How to play SACD DSD .iso file in Windows PC ?
Feb 27, 2014 at 10:21 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 31

JohnSantana

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Hi all,

Can anyone please suggest me what is the software that I must use to successfully play .iso file that I have created from SACD DSD disc ?

I have tried to attach it using Daemon tools but it is not recognizable.
 
Feb 28, 2014 at 4:42 AM Post #2 of 31
Are you trying to play it in native DSD or converting it to FLAC?

If you want to do it easily you could use JRiver. It's not free but they offer a trial I believe.

If you want to do it for free you can use Foobar. This is going to require setting it up and I'm not sure to proper steps for that. I'm sure you can find a guide somewhere on the internet.
 
Feb 28, 2014 at 6:07 AM Post #3 of 31
Are you trying to play it in native DSD or converting it to FLAC?

If you want to do it easily you could use JRiver. It's not free but they offer a trial I believe.

If you want to do it for free you can use Foobar. This is going to require setting it up and I'm not sure to proper steps for that. I'm sure you can find a guide somewhere on the internet.


Ah ok, I'll give it a try.
Does in this case I will need to buy separate hardware for that ?
 
Mar 2, 2014 at 12:31 AM Post #5 of 31
No hardware needed.  If you're using foobar, you need only the various software plugins like foo_input_sacd,


Cool, thanks man !
 
Mar 2, 2014 at 12:44 AM Post #6 of 31
No prob.  Note that the DSD->PCM is a little demanding on this.  On normal Intel i3, i5 processors are fine.  On duo core Atom processors, not enough; you would need a DAC that does DSD.  Nowadays there quite a few of them like the iFI, iDSD Nano.
 
Mar 2, 2014 at 8:31 AM Post #8 of 31
No prob.  Note that the DSD->PCM is a little demanding on this.  On normal Intel i3, i5 processors are fine.  On duo core Atom processors, not enough; you would need a DAC that does DSD.  Nowadays there quite a few of them like the iFI, iDSD Nano.



A dual core atom can on Foobar2k can playback SACD ISO DSD but only in stereo mode. It chokes if you try to play multichannel SACDs.


Cool, many thanks for the explanation again people.

My PC is core i5 already :)

I'm thinking to upgrade my Sound Card into Asus Xonar STX http://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and_DigitaltoAnalog_Converters/Xonar_Essence_STX/ would that helps in terms of sound quality to play SACD / DSD or even Blu Ray Audio ?
 
Mar 2, 2014 at 9:43 AM Post #9 of 31
I'm confused, first it is not possible to record SACD DSD output, stereo or multi-channel. It will be converted to analog  in SACD player or sent to pre amp over HDMI for conversion. That leaves us with  DSD downloads in stereo only I believe. Downloading these and then converting to analog is where the process/procedure/equipment eludes me. So far, I've only come across one solution, a DSD stereo DAC, there a few out there now. Some have software for PC. Thing is, where do I find DSD music to download? And where's the multi channel DSD?
 
Mar 2, 2014 at 3:50 PM Post #10 of 31
  I'm confused, first it is not possible to record SACD DSD output, stereo or multi-channel. It will be converted to analog  in SACD player or sent to pre amp over HDMI for conversion. That leaves us with  DSD downloads in stereo only I believe. Downloading these and then converting to analog is where the process/procedure/equipment eludes me. So far, I've only come across one solution, a DSD stereo DAC, there a few out there now. Some have software for PC. Thing is, where do I find DSD music to download? And where's the multi channel DSD?

 
Sony Playstation 3s with 3.55 firmware can take SACDs and make digital copies of them via a program called SACD Ripper. You can make ISO, or DSDIFF, or DSF file outputs, all of which the Foobar 2k player can read and playback (convert to PCM) with the SACD foobar plugin. Also you can burn a copy of the ISO to a standard DVD and play it on any SACD player that does not use the pit-reading-method (IIRC only Oppo DVD players, and the Oppo BDP-80 and BDP-83 can playback these ISOs as pure DSD through HDMI or analog outputs).
 
Very few online retailers offer DSD downloads, so most people just buy SACDs and rip them with an old PS3. I actually bought an old PS3 for that purpose, and managed to archive some pretty rare albums like Mariah Carey's #1s, Titanic Soundtrack, Ayumi Hamasaki's My Story, Beyonce's Survivor, Shania Twain's Up!, and Globe Sessions by Sheryl Crow. Most of these are so rare that I haven't even seen them pop up on torrent sites yet.
 
Mar 3, 2014 at 3:43 AM Post #11 of 31
Right now, DSD downloads (this covers .dff, .dsf, .wsd) are not that common, especially not on iTunes and its equivalent.  However, there are quite a few niche retailers including 2L.no, Blue Coast Records, Acoustic Sound's super hirez, Opus 3 Records and Nativedsd.com.  Again their genre is not *that* wide, mostly classical or Jazz, but then again, I remembered that was how CD started off.
 
There *are* multi-channel DSD for purchase/download and there are players like Exasound's e28 that plays the multi-channel back without down-channeling into stereo.
 
Mar 5, 2014 at 4:00 PM Post #12 of 31
  Right now, DSD downloads (this covers .dff, .dsf, .wsd) are not that common, especially not on iTunes and its equivalent.  However, there are quite a few niche retailers including 2L.no, Blue Coast Records, Acoustic Sound's super hirez, Opus 3 Records and Nativedsd.com.  Again their genre is not *that* wide, mostly classical or Jazz, but then again, I remembered that was how CD started off.
 
There *are* multi-channel DSD for purchase/download and there are players like Exasound's e28 that plays the multi-channel back without down-channeling into stereo.


I think the cheapest way to play DSD from computer to HT would be through a HT receiver, heck you can buy a Sony STR-5800ES for a 1/3 less than the Exasound e28 and it does more, a lot more.
 
Mar 5, 2014 at 9:12 PM Post #13 of 31
 
I think the cheapest way to play DSD from computer to HT would be through a HT receiver, heck you can buy a Sony STR-5800ES for a 1/3 less than the Exasound e28 and it does more, a lot more.

 
Most receivers can't play multiple inputs at the same time though. The reason we want to rip it to the computer is not just for archival purposes (as most SACDs are no longer produced, so there's no way to rebuy them) but also for convenience, watch youtube, play games, and also listen to our DSD collection :D
 
Mar 6, 2014 at 11:50 PM Post #14 of 31
Most receivers can't play multiple inputs at the same time though. The reason we want to rip it to the computer is not just for archival purposes (as most SACDs are no longer produced, so there's no way to rebuy them) but also for convenience, watch youtube, play games, and also listen to our DSD collection :D


Wow,that's a truly home theater kind of device :wink:
Thanks for the suggestion mate.
 
Feb 28, 2016 at 12:56 AM Post #15 of 31
Easily get those SACD ISO audio and
video files to play for you,
and resolve the problem of
"Windows can't access this disc",
by installing 'Foobar2000',
and the Foobar 'SACD component'.

.
[Updated 2018.03.31]
.
.
.
For those of you like me who lack the
experience and knowledge of the typical
Head-Fi member, I have added the following
beginner's instructions to this discussion,
a discussion that helped me figure out
this process.
.
.
.
+++
.
Usually, I can open *.iso files
after I first mount them with 'MagicDisk',
or with 'Gizmo-Drive'.
With SACD *.iso files, however,
although the *iso will mount,
when I try to play or access the files,
I get the error,
"Windows can't access this disc."
.
+++
.
.
.
Foobar2000
.
Foobar2000 media player is an easy solution
if you use the following instructions
which will guide you to:
.
- Install the latest 'Foobar2000'
version, and...
.
- Install the 'Super Audio CD Decoder'
(sacd) component via the Foobar2000 program.
.
Foobar2000 is free (freeware)
that is completely free of malware,
and is free of any other nuisance-ware.
.
.
.
1.)
Download Foobar2000, and Run the *.exe file.
.
Go to:
http://www.foobar2000.org/download
.
Near the page top,
under the heading 'Latest stable version',
click the underlined portion of
'Download foobar2000 v.(...)',
which today is:
"foobar2000 v1.3.17".
.
That should immediately begin the download.
.
(or, that might give you the option to 'Run'
the installation immediately,
depending on your computer system setup.)
.
I recommend that you download the file,
or in other words, I recommend that you
'Save' the installation file onto your computer.
.
If you decide to 'save' it,
then after you have downloaded it,
double-click on the *.exe file
to begin the installation of Foobar2000.
.
I used all of the default installation options,
including having Foobar run at the end
of the installation.
.
I also closed the window
'Quick Appearance Setup',
which only runs automatically
the first time you run Foobar.
.
The 'Quick Appearance Setup' window is
accessible from the Foobar main-menu:
"View" >> "Layout" >> "Quick setup"
.
.
.
For reference:
.
The Foobar 'Standard installation'
creates two folders on your system.
.
The first folder is named 'foobar2000',
and it is at...
.
- 64-bit:
C:\Program Files (x86)\foobar2000
.
- 32-bit:
C:\Program Files\foobar2000
.
The second folder is named 'foobar2000',
and it is created within your user data,
as for example with Windows 8/10, at...
.
C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\foobar2000
.
.
.
2.)
The Foobar "SACD" 'Component' is Not at foobar2000.org
.
Unfortunately, I could not find 'SACD'
on the foobar2000.org page 'Components':
.
http://www.foobar2000.org/components
.
That page does, however, have a variety
of other components/addons for Foobar2000
that you might have an interest in.
.
.
.
3.)
The Foobar "SACD" 'Component' download location,
and a brief overview of that webpage.
.
Luckily, you can get the 'SACD' component
by going to page:
.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/sacddecoder/files/foo_input_sacd/
.
Near the page-top is a green-button that reads,
'Download latest version'
"foo_input_sacd-1.1.*.zip (*.* MB)".
.
Today it is 'foo_input_sacd-1.1.0.zip (2.7 MB)'
.
.
.
Additional SACD downloads, if desired:
.
I want to make you aware that other SACD
releases exist, just in case you have any
problems with the
'Looking for the latest version?'
version.
.
In the list below the 'Looking for the
latest version?' link, is a list of all
of the versions released over the years.
.
The first row is the same
as 'latest version' from above,
and the second row is the 'readme.txt'
for the latest version.
.
.
.
4.)
Download SACD
.
Download the 'Super Audio CD Decoder'
(SACD) by clicking either the button
"Download Latest Version ..."
or the link under 'Parent folder':
"foo_input_sacd-1.1.0.zip".
.
.
.
5.)
Extract the SACD *.zip file
.
After downloading the SACD *.zip file,
you need to extract the contents of the
*.zip file.
.
Recent versions of Windows (8/10) have a
built-in extractor, but you can always use
the freeware program '7zip' available at
www.7-zip.org
.
To extract the contents using Windows,
RIGHT-click on the *.zip file,
and in the drop-down menu,
click "Extract All...".
.
That will create a new folder named
'foo_input_sacd-#.#.#' which contains
three folders:
- dsd_transcoder
- filters
- src
and three files:
- foo_input_sacd.fb2k-component
- foo_dsd_processor.fb2k-component
- readme.txt
.
Only the file
'foo_input_sacd.fb2k-component'
is needed for you to install 'SACD',
and to get your SACD ISO audio
and video files to play for you.
.
.
.
6.)
Install SACD
.
To install the 'SACD' component,
start Foobar2000,
(if it is not already running)
and in the main menu at the top
of the Foobar program window,
click "File", and in the drop-down menu,
click "Preferences".
.
At the window 'Preferences: Components',
go to the bottom-right,
and click the button "Install...".
.
At the window 'Install Component',
navigate on your computer
to wherever you extracted the file
'foo_input_sacd.fb2k-component',
then...
.
Either:
- Double-click on the file
'foo_input_sacd.fb2k-component', or...
- Click on it once to highlight it,
and then click the bottom-button "Open".
.
Back at the window 'Preferences: Components',
click on the either of the bottom-right buttons
- "OK", or...
- "Apply".
It does not matter which:
They both do the same thing.
.
At the little new pop-up window
"foobar 2000 preferences",
allow Foobar to restart by clicking
"OK".
.
After you have installed the SACD component,
you do not have to leave the file
'foo_input_sacd.fb2k-component'
in its original location-- you can move it,
or delete it if you want to.
.
.
===
.
.
Tip: You can drag/drop folders
containing *.iso files
into Foobar2000.
.
---
.
Caution: The Foobar2000 media player's
volume is initially set at 100% :xf_eek:.
.
.
===
.
.
Install a different SACD version
.
After you have installed the SACD
component in Foobar, you can install a
newer version, or an older version, by
repeating the process above.
.
Your previous version will be automatically removed,
and your most recent version will take its place.
.
.
===
.
.
Additional Foobar2000 components
.
Don't forget about the foobar2000.org
'Components' page I mentioned above,
if you want to add, for example,
an equalizer to Foobar:
.
http://www.foobar2000.org/components
.
.
===
.
.
Uninstalling Foobar
.
To uninstall Foobar in Windows,
you will need to close Foobar
so that it is no longer running.
.
If you try to uninstall Foobar2000
while it is running,
you will get a notice
"Unable to remove files".
.
When Foobar is no longer running,
go to 'Control panel' >>
'Programs and Features'.
.
At the window 'Programs and Features',
double-click on 'Foobar2000 v*.*.*'
(or click it once to highlight it,
and then click the list-top item
'Uninstall').
.
At the un-installation pop-up window
named 'foobar2000 Uninstall',
you will need to put a check-mark
in the box for
'Remove the folder completely'
to automatically have the
'foobar2000' folder deleted from
'C:\Program Files' (or 'C:\Program Files (x86)').
.
And, you will need to put a check-mark
in the box for
'Remove configuration data from (...)'
to have the 'foobar2000' user data folder
automatically deleted.
.
Click the bottom-button "Uninstall".
.
If you get a notice
"Unable to remove files",
it means Foobar2000 is running--
click the button "Cancel",
exit the running instance of Foobar2000,
and start the un-installation process again.
.
.
.
===
.
.
Where you are now.
.
You may or may not want to bookmark this
page, as I have done, so that you have
easy access to these instructions in the
future.
.
Personally, I also copied and pasted
these instructions into a text file on my
computer. Not that I have reason to
believe that Head-fi will not be around
forever, but things do happen.
.
The URL for this post is
http://www.head-fi.org/t/707725/#post_12379888
.
---
.
"All the best; intended."
.
- Christopher James Francis Rodgers
 
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