The issue is not what Bruce does, the issue is how Bruce's product is marketed by HDTracks.
Here are the specs for the Playback Designs MPS-5 (which is the transport for the SACD): Digital outputs: XLR: AES/EBU formatted for stereo linear PCM data. If playing from disc the data on this output will be 16bits / 44.1kHz. http://www.playbackdesigns.com/mps5.html If you use the digital outputs of the transport, you start with 44.1 and end up with 88.2, thats upsampling. Now this transport also has analog outputs too. Is Bruce using the analog output of the transport for the SACD? The original master was converted to SACD, then converted again to DAC (digital to analog converter), then you have analog, then converted again to the ADC (analog to digital converter) of the computer audio workstation to get digital again. Then the SRC (sample rate conversion) is done in SARACON (software) (to convert again). I count four conversions of the original master. The HDTracks website states generally that *Native Formats PCM conversion chart 192/24=96/24 176/24= 88/24 SACD=88/24 Analog masters=88/24 https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=staticpage&pagename=audiophile_96khz But for example, the San Francisco symphony albums just say 88/24. There are three possible sources per HDTracks. You are left to guess as to the source material. Since we now independently know that the San Francisco albums were previously SACD, the conversion chart implies a direct digital to digital conversion to 88/24. But now we know that is not what happened. It was digital to analog to digital. (Assuming the transports analog outputs were used). We can debate all day as to the resulting quality. Is the quality as good as material originally recorded at 88/24? Again, my point is the same: Consumers have a right to know exactly what they are buying so that they can make an informed buying decision. By the way, resorting to ad hominems (idiots) is a defense mechanism. -- mortslim ------------------------------------------------------------------------ mortslim's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=11039 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=74688
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