I have an esoteric k01xd and Ayre dx5 (for movies) cd player. Want to make sure they are pushing bit perfect data to the Cascade. I saw the files to download to test. I assume I download the test files onto a memory card that I can plug into each cd player to test right? See images and advise thx!
Esoteric
Ayre
For the CD transport, just download the 16/44.1kHz file and play it to the DAC. Play it and if it’s bit-perfect you will see “Bit Pass” appear on the screen for a few seconds.
The first and easiest test for a CD player though is to simply look at the sample rate and bit depth. If you play a redbook and anything other than 16/44.1 shows up on the screen it’s not bit perfect.
That helps will look at the screen tomorrow when I play a red book cd. The Cascade can also play sacds from my cd player too right?
That worked fir CDs it says 16/44
Also when I play my sacds through the cascade they do not play, I thought it also handled sacds?
If you have enough SACDs to make it worthwhile, you should do an internet search about playing SACDs through an outboard DAC.
Sony pretty much designed the SACD hardware, and software to prevent pulling the digital data out of the player, and making a data file on your computer. (copy protection, and tying you to hardware made, or licensed from, Sony)
The digital audio stream from the SACD player does not come out of the SACD player via the SPDIF outputs. Apparently, some SACD players can output the digital stream in I2S, via an HDMI connector. There exist devices that will strip out the I2S stream from the HDMI, and convert the I2S to SPDIF output that your DAC can read.
TLDR - you can do it, but it’s not trivial. Research will lead you there if desired.
IIRC there was an Oppo player that would output SACD via SPDIF on an older firmware. My Oppo had been updated past that one, and I never changed it back, as I have very few SACDs
I don’t listen to physical digital media much, so I might be behind the times now. My Oppo is just set up to play video. Digital, and vinyl for music.
Is there any tidal stream that has these files, rather than downloading and playing locally?
Yes, the Cascade plays SACD’s wonderfully, but your sources are not sending SACD streams to the DAC. What @Bones13 said is correct, there are ways to make it work.
We have recently developed an HDMI I2S input module, but this will not work with the video outputs of the Ayre/Oppo transport you have. It needs to be an I2S specific output.
This is something you could get with a PS Audio PerfectWave SACD Transport. There are many sources that could provide this, but you will need to ensure it is an I2S HDMI specific output.
Daniel
Thx, how about my esoteric k01xd cd/sacd player? Any idea there?
I don’t have the unit in front of me, but on the Esoteric website the pictures of the K01XD jack panel only have S/PDIF and AES/EBU outputs which are capable, but unlikely, to have DSD on them due to SACD legal restrictions.
Ok thx
