Where do I go from here?

iansr · Nov 6, 2012

A couple of years ago I acquired a Modwright Truth Transporter Platinum Edition. My digital music library is on a dedicated server and consists of CDs that I've ripped and uploaded using iTunes running on an old Apple iBook. This system produces the best digital 16/44 I've ever heard (bear in mind that I've not heard any "modern" DACs such as the Sabre, which may or may not be capable of superior performance.) it is however limited to 24/96 and I know that at some point I will want to start acquiring and hearing hi Rez music files including DSD which looks as though it could take off big style in the next couple of years.
So I'm thinking this might mean I will need to acquire a suitable DAC with a USB input to implement such an upgrade. BUT, what do I about all the AIFF files I currently have on my server; I want to be able to still play and manage these with whatever new set up I end up with.
Any words of wisdom on this subject will be gratefully received.

amirm · Nov 6, 2012

The files on your server don't care what interconnect is used to the DAC to play them. It is the job of the media player there to convert them to PCM samples ready to be played. So all you need is a DAC that is capable of 192 Khz playback. BTW, you can do that even over S/PDIF so USB is not necessary. That said, asynchronous USB is my preferred path for any DAC upgrades

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iansr · Nov 7, 2012

I probably didn't explain my query very well. To the best of my knowledge itunes / AIFF does not handle hi rez or DSD files. Therefore if I start acquiring such music files I will need a new management system/device to upload and play those hi rez files. However, i will still want to play my legacy music files which have been uploaded using itunes and as a consequence are AIFF files. How likely / feasible is it that my new management system/device will be able read and play these AIFF files? If it is extremely unlikely that I will be able to interface with the AIFF files, what is the solution? (Convert them all to FLAC??)

amirm · Nov 7, 2012

Oh, I see. Yes, you would need to switch applications for DSD. AIFF though is usually supported. On PC for example, Jriver supports both AIFF and DSD files. If not, you can use tools to convert it to another format like FLAC as you mention. Since AIFF is uncompressed (i.e. lossless) the conversion is harmless other than the initial work which can be batch converted.

The bigger deal is actually finding another media player whose user interface you like. I would start surveying what is there first and then deciding if you want to make the switch. Personally I don't put any value on DSD downloads so that is not a concern for me. I didn't think iTunes had problems with 192 Khz but I am not a Mac guy

. People usually get plug-ins for iTunes which do away with its sample rate conversion and with it, get native playback.

Vincent Kars · Nov 7, 2012

Not a Mac guy either but OSX does support UAC2 (USB Audio Class 2) so over the USB you can do 24/192.
iTunes doesn’t allow for automatic sample rate switching so if your collection is mixed
- Everything is played at the same fixed rate
- You adjust the sample rate manual
- Use another media player http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/SW/OSX/Players.htm
My personal favorite JRiver plans a OSX version.

DSD need both a media player and a DAC supporting it to play it natively.
There is a growing list of DACs supporting DSD over USB (Dop): http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/HW/USB_DSD.htm

Mike Lavorgna has a nice list: http://www.audiostream.com/content/dsd-ready-dacs-short-list

catastrofe · Nov 12, 2012

IMHO, your best option (if you want to stick with your Mac) is to use Audirvana Plus as your playback software. You can still use iTunes for your library management, and A+ will handle all file types including DSD.

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Where do I go from here?

iansr

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amirm

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iansr

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amirm

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Vincent Kars

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catastrofe

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