While all complainants have already upgraded a gear to R28, it is my new DAC and I found something interesting.
As reported, DSD source is polluted with something difficult to explain, it feels weird on all tracks. A sound is losing a naturality comparing to the same recording in PCM format. I am not sure whether it is attributed only to this DAC or to DSD in general, as my other DAC $130 Topping D30 with a fake opamps sounds like a s$^@ also in PCM.
Some tracks exibit an extraordinary 'noise' in quiet pasages, frequently noticed on the beginning and end of tracks. It is like listening to AM radio, but AM radio reception is subject to a random noise,
this is not a random noise. Exactly the same polution will repeat again when listening in the loop and will dissappear when sound goes completely silent. In other words, there is an added amplitude modulated component by some non-linear internal transfer function producing artefacts 100% correlated with signal. When playing DSD tracks converted to PCM there is no such artefacts.
Taking a close look at the recording "Arne Domnerus Sextett - The Music of Georg Riedel (1982/2016)" reveals interesting thing. A track #9 "Kommentar" ends with a strong accord. Do 'noise' appear immediately? NOT! It only appears after one second of silence! It suggests that DSD signal is subject to a dynamic compression before entering decoder, an analog volume compensation is added during or after conversion, it could be in my brain??? KINGWA, WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! Dolby, again?
Album: Arne Domnerus Sextett - The Music of Georg Riedel (1982/2016)
Source: DSF128 tracks, 2xHD Web distribution.
In this and all other 2xHD mastering transfers labeled "From Original Analog Master" I have, there are gaps of a digital silence inserted betweeen tracks. This is a poor mastering practice as a master tape is recorded continuously, however this digital silence helps to identify problem. It is easy to notice artefacts on the end of the track, followed by a moment of silence, then a 'noise' comes back for 1/4 second on the beginning of next track. When converted to PCM, there is very low noise floor, so this digital silence is not noticed. A dynamic compression is revealed on the end of track #9 as mentioned on the start.
Some other albums:
- Kenny G - Breathless (2015) [SACD]
End of the first track, didn't check more. A poor mastering with clicks between tracks similar to 2xHD
- Barb Jungr - Chanson: The Space In Between (Linn Records 2001 SACD)
Artefacts heard mostly on the end of tracks
- SACD Sampler Concord Jazz Vol. 2
A professionaly made mastering with no clicks between tracks, the same problem.
I was never a fan of SACD. It has good features and not so good too. These days it doesn't sound better than a good recording with 24/96kHz sampling rate. As it is easier to implement a cheap DSD converter than PCM, there are people who still stands for SACD. R2R-11 is an excellent PCM DAC with a vinyl-like signature. I convert all my DSD files to the 176.4kHz PCM, it is done on the fly with Foobar2000.
R2R-11 is an excellent DAC giving a taste of high-end equipment I cannot afford. All music sounds real without broken harmonics normally associated with DS converters. I can listen for hours without any sign of fatigue. A broken DSD decoding doesn't bother me. The preamp is also high quality on RCA outputs and a powerful HPA. It drives Senny HD600 with high resolution. Who says HD600 has no bass?
My other toy is also a ladder type: $42 Nobsound 8xTDA1387 DAC/HPA from Aliexpress. I take it with me on the road, it is portable, it works with all of phones I tried.
