HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced BDP that supports DVD audio and DVD audio lossless?

Woz one of dem, is it like see-dees.

Sorry to side track your thread but has any got or still uses video (laser) disc, I thought the quality was really good.

Me want one of these http://www.hifido.co.jp/KWPioneer+C-90/ ... -56334-00/

I've heard good things about the Oppo drives http://www.oppodigital.co.uk I'll probably get one when they release the 4k drives at the end of the year.

Their little headphone/DAC is meant to be quite good as well if you need to improve mobile performance (sorry another side track) - http://www.oppodigital.co.uk/ecommerce/ ... ifier.aspx

There are ways of getting DVD Audio tracks into your computer to be played as HQ 24-bit FLAC files.
I've done this with several Porcupine Tree and King Crimson discs.

Computer media-player Foobar can also be set up to play DVDA discs

Get an Oppo. Although they are almost impossible to find second-hand. Or if possible just buy the same mastering on red book. The difference is barely worth a damn in any case.

On the sort of equipment that the average HFS member has there is an audible difference between 16-bit and 24-bit audio: lower noise-floor, imaging, soundstage, detail. But you need a good DAC to hear it.

Fretless wrote:On the sort of equipment that the average HFS member has there is an audible difference between 16-bit and 24-bit audio: lower noise-floor, imaging, soundstage, detail. But you need a good DAC to hear it.

Sorry, you're not quite right there imo. Lower noise floor is a measurement thing and totally inaudible as our ears have around a third of the dynamic range of Red Book, albeit on a sliding scale. It's been stated so many times that fancy masterings usually have 'extra' tweaks on them to 'make a difference' and what you may be hearing is modern DAW's compared to those of twenty five to thirty years ago, rather than the supposedly hi-res playback technology.

I'll give an example, using 'ordinary' Red Book CD's. I'm a Steve Hillage fan. The man himself mastered a lot (but not all) of his early Virgin albums using early Pro Tools and did a pretty fair job ('Green' being a not good and peak-distortedtransfer not by him). Fifteen years or more later, Paschal Byrne was given the task of 'remastering' all the Hillage recordings and adding extra tracks where necessary (Audio Archival Company - Paschal was raving about a then new Yamaha digital editor and how much better resolved it was with complex mixes). I think he did a splendid job, the distortion on 'Green' totally disappearing and each mix having more 'depth' and 'resolution' on things further back and not as easily heard before. All this using 'low resolution' Red Book from analogue master tapes.

It's been my view for ages that good DACs don't need to cost loads, but I can see how the analogue side, often bodged by 'audio engineers' can make all the difference here. Sorry to thread crap.

When I compare King Crimson's latest batch of remasters (done by Steven Wilson) the DVDA 24-bit 96 KHz reproduction has more openness, quietness and 'natural' detail than the standard 16-bit 44.1 KHz CD version of the same mastering. Well, I can hear it anyway.

thanks for that clarification fretless as I have to say dsjr as confused me once again .

he says you are not quite right and then spends 3 paragraphs telling you why and I have to confess , I have no idea why you are not right m but i am happy ti trust what you hear

It reminds me of a time when I appeared in front of HHJ Hegarty [ awesone judge whose summing up left me in awe ] The opposing barrister , posh idiot spent 45 minutes of a 30 minute hearing spouting words I could not comprehend the point of , relevancy or coherency .

when he finished , the judge turned to him and said - So your client thinks the part 36 offer is defective , what do you say to that Mr DQ . I actually laughed out loud .