What is better: FLAC or DSD?

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  • Опубліковано 25 кві 2019
  • Again a popular question amongst my viewers: what is better, high-res PCM or DSD. Well, that depends…
    Relevant videos:
    DSD Explained part 1: • DSD Explained part 1
    DSD Explained part 2: • DSD explained part 2
    The truth about Nyquist and why 192 kHz does make sense: • The truth about Nyquis...
    If you like my work, support it using Patreon or Paypal:
    My Patreon page: / thehbchannel
    Paypal: www.paypal.me/theHBchannel
    My book: • File Based Audio aka S...
    My site: www.theHBproject.com/en
    My channel: / thehansbeekhuyzen
    My Facebook page: / hansbeekhuyzen
    My Google+ page: www.google.com/+TheHansBeekhuyzen
    My Twitter: / hansbeekhuyzen
    My reference sets:
    About Questions: • About questions
    What DAC is the best: • What DAC is the best?
  • Наука та технологія

КОМЕНТАРІ • 127

  • @dungysphincter7974
    @dungysphincter7974 3 роки тому +34

    over 40 people that down voted, do not have a clue about the effort involved in creating this video, nor do they appreciate the content. TY Hans!

  • @albertloan396
    @albertloan396 5 років тому +121

    This is the best explanation I've heard yet. You have a gift for making complex issues clear without oversimplifying. Thanks for the effort you put into this.

    • @kfalxa
      @kfalxa 5 років тому +9

      Not over-simplified and not over-sampled! :D
      Sorry, I could not resist the bad pun but also could not agree with you more!

  • @haula251
    @haula251 3 роки тому +16

    I’m attaining you class regularly because you easily solved audio questions/myths in simple but accurate informative ways

  • @blackpepperprepper2025
    @blackpepperprepper2025 5 років тому +27

    Thank you for this marvelous lecture and lesson. I like, "trust your ears."

  • @RobWhittlestone
    @RobWhittlestone 3 роки тому

    EXCELLENT explanations, Hans. All the best, Rob

  • @diablillosaurio
    @diablillosaurio 3 роки тому +2

    wwwoooowwwww,,,i mean what???? slowly slowly,, you puted in 15 minutes more information than other persson in 15 videos, i really aprecciate, thanks for your time

  • @leonardobenitodevalle814
    @leonardobenitodevalle814 5 років тому +5

    Hans, you are the Man!

  • @NeonluxDJWorks
    @NeonluxDJWorks 5 років тому +3

    An utmost excellent video. Superb explanation.
    Totally subscribed and liked!

  • @dougbanker6719
    @dougbanker6719 5 років тому +12

    Excellent & informative! One of the best succinct explanations on this topic by anyone yet. Thank you!

    • @mikelisteral7863
      @mikelisteral7863 2 роки тому

      i prefer to convert youtube music videos to mp3 and listen to them on my dollar store ear buds lol

  • @ProjectOverseer
    @ProjectOverseer 5 років тому +26

    I've spent most of my audio engineering life (when making comparisons) trying to decide if various differences are better, worse or err, just different.
    It can be very subjective.
    As you state clearly here with digital, what and how digital data is handled as well as the quality of processing involved really does account for differences heard.
    The quality of recording/replay equipment I own does allow me to resolve these sound differences.
    This might sound funny, I found in storage an old but immaculate Phillips 256 times over-sampling 1bit CD player. It became a talking point in the studio as it sounded incredible - better than our vastly more expensive Red Book mastering CD burner with its dual BURR BROWN DAC converters, which is still occasionally used.
    I've found creating the highest possible digital master (DSD or PCM) will create far better Down sampled copies. Works the same in the digital filming world. Film in high end raw @ 4K, 6K or 8K and down sample to 1080p for superior image quality.

    • @seamussheehy8380
      @seamussheehy8380 5 років тому

      Hi Chris, Which Phillips model was that CD player?.

    • @ProjectOverseer
      @ProjectOverseer 5 років тому +1

      @@seamussheehy8380
      Yes, we had two old models ... The CD-840 was the one that impressed. I note I made a mistake. Its a 1bit 256x over sampling player ... The other Philips was a CD-960 which is 16bit. That sounded excellent to, but it was the less substantial CD-840 that grabbed our attention.

    • @ProjectOverseer
      @ProjectOverseer 5 років тому +2

      @@roygalaasen
      When you consider the age Its pretty amazing really.

    • @seamussheehy8380
      @seamussheehy8380 5 років тому +1

      @@ProjectOverseer Thanks Chris.

    • @ProjectOverseer
      @ProjectOverseer 5 років тому

      @@seamussheehy8380
      Glad I could clarify.

  • @jeffhampton6972
    @jeffhampton6972 2 роки тому +2

    Mr. Beekhuyzen, I really enjoy your videos. They are very informative, and I particularly appreciate you always ending with "enjoy the music." It's simple, but such a good reminder that we're all in this hobby for a reason, and not to lose sight of it or get in fights about different ideas. Thank you!

  • @marcob.7801
    @marcob.7801 4 роки тому +6

    Thank you Meer Beekhuyzen for your utilitarian ability of making very complex subject matter somewhat understandable to an Redbook CD file player! I think most, if not all your "mini" seminars are the exception rather than the rule here on UA-cam (regardless of subject content!) Be well and many thanks!Marco B.Brooklyn, NY

  • @dorkvader5332
    @dorkvader5332 4 роки тому +9

    This video has cleared up a few points for me. This week I ordered a DSD DAC .Plus with other advice I have got it should sound.. smokin :)

    • @user-ps6kt7eh2m
      @user-ps6kt7eh2m Місяць тому

      What did you order? I have an interest in dsd. I heard a sacd player many years ago and it sounded like nothing i had ever heard. Through researching i found that sacd is dsd64. That got me excited as now we have dsd at higher sampling rates but the files available for dsd are ao eclectic my enthusiasm has decreased massively. Still curious, what external dac did you order for dsd playback?

  • @FungedeBagre
    @FungedeBagre 5 років тому +2

    Fantastic video.

  • @midnightwind8067
    @midnightwind8067 2 роки тому +1

    What an excellent video. Thank you for your clean, professional presentation.

  • @ReelHifi
    @ReelHifi 4 роки тому +13

    This is an amazing explanation I get it now :) thank you I have literally watched this five times

  • @AmarDamani
    @AmarDamani 5 років тому +7

    *Simply* great....

  • @galaxophone
    @galaxophone 4 роки тому +1

    All of these relevant video links... I have stuff to do! At least it looks like you'll save me time digging for more info in the long run, though. Great video, very informative! Thanks!

  • @ProjectOverseer
    @ProjectOverseer 5 років тому +3

    PS ... Love your detailed observations, Hans 👍

  • @nakfan
    @nakfan 5 років тому +11

    Excellent video. As usual :-) BR, Per

  • @arunkumarnsmorpheus1983
    @arunkumarnsmorpheus1983 3 роки тому +1

    Good explanation. Stay safe and stay healthy.

  • @PhillipVella
    @PhillipVella 2 роки тому +1

    Very well explained. Thank you.

  • @zerocapacitance1
    @zerocapacitance1 Рік тому

    Excellent material and presentation.

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  Рік тому +1

      Thanks for watching

    • @zerocapacitance1
      @zerocapacitance1 Рік тому

      @@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel my first video as I start my day!! Going to buy Aldine more SACD’s and work on my player :-)

  • @ralphclark
    @ralphclark 5 років тому +4

    Very informative

  • @foraslan5801
    @foraslan5801 8 місяців тому

    Thank you so, so much for adding English subtitles so as to understand technical terms with your native accent.

  • @METALDKNO
    @METALDKNO 4 роки тому

    Thanks for the amazing information and video.

  • @OriginalgEd
    @OriginalgEd 5 років тому +8

    very informative. thank you.

  • @paker51
    @paker51 5 років тому +2

    Thank you!

  • @accelerat0r747
    @accelerat0r747 3 роки тому

    very well explained Sr !

  • @bertjedekat
    @bertjedekat 5 років тому +2

    Bedankt Hans! 👍

  • @manuelcarcassesborges5079
    @manuelcarcassesborges5079 9 місяців тому

    Excelente explicación. Muy profesional y asequible para los que no somos cientificos en el tema pero apreciamos el audio con calidad. Este canal es mi favorito en el tema del audio musical. Muchas gracias.

  • @iandavidlea
    @iandavidlea 4 роки тому +3

    Thank you

  • @yngwiemalmsteem18
    @yngwiemalmsteem18 Рік тому

    Thanks for your detailed wisdom good sir.

  • @CraftAero
    @CraftAero 3 роки тому +1

    Thanks for the "no BS" approach.

  • @ALBERTO-mg1sq
    @ALBERTO-mg1sq Рік тому

    Wonderfull explanation that I think will helping a lot of Audiophile People. Thanks so much !

  • @darthdurkelthewise320
    @darthdurkelthewise320 3 роки тому +2

    Trust your ears...Great advice that many overlook

  • @klewja
    @klewja 5 років тому +4

    Have you had a chance to try the Chord Mscaler? I am interested to hear you thoughts on it and the effects it has on the final sound.

  • @RodCine
    @RodCine 4 роки тому +2

    Woah Thank you for this educational video.

  • @7029100
    @7029100 4 роки тому

    Technical details are well explained, much less if a difference is audible or meaningful, which are what really matters, the second much more over the first. For that I would not dismiss compression so easily.

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  2 роки тому

      What sounds the best depends largely on the equipment used. Some equipment handles DSD better, other do PCM better.

  • @aaronmathias6739
    @aaronmathias6739 5 років тому +4

    A beautifully concise video that thoroughly debunks the snake oil in the audiophile community.

  • @noobiesmurf
    @noobiesmurf 3 роки тому +1

    Sound advice.

  • @joyflips
    @joyflips 4 роки тому +3

    Nyquist was a mathematician, not and electronics engineer. The nyquist theorem assumes an infinitely sharp cutoff filter. Something that does not exist. Therein lies the problems.

  • @teeemotee
    @teeemotee 4 роки тому +1

    I enjoyed this but I am completely lost about the "nasties" that occur in the 3kHz spectrum as a result of filtering above 20khz. As far as I can tell, you haven't offered any explanation as to why that is. If you could elaborate I'd really appreciate it.

  • @JonSaperia
    @JonSaperia 5 років тому +1

    In some download sites, the choice is not DSD vs FLAC. The choice is often FLAC, AIFF, and a few others. Assuming disk space is not an issue, would AIFF be better than FLAC since there is less work for the playback computer?

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  5 років тому

      As i said in the video, AIFF and FLAC contain the same information, it's all about the quality of the player if one sounds better over the other.

    • @JonSaperia
      @JonSaperia 5 років тому

      @@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel Thank you. So a high quality streamer would not be impacted by the extra work of uncompressing FLAC. This makes sense.

  • @jannytyler
    @jannytyler 4 роки тому +2

    When converting from SACD to Flac what is the best conversion type to use? I see options ranging from Integer Multistage to 64Bit Extreme Precision Direct. Thank you

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  4 роки тому +1

      Frankly I don’t know.

    • @rui1863
      @rui1863 3 роки тому

      Not sure; but my thoughts is that DSD is based off the CD sample rate; i.e. DSD64 is 64x44.1kHz. With that in mind, when converting to PCM I would choose a multiple of 44.1kHz; i.e. 24bit/88.2kHz

    • @jannytyler
      @jannytyler 3 роки тому

      @@rui1863 thanks but that was not my question.

  • @carloslarard
    @carloslarard 2 роки тому

    a humble question to add is, if you had a SACD or mastering source .ISO disc file, and if you convert to DSD, and then using the same source to FLAC without any compression, which will sound better? running the properly DAC which could run natively both format. :)

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  2 роки тому

      That is a question that is impossible to answer. If the source file is recorded in DSD, conversion to PCM will give a (very) small loss in quality. If the file is recorded in PCM and then converted to DSD, there equally will be a (very) small loss. It then depends on the DAC. Some will do PCM better, others DSD. A DAC that does PCM AND DSD equally good, is unknown to me. Illustrated: the Chord DAVE can be switched between optimised for DSD or optimised for PCM.

    • @carloslarard
      @carloslarard 2 роки тому

      @@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel thanks for take your time for the explanation. I'm aware of that. if you had a studio quality ISO file, for sure, DSD will comply with top quality. in my humble opinion.

  • @gibgun
    @gibgun 5 років тому

    Hans the type of homie that your turn off your Adblock for 👍

  • @ralphsmith2683
    @ralphsmith2683 3 роки тому +1

    did you ever do any analysis on/with BURR BROWN DACs ?

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  3 роки тому +1

      I am only interested in ready to use equipment and not in components.

    • @ralphsmith2683
      @ralphsmith2683 3 роки тому

      @@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel can you answer the actual question that I asked?
      did you ever do any analysis on/with BURR BROWN DACs ?

  • @justanotheryoutubeuser5029
    @justanotheryoutubeuser5029 4 роки тому +2

    Great explanation. There are other youtube videos that dont like dsd and flac is enough for them. So i tried it... got a better dac that plays dsd natively. There is a difference and no one could tell me other wise. The dsd and sacd sounded better to me, while 24bit flac sound fine. If i didnot hear any difference, i would be happier to listen to flac.
    Listen and trust your ears is the best advise for people going in to the hobby.

  • @Layput
    @Layput 2 роки тому

    My files are in FLAC but when I play them, the DAC says DSD 2.8 Mhz. Does my receiver convert the FLAC into DSD on the fly? Or is the file being played using FLAC implementation but the DAC only says DSD because it was converted into DoP?

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  2 роки тому

      I really can't say. If our receiver does offer PCM to DSD conversion, that is the most likely situation.

  • @Charlie-zj3hw
    @Charlie-zj3hw 5 років тому +3

    Great video..It's funny it takes me a few minutes to adjust to his accent

  • @danbretherton
    @danbretherton 5 років тому +3

    What are your thoughts of software such as HQplayer upsampling 44.1 to say DSD 512?

  • @petersperspective6122
    @petersperspective6122 5 років тому +3

    What are these 'nasties' at 3k at cd sample rate?

    • @petersperspective6122
      @petersperspective6122 5 років тому

      Or in other words, why is the filter affecting 3K, when it's set to 20K?
      If this is true, it would explain a lot. Before all I got from audiophiles was that we needed the extra bandwidth past 20k, but no reason given.. Very frustrating!

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  5 років тому +3

      It's what filters always do: time smearing> This is what MQA solves to a degree. And it is not AT 3kHz it is the area around 3 kHz where our ears are most sensitive and where the time smearing is most noticeable.

  • @musikalniyfanboichik
    @musikalniyfanboichik 2 роки тому

    should i bother getting dsd if i'm listening to music from my phone, not player?

  • @Tecnetkb
    @Tecnetkb 3 роки тому +1

    I just had no idea of the complexity of the issue.

  • @franoisdemiras9446
    @franoisdemiras9446 3 роки тому

    Superbe 👍♥️

  • @taranagnew436
    @taranagnew436 2 роки тому

    so what does dsd do/ is used for?

    • @taranagnew436
      @taranagnew436 2 роки тому

      does the sampling rate effect the dsd?

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  2 роки тому

      DSD uses 64 times higher sampling rate compared to CD but it only uses 1 bit in stead of 16. It's just another way of coding audio.

    • @taranagnew436
      @taranagnew436 2 роки тому

      @@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel and can you use dsd bia bluetooth or is it only for wired headphones?

  • @-freespirit-3314
    @-freespirit-3314 5 років тому +2

    It’s all about the ,,,DAC’’’

    • @haula251
      @haula251 3 роки тому

      It’s all about DAC’s processing

  • @coreyfreeman6226
    @coreyfreeman6226 2 роки тому

    I've listened to Hotel California in FLAC and the same file in DSD and the DSD sounded a little better and more 3 dimensional.

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  2 роки тому +1

      That means primarily that your DAC is better in reproducing DSD better than PCM. At least, with the track you used.

  • @raymondculpepper2203
    @raymondculpepper2203 5 років тому

    Hans I need a good computer to run my Brooklyn DAC and sotm 200 ultra thxs

  • @denisovandrey6313
    @denisovandrey6313 Рік тому

    FLAC. Since most DSD recordings, with the exception of some archived analog master tapes, are made from DXD (i.e. 24-bit 352.8 kHz PCM) there is no rational reason to use DSD 😊

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  Рік тому

      This is not fully correct. The DSD signal remains in DSD, only on edits a very short section is automatically converted to DXD, the edit is calculated and the section is converted back to DSD. Apart from that: for affordable DAC's the signal can be easier to covert to analog since the very high sampling rate requires almost no reconstruction filter.

  • @garymiles484
    @garymiles484 Рік тому

    Maybe, just maybe, one day the audiophile community will stop blaming the format but instead blame the real culprit, the filters, the DAC.

  • @ornorra
    @ornorra 2 роки тому

    The theorem was not really about sampling with numerical values (digital) but sampling with pulses ( dirac delta). Storing the pulses with numerical values is not the core of the theory. An overlooked part of the theory is the reconstruction part. It is often said that all you need is to sample at twice the sampling rate of the highest signal frequency and you are fine. Just add a HF filter at the input to limit the frequency. One problem is that signal that start and stop have a wideband spectrum compared to the steady state signal that the theory deals with. The reconstruction of the signal assumes a sinc filter or a brickwall filter at the output. It is a part of the mathematics that the reconstructed signal is an addition of endless sinc pulses. This is never done in practice and various type of HF output filters are used. Sometimes none, an approach by Audio Note. No wonder digital does sound non natural to many ears.

    • @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel
      @TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel  2 роки тому +1

      You're so right. BTW the Chord WTA filtering constructs the analog signal with sync pulses which explains the sound quality. But even then only products like the M-Scaler come close to what I consider to be close to optimal.

    • @ornorra
      @ornorra 2 роки тому

      @@TheHansBeekhuyzenChannel I have never heard the M scaler but very curious to hear. Maybe one day this can be done cost effectively.

  • @mauricefultonii
    @mauricefultonii 2 місяці тому

    He lost me at "investigating the flaws in these theorems journalistically, not scientifically." At that point, it's just opinion.