Quote Originally Posted by blackraven View Post
Frenchmon, I finally tried the DAC through its usb connection. I used Dop, WASAPI and ASIO drivers as well as Luxman's own. All sounded the same. I played music at 96K and also did on the fly up conversion to single and double DSD with JR. The up converted music to DSD sounded better than 96K. I don't have any native DSD recordings yet. Incidentally, the Luxman automatically up converts any 44K digital signal through Coax or Optical to 354K.



I noticed that the music upconverted DSD had more detail and resolution and it was more vibrant. There was only one recording where I preferred 96K over DSD and that was a solo piano album and the piano had more weight and better timbre on 96K.

The Luxman is starting to break in. There is more air, a wider sound stage and more separation between instruments.

I don't have the little Vensmile computer yet.

the drivers wont sound any different, they all have a different way of getting the signal into the DAC. The main two are WASAPI, which using DoP = Digital over PCM. It tricks the DAC into thinking the signal is PCM so the DAC will open, and once open it takes off the wrapper to let the DAC signal out. ASIO uses no wrapper but delivers the signal native. Dacs that are not DSD DACs cant use ASIO.

DSD especially 128 and beyond will always have more detail and resolution. Its a lower Bit rate but a much higher sampling rate than PCM or redbook CDP's. Thats why you hear detail that you cant hear with CDP's because of the much higher sampling rate. The music is always on the CD, but you cant hear it because the smapling rate isnt high enough like DSD.


Just use JR to rip a CD to 128 and you will have native DSD 128.

If you use HQ Player, it is two notches above Jriver as far as sound goes. If you hear it, you can easly get hooked and say your not going back to Jriver. It is truly a audiophile high end sound. I will didnt buy it after the trial was over. It still has some bugs, no remote unless you go with some sort of Desktop remote, and the gui is ugly. They want $150 bucks for that...much to expensive for what you get. So if you down load a free trial, unless you want to use an ungly software with no remote dont buy it unless they drop price. Shoot, my TT makes me work...not digital