using a disc player to play SACDs and started ripping them to my server were the convenience of server playback and the fact that it allowed me to simplify my system by removing a player and the cabling connected to it from my setup. If you aren't streaming file based music to your Devialet and you still want to use a disc player then analog output from SACDs to the Devialet is definitely a high sound quality option and it's the simplest option available.
The problem is that you can only get DSD data from a player via an i2S link and, while the Devialet will accept DSD data it does not have an I2S link. As far as I know there is no device that can accept DSD data over an I2S link and output it over an AES/EBU or coaxial/optical SPDIF connection so there's nothing you can stick between the player and the Devialet to solve the problem.
That leaves you with limited choices. You can either:
- rip the DSD data from the SACD, store it on a computer drive, and stream from that drive to the Devialet as Chris Marshall suggests which is what I did with my SACDs. I have them stored on my server and stream DSD via Roon to my Devialet over ethernet. That works extremely well.
- you can use a player that converts DSD to 88.2/24 PCM and feed that to the Devialet. If you still have your old Direct Memory Player you could go back to using it to convert DSD to 88.2/24 and feeding that to your Devialet. It's worth noting that the Devialet's DAC is not a DSD DAC so DSD signals are first onverted to PCM in the Devialet before being passed to the DAC so this solution simply transfers the DSD to PCM conversion step from the Devialet to the player.
- there is a 3rd option. If you use a streaming service which offers high resolution streaming such as Tidal or Qobuz, you could check whether they have any of the music you have on SACD available in a high res PCM format and simply stream their version of the album to your Devialet. If they have the music available that should give similar quality results to using a player to convert the DSD to PCM. If you no longer have the Direct Memory Player and you do have a Tidal or Qobuz subscription then this may be a reasonable alternative for you.
Before I started ripping the DSD layer from my SACDs I used to use my Oppo 105 disc player to play SACDs and feed its analog output to my Devialet. The sound quality was very good, better than digital output from the CD layer of the disc to the Devialet. I don't think you lose much, if anything at all, by using analog output from your disc player to feed to the Devialet if that's the only option you have. I think ripping the DSD data from the disc and streaming it to the Devialet may give slightly better sound quality but the main reasons I stopped using a disc player to play SACDs and started ripping them to my server were the convenience of server playback and the fact that it allowed me to simplify my system by removing a player and the cabling connected to it from my setup. If you aren't streaming file based music to your Devialet and you still want to use a disc player then analog output from SACDs to the Devialet is definitely a high sound quality option and it's the simplest option available.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.
Brisbane, Qld, Australia
