kcl wrote: > Pale Blue Ego;183471 Wrote: >> One way to capture SACD or DVD-A sound is not to "rip" it, but to >> digitize the analog output using a top-quality soundcard. You are >> going digital-->analog-->digital, but it's possible to get high-quality >> (24bit) stereo wav files that would be suitable for SB3 or Transporter.
> But doesn't that put you back at the mercy of 1st stage player? The > original goal was to capture the unmodified digital output to a file. > This seems to me to be incorporating how well the player processes the > disk. Wouldn't this mean that changing the player would change the > final stage digital stream (and therefore the file's content)? Until the record labels give up on DRM, you are kind of stuck with being at the mercy of the initial CD/SACD/DVD-Audio player. Or getting something like a Meridian and hacking it. But with a good quality "pro audio" sound card, you can easily get 20 or 22 bits at 96kHz. And many of them will do four or eight channels. The newer ones do 192kHz. Start with the idea that the CD version is well recorded, so all you are adding with DVD-A or SACD is some amount of significant data in the high byte of the lowest set of last bits, and perhaps some ultrasonic signal, and a potential for less inter modulation distortion. If the SACD player is delivering value to its analog outputs, you should be able to capture that value with the good AD convertor. Of course, a lot of releases labeled as high-wide are mastered from the same source, and have no additional data, see Stereophile from about 18 months ago. If CDs were close to "Perfect sound forever" all you need is another 4 or 6 bits of width, and a higher sample rate to reach perfection. There are many suitable DAC for PCs and Macs. I have two M-Audio Delta 1010s that are now nearly seven years old. I am sure they don't cost much on eBay -- Pat http://www.pfarrell.com/music/slimserver/slimsoftware.html _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
