Outstanding Pure DSD256 Downloads with some DXD thrown in...

[Rushton]

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This is Sound Liaison's second Pure DSD256 release as founder/engineer Frans de Rond begins his shift to recording all of his new projects in Pure DSD256-Analog Mixed. I'm a fan of blues/jazz singer Carmen Gomes and her group Carmen Gomes Inc. They've been playing together for a long time and they are a very "tight" band. You'll find my review here:

Bodacious! A Great New Release From Sound Liaison in Pure DSD256

A reader in a different online forum posed a good question and I thought it worth sharing since we're talking about Pure DSD256 recordings in this thread...

Question: This recording is offered at both NativeDSD and Sound Liaison in DSD512 even though the record was, "…mastered through an HQ analog stereo chain to a DSD256 master." Do you have any opinion you care to share on the value of grabbing the 512 vs the 256 resolution? My DAC should be able to handle either.

My reply: The DSD512 allows for a more gentle Gaussian filter when converting to analog. If your DAC is chip based and plays DSD512 then it is probably optimized for that frequency and DSD512 may sound a bit cleaner in such a DAC. OTOH, if your DAC modulates DSD internally, as does my Playback Designs MPD-8 and a number of other FPGA based DACs, then the DSD256 will sound great and there is little advantage to purchasing the already modulated to DSD512 version (with one consideration below*). The same can be said of DSD1024 offerings, when available.

Sound Liaison and NativeDSD offer the DSD512 because of this difference among DACs, not because it has any inherent greater sonic value in itself.

* One other item that could be a factor to what you may hear is the internal processing power of your DAC. Even if your DAC modulates the signal from 256 to 512 and higher, the already modulated release version takes the load off of the DAC’s internal processors which are having to do this on-the-fly and may be taxed to accomplish it if there is not enough processor power inside the DAC. Having it already accomplished offline might then be an advantage.

Unfortunately, as with so much in audio, this all boils down to “You have to listen to the comparison in your own system to find out what will be best for you.”

 

[Rushton]

Released yesterday, first listen this morning. And, oh my! This is very nice. I always enjoy Ning Feng’s performances and this is no exception. He’s on fire with excellent partnership from the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Jared Sacks’ recording provides his usual superlative results. How he so consistently nails the hall sound is a wonder.

 

[Rushton]

Works for solo flute, the first a transcription for solo flute of J.S. Bach's Suite No 4 in E-Flat Major for Solo Cello, BWV 1010. The second a fascinating work by Hungarian composer Barnabás Dukay (b.1950), his Abandoned path towards the misty distance. (Review to come)

The recording from Hunnia Records is once again exquisite. Recorded at Bartók Unitarian Church, Budapest, 4-6 August 2025, engineer Sándor Árok has captured the fragility of the Anna's flute in a lovely natural acoustic environment with very nice balance of direct and reflected sound. Then mixed and equalized via Hunnia's all analog mixing console for a Pure DSD256 final release. As one might expect, the timbre is spot on, the sound is transparent, and supremely detailed, and the entire is utterly natural sounding with that subtle analog tonality. Well done!

 

[Rushton]

A delightful conclusion (final volume) to the Engegård Quartet’s ambitious and deeply personal journey through Mozart’s complete string quartets. Their skill and artistry is among the top echelons of performance and their musicianship is highly rewarding, engaging, and endlessly satisfying.

Recorded by master recording engineer Thomas Wolden, the sound quality is beyond mere excellence as heard in this DXD 32-bit resolution download (HERE). It is to be treasured, as are so many of his recordings.

Review posted: HERE

 

[Rushton]

Review of Analog Tone Factory Pure DSD256 transfers for the analog master tapes is now posted.

"Saxophonist/producer Jerome Sabbagh and pianist/recording engineer Pete Rende founded Analog Tone Factory to pursue their shared desire to record music in a way that would draw listeners in, and to go back to the way records used to be made—with fewer manipulations and more directness...

"Their goal is to make their records "feel and sound closer to live music." And to that end they record with the band all in the same room using very high end equipment. And that equipment is all analog, including a custom restored half inch tube Ampex 351 tape recorder and vintage Neve and Altec analog consoles. These recordings purist recordings. Simply miked, minimal signal paths, directly from the live performance, minimal to no post-production mucking about...

"If you love vinyl, you should check out their LP releases; if you love reel-to-reel tape, check out their tape offerings. Here I will be talking about those same releases as transferred to Pure DSD256 downloadable files."

Voluptuous Sounds from Analog Tone Factory in Pure DSD256 - Positive Feedback