DVD Audio @ 192khz/24bit

[FAIELLO]

I purchased the Chicago II DVD-A disc and it says it should be hi-res 192khz/24bit in advanced stereo mode. I have a Pioneer DV-563A DVD player hooked up with the 5.1 outputs to my Marantz SR7300 receiver both capable of producing 192khz/24bit, but the player is saying it is only 96khz/24bit 2.0. Is this disc labeled wrong for the output, or am I doing something wrong. I have two other DVD-A disc put they say they can only do 96khz/24bit. I bought this disc to see if I could hear the difference.

If this disc is labeled wrong does anyone know a disc that does 192khz/24bit. Also does anyone know what the rez is for SACD, this is not displayed on the Pioneer DVD player.

[Geoffcin]

Yes, it will only send the lower rez digital signal to your receiver. I had this problem too with my DVD-Audio player, and there's no way around it. If you want to listen to hi rez stereo your DVD-Audio WILL decode at 192khz, but only output via analog RCA outputs.

[mtrycraft]

I purchased the Chicago II DVD-A disc and it says it should be hi-res 192khz/24bit in advanced stereo mode. I have a Pioneer DV-563A DVD player hooked up with the 5.1 outputs to my Marantz SR7300 receiver both capable of producing 192khz/24bit, but the player is saying it is only 96khz/24bit 2.0. Is this disc labeled wrong for the output, or am I doing something wrong. I have two other DVD-A disc put they say they can only do 96khz/24bit. I bought this disc to see if I could hear the difference.

If this disc is labeled wrong does anyone know a disc that does 192khz/24bit. Also does anyone know what the rez is for SACD, this is not displayed on the Pioneer DVD player.


No need to worry though. You don't need all that high rez hype anyhow. First you cannot hear it, second your other components cannot handle it, third, your speaker and room acoustics are the weakest links.

So, just stop worrying :) and just enjoy th emusic :)

[Jetsons]

I believe the Chicago DVD-A is indeed a 24/96 recording and the 24/192 on the cover is an error. I read this at Audio Asylum, if memory serves me correctly.

DVD-A titles such as the Eagles, Carly Simon and America have a 24/192 stereo recording. There may be others.

Jet

[hawkerSURF50]

I also have the Pioneer 563 dvd player and have not been able to play any dvda in the 192 khz mode.

FYI, the Yes FRAGILE dvda ia also misprinted,it only plays in 96 khz.

Its has been frustrating!!

In addition the DSOM SACD sounds ok on my system,but to me the resolution of DSOM does not compare to the sound on FRAGILE.I wonder if the pioneer 563 is to blame since I am not sure if the chip in the unit really handles SACD like a dedicated unit.

[Digital-G]

I've also said that Dark Side SACD doesn't sound as good as it should. I'm obviously in the minority here, because almost everyone else seems to love it. I realize it's a 30 year old recording and all of that, but even the standard CD layer sounds better to me than the SACD - just compare the bass of the opening heartbeat on the first track to see what I mean.

My Pioneer DV-45A seems to handle all of the other hi-rez formats wonderfully. I don't believe I have any 192khz/24 bit recording so I can't comment on those.

A standardized labeling for hi-rez discs would certainly be welcome - having to read the fine print to figure out what you're getting isn't the best solution. You'd think they would have learned SOMETHING by watching the VHS/Beta war, the CD launch 20 years ago and the more recent DVD launch, but Noooooooo, the hi-rez discs are repeating all of the same mistakes (i.e. poor labeling, competing formats, lack of standardization, etc.). Other that that, I love 'em. Thanks for letting me rant a bit...

[Woochifer]

As others have said, you can only output a 192/24 signal through the RCA analog outputs at full resolution. I think you're getting confused with all the various resolutions and copyright-driven restrictions with high res multichannel audio.

First of all, the highest resolution that a DVD player can output through the digital outputs is two-channel 96/24. The only reason why receivers and DVD players almost all come with 192/24 DACs is because that's the type that currently gets mass produced. No real world advantage, but given that there's really little to no cost difference between 96/24 and 192/24 DACs, most manufacturers choose the higher res chips.

Second, a 5.1 DVD-A track is actually 96/24 resolution through six channels, while the 2.0 DVD-A track is the only one that's actually encoded at full 192/24 resolution.

Third, SACD uses a completely different carrier format from DVD-A. Instead of 24-bit words sampled at 96 or 192 kHz, SACD uses the DSD carrier format with one-bit words sampled at 2.8 MHz. Proponents of SACD claim that this better approximates an analog waveform than the PCM carrier that DVD-A uses. The problem in assessing the potential of SACD is that very few recordings are originally done in DSD. As it stands, most SACDs are still mastered from analog and PCM sources, so you're not getting the full potential of the format, if any audible differences can be discerned in the first place.

Your Pioneer player converts all SACD playback to PCM first (this is why that model costs so much less than other universal players), so the SACD playback does get altered along the way.

As Mtry said, don't worry about the specifics and just enjoy. Most of the high res discs I've heard are a noticeable step up from their CD counterparts, and I really doubt that the difference between 96 vs 192 resolution will make all that much of a difference with your setup.

[Woochifer]

I also have the Pioneer 563 dvd player and have not been able to play any dvda in the 192 khz mode.

FYI, the Yes FRAGILE dvda ia also misprinted,it only plays in 96 khz.

Its has been frustrating!!

In addition the DSOM SACD sounds ok on my system,but to me the resolution of DSOM does not compare to the sound on FRAGILE.I wonder if the pioneer 563 is to blame since I am not sure if the chip in the unit really handles SACD like a dedicated unit.

First of all, any multichannel DVD-A soundtrack will only play back at 96/24 resolution. ONLY the two-channel track can play back at 192/24 resolution, so I don't think it's a misprint. That Pioneer model I believe does not have a Sony DSD chip, so it needs to convert the SACD signal to PCM first.

[hawkerSURF50]

Thanks for the replies!

I know that the 192 khz format was only available in 2.0.However, I never could get any DVDas to play in that format on the pioneer 563 unit.I have recently found out that the 192 khz format on FRAGILE is not available on the disc since it was a misprint.

As far as your comments on DSOM, I had a feeling that the pioneer 563 was "cheating" on the SACD playback.Thats' ok based on the price I paid for the unit.

BYW, I would love to hear some early Moody Blues in DVDa.In Search of the Lost Chord or To Our Childrens Children would be awesome.

Happy Holidays

[Jetsons]

hawker:

The 563A has a DSD chip and does not "cheat" SACD in TWO channel when using the analog outputs. Other Pioneer & Elite models did in fact covert DSD to PCM in two channel payback but the 563A does not.

Here is a review of the Pioneer which addresses the above, http://www.slottweak.com/DV_563A/563review.htm

In multichannel, it does perforrm a PCM conversion due to the bass management. BTW, this is not uncommon with SACD players including much higher dollar machines.

With regard to two channel 24/192, one basically has to check out reviews/owner comments of DVD-A discs to ensure that the disc does indeed contain this option. If the 24/192 strero track exists, the player will certainly display this info. I have read that the Fragile and Chicago DVD-As (at Stevehoffman music forum & Audio Asylum) are not 24/192.

Happy Holidays!

Jet

[Tarheel_]

I received the Pioneer 563 for Christmas and the DVD-A "Sintra, Live at the Sands" has both 192/24 (2 channel) and 96/24 (5.1) mix. You can check the format by pressing "audio" on the remote which will display the information on screen.
Also, be sure to check your options and ensure the downconverting option is "off".

[Chris Garrett]

There are more than a few DVDA discs that are mislabeled as per their STEREO word lengths and sampling rates. The Eagles' Hotel California has a true 24/192 STEREO mix and sounds awesome. The Grover Washington Jr. DVDA title also has a 24/192 STEREO mix as well as Carly Simon's first effort, I believe. There are more than a few others, but their titles escape me now.

Some discs claim 24/96 and are really 24/48, so be aware. Most of the DVDA discs that I own, or have read about, have the 24/48 or 24/96 STEREO resolutions.

Go to DVDAudiobahn over on AudioAsylum.com and do a search.


Take care, Chris

[Geoffcin]

There are more than a few DVDA discs that are mislabeled as per their STEREO word lengths and sampling rates. The Eagles' Hotel California has a true 24/192 STEREO mix and sounds awesome. The Grover Washington Jr. DVDA title also has a 24/192 STEREO mix as well as Carly Simon's first effort, I believe. There are more than a few others, but their titles escape me now.

Some discs claim 24/96 and are really 24/48, so be aware. Most of the DVDA discs that I own, or have read about, have the 24/48 or 24/96 STEREO resolutions.

Go to DVDAudiobahn over on AudioAsylum.com and do a search.


Take care, Chris

I agree; Hotel California in 24/192 is supurb. It's one of the recordings in DVD-A that I can assure people will sound better than any older pressing, or CD. DVD-Audio has a lot of potential IMHO.