[rel2]

I recently purchased a FiiO X5 (2nd Gen) Music Player and a FiiO Alpen 3 E17K Amplifier/DAC to accompany it and currently listen to them through a pair of Sennheiser HD-25-1 II Headphones.
 
My question: I mainly listen to Classical music on my house system and have a significant collection of incredible SACD music. What hardware and software would I need to copy the SACDs to the FiiO?
 
I would use my Sony SCD-XA-5400 ES  as the source.
 
I'm interested in high quality transfers and would spend what it takes to get there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
I apologize for my naiveté, I wasn't sure which forum to post this question in.

 

[Mython]

If you want bit-perfect pure-digital ripping (rather than re-digitising analogue output from an SACD player), then I am only aware of 2 methods (there may be others, but I'm only aware of 2). They are a hassle, and will cost you some cash, but I guess it depends on how large your SACD collection is, as to whether it's economically-viable for you to go ahead with one of these methods:
 

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Method 1:
 
Some early versions of Sony's Playstation 3 can be used, along with special software, to achieve bit-perfect rips:
 
 
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/how-sonys-playstation-3-could-save-your-sacd-collection
 
 

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Method 2:
 

 

 

  I'm going to experiment by hooking up my Oppo 105 Blu Ray player thru toslink cable and watch a few music videos and snippits of movie videos thru the Dave Dac, I'll report back later what I heard.

Consider connecting a device like this from your Oppo to your DAVE if you have a large SACD collection.  You will need to connect one of your Oppo's HDMI outputs to this device and then use your Toslink cable from this device to the DAVE.  What it does is it allows you to play your SACDs through your DAVE at high resolution.  
 

 
You can buy it on Ebay for about $20.  
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/311307384782?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 
 
Does that output bit-perfect audio data, with no conversions occurring behind the scenes..?

 

Yes, give it a try.  What this does is it allows you to bypass encryption.  As you know, through any other output except HDMI, you won't be able to pass an SACD signal at full resolution because of encryption.  If you have a hybrid SACD, for example, all that will pass through will be 16/44.  
 
Now another neat trick, using this little device and the Tascam DA-3000, you can now record your SACDs onto an SD card at full resolution and transfer them to your music server.  A novel way of ripping your SACDs.  This Tascam unit only makes sense if you have a large SACD collection because it runs about $1,000.

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Good luck

 

[Reima]

You will need an old PS3 that can play SACD with a pre 3.55FW.
 
https://newtoolbox.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/sacd-ripper-primer-v4-0.pdf

 

[romaz]

  If you want bit-perfect pure-digital ripping (rather than re-digitising analogue output from an SACD player), then I am only aware of 2 methods (there may be others, but I'm only aware of 2). They are a hassle, and will cost you some cash, but I guess it depends on how large your SACD collection is, as to whether it's economically-viable for you to go ahead with one of these methods:
 

---

 
Method 1:
 
Some early versions of Sony's Playstation 3 can be used, along with special software, to achieve bit-perfect rips:
 
 
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/how-sonys-playstation-3-could-save-your-sacd-collection
 
 

---

 
Method 2:
 

---

 
 
 
Good luck

The PS3 method is well known but is laborious.  
 
You are misunderstanding what is happening with this HDMI Audio Extractor device.  An HDMI signal is digital, not analog.  There is no re-digitizing of any analog signal going on.   Audio through HDMI is generally bit-perfect.  The exception is if your player is performing DSP of some sort.  This device is merely extracting that signal with no alteration.  If you wish to hunt down an old model PS3 to rip your SACDs, be my guest, but the solution above costs $20.
 
If you are looking for a more sophisticated method of playing back your SACDs through the DAVE, here is a more elaborate (and more expensive) method but it works very well although you will need to own an Oppo BDP103.
 
http://www.jvbdigital.nl/jvb.asp?cur=2&level=sdi&page=title&title=924

 

[Mython]

   
You are misunderstanding what is happening with this HDMI Audio Extractor device.  An HDMI signal is digital, not analog.  There is no re-digitizing of any analog signal going on.   Audio through HDMI is generally bit-perfect.  The exception is if your player is performing DSP of some sort.  This device is merely extracting that signal with no alteration.  If you wish to hunt down an old model PS3 to rip your SACDs, be my guest, but the solution above costs $20.

 
 
 
No, I'm not misunderstanding.
 
I mentioned that there are some rips done by re-digitising the analogue output from an SACD player.
 
Then I pointed to 2 options for doing it without re-digitising.

 

[Mython]

   
If you are looking for a more sophisticated method of playing back your SACDs through the DAVE, here is a more elaborate (and more expensive) method but it works very well although you will need to own an Oppo BDP103.
 
http://www.jvbdigital.nl/jvb.asp?cur=2&level=sdi&page=title&title=924

 
 
That's interesting, thanks.

 

[rel2]

I forgot to mention that I also own an Oppo BDP-83 Special Edition. Is this useful?

 

[romaz]

  I forgot to mention that I also own an Oppo BDP-83 Special Edition. Is this useful?

Unfortunately, the JVB board only works for the BDP-103, not even the 105.  They have a downmix board for the BDP-93 but it's not the same thing.
 
Here's a thread on the PS Audio site discussing it with the DirectStream but it works with any DSD-capable DAC that has SPDIF input (coax).
 
http://www.psaudio.com/forum/directstream-all-about-it/dop-output-from-an-oppo/

 

[Currawong]

IMO I'd just rip the CD layer from the SACDs to start with and put them on the X5. DSD tracks (which is what you'd get from an SACD) are huge and take up a lot of unnecessary space. I'm not sure that you'd get any radical improvement from using them.

 

[rel2]

That's been in the back of my mind all along but I was hoping that there was some method or hardware that would get me there. I've already loaded them as red book and they are wonderful but the audio nirvana seeker in me wanted to see if I could eke out just that much more, knowing the potential increase in quality that SACD has revealed to me on my house system.
 
Several of Acoustic Sounds recent re-masterings of the RCA Reiner catalog have simply been awesome on SACD played on the house system. I was hoping to be able to hear that while using the portable setup as well.
 
My sincerest thanks to all of you who have responded to my thread. I truly appreciate your expertise and experience.
 
Rob

 

[kimjunwill]

Do you think that ripping SACD's and playing them back as ISO's changes the sound quality of the recording at all? 

 

[RockStar2005]

Can anyone here answer this question please? Thank you in advance if you can!!

 

[Mython]

By a peculiar coincidence, I posted a link to this old thread, today, in the AK70 MKII thread, and, less than 2 hrs later, the topic was mentioned by someone else, in an unrelated thread,


I read about the newer Oppo/Pioneer method at the time it was originally released, and I was sure it had been posted here, by myself or a fellow head-fier, but it seems not...

So, thanks @rgs9200m for reminding me about the newer method, and, just to keep this thread useful for archival purposes, here is said method:

www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/28569-sacd-ripping-using-an-oppo-or-pioneer-yes-its-true/

 

[rgs9200m]

OK, thanks Mython. Yep, this does work well.
As far as I can see, very little of the SACD music that has been released since the dawn of DSD in 1999 is available for purchase as digital files.
You unfortunately have to get the physical discs first.