Hunter34

Ah, thanks! Will look into it...

ok... and? What software are you using for playback?

I have a MacMini feeding an Ayre QB-9 DSD for the past few years. I also have an Oppo BDP-105 that I use to make backup copies of my DSDs to my MacMini. I've been using Pure Music all along and have been pretty happy with it. I can use Apple's Remote software to control iTunes which plays back via Pure Music. I can also sync all of my new music (but not DSD) with my iPhone's music library. (Which is why I haven't looked at other inputs to the Ayre.) Since upgrading to High Sierra, I can't get Pure Music to play DSD. It immediately crashes. I just updated to the latest OSX fix pack (10.13.2 as of 12/11/17) hoping it would fix the problem, but it's still immediately crashes when I select a DSD file to play. Anyone else playing DSD files on High Sierra to an external USB DAC? I thought I'd ask before restoring a Time Machine backup to back level OSX to Sierra. I've only added a couple of albums since that backup, so I don't mind doing a full restore to Sierra in order to get DSD playback. Unless there is something else I should consider. (Must use iTunes library so I can sync with my other Apple devices.)

I need to correct a mistake I made in this post. I ended up using the Sony DSF option. This is what streams successfully from Pure Music on OSX to my Ayre. The Philips DSDIFF did NOT produce a playable file.

I ripped 2 of my SACDs so far and both sound noticeably superior streamed to the Ayre QB-9 DSD than played through the Oppo 105D. And the 105D is no slouch! Whoever made this possible, THANK YOU!

Another confirmation for the Oppo 105D which I got via UPS today. I ripped Ana Caram - Blue Bossa as Phillips DSDIFF (NOT Raw ISO) and imported via Pure Music Mac (via the DSD import to iTunes utility) and it works great! I'm currently listening on my Ayre QB-9 DSD which is playing the file as a DSD 64.

Does the PS3 still need the 3.x firmware to utilize the ISO2DSD? I have a PS3 that plays SACD, but the firmware was updated to the 4.x level and I've never had a chance to back-level it.

I hear you! I've got 300+ vinyl albums and 500+ digital albums all said and done. iPad driven listening is great! (But I won't be giving up my vinyl any time soon!)

Well, I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade my BDP-95 to a BDP-105D. Just ordered a new one from Crutchfield. [Humor on] I bet this whole thing was concocted to sell a bunch of Oppo and Pioneer players! [Humor off] My interest will be in sonic quality of the played back DSD file between native and streaming.

This is what interests me the most. If I bother to rip all of my SACDs will I really gain that much by streaming to a superior DAC? I'd like to think so, however, my Oppo 95 was rated Stererophile Class A, and so was my Ayre QB9-DSD. Maybe my best option is to do nothing and continue listening to my SACD collection via my Oppo 95. The only thing I loose operationally is the ability to play individual tracks from the MacMini in sequence from other music via playlist. Is ripping SACDs more for convenience of playing on a music server? Or is sound quality by having the ability to play on a superior DAC the goal?

Very cool thread! I have an older PS3, but I never got it back-leveled to the older firmware. I need some data points to decide what I should do with this new information. Current system: Mac Mini/PureMusic -> Ayre QB9-DSD as well as an Oppo BDP-95. I have about 40 SACDs but generally don't buy SACDs any longer as I buy hi-res files from HDTracks. I only listen to 2-channel audio, I have no use for video playback. (That's a whole separate system) My intent is to rip all of the SACDs to the MacMini and get rid of the Oppo. I'll keep the SACDs as backups. My questions are: 1) Will the ripped SACDs sound better on the Ayre than the Oppo? I'm inclined to say yes, but I don't know. I have a couple of DSD recordings that I can currently play from PureMusic to the Ayre, and they sound great. 2) Are there recordings only available on SACD that aren't available on hi-res download? 3) Should I sell the 95 and get a 105? It's not the end of the world to have a back-up universal player. I've heard the 105 sounds thinner in the midrange than the 95, but the bass sounds tighter. I'm sure my Ayre stomps all over both of them, but I've never played identical files to do a proper A/B. 4) Should I keep the 95, get the Pioneer 80, rip the SACDs, sell the Pioneer 80. See how things sound after some extended A/B, then sell the 95 if I decide I no longer need a universal player? Thanks!