dtc

Glad it is working. The main clocking is happening in the ADC not in the PC, so issues with jitter should not be a factor. There is always the chance that additional load on the computer can effect VS. However, I think the effect will be minimal unless there is a significant stress on the system. Personally, I would not be running much else when digitizing, but I also would not go to extremes to eliminate background processes. You might turn off your anti-virus when digitizing as long as you are not accessing the network. I use an ADC that records to its own disk just for this reason, although I doubt you will be able to hear the difference. You can do some experimenting, but I doubt you will see any effect. I find that judicious use of hiss removal can be very beneficial especially on soft passages. I find it changes the sound, but for the better. And with VS you can always go back and turn it off and save new files without it. VS changes are non-destructive. I use headphones for my cleanup and you can often really hear the hiss. Same approach with click removal. My philosophy has always been that once there is a click, the music is already damaged. Cleaning it up will help eliminate the damage that has already been done. Purist who do not want to effect the sound sometimes forget that it has already been changed. If most of the albums has no clicks, then VS lets you just do click removal on a particular section. The Patch options are useful for hard to repair damage, although they definitely can change the sound. You need to experiment with them. Hopefully you have found the Green vertical bar to remove lead in and between track sections. It is a little hard to find but it is a very easy tool to eliminate lead in and between track noise. I would experiment with all these options early on, so you don't have to go back and fix up your first albums again, once you have more experience. The discogs lookups are very useful. I posted some tips on the VS forum for finding hard to find albums. Good luck! It is worth it.

In case you have not found it, PS Audio recommends Vinyl Studio and has a video on how to set it up. http://www.psaudio.com/ps_how/how-to-setup-vinyl-studio/

Takes a little bit to learn but it does a great job. There is a Tutorial which explains the use step by step. Any questions, ask here or on their website. I have done hundreds of albums with it. Good luck.

Vinyl Studio. Very easy to use and a steal at $29. Runs on Mac and Windows. Much easier to use than Audacity and geared specifically to digitizing vinyl.

When a DAC receives a DoP signal is unpacks that into a DSD stream. Th DAC then has to process the DSD stream. In the case of your DAC, the chips in it do not process DSD so the DAC first converts it to PCM. It seems that there was a firmware update that enabled DSD which probably just added the logic to recognize DoP, unpack it to DSD and convert it to PCM. The discussion in this link confirms that the unit does not play native DSD. The post contains a quote from a Cambridge Audio person. " The CXN supports DSD x64 (AKA DSD64 or 64FS- Including DSF/DFF). The DACs used for the CXN aren’t capable of playing native DSD files so the signal does needs to be converted to PCM." https://hifiwigwam.com/forum/topic/125070-cxn-dsd-dop/ This is presumably true whether the source is DoP from a computer or DSD files from a usb drive. You can contact CA for further confirmation.

Native 1xDSD has a sample rate of 2.822 MHz. USB can handle that speed so it is possible to send native DSD from a Windows PC to a DAC. However, not all DACs are designed to input that high a sample rate. The manufacturer also has to supply a driver that can handle that high a sample rate. DoP (DSD over PCM) packs 16 bits of 1 bit DSD data into each PCM 24 bit sample. The other 8 bits are used to identify the samples as PCM rather than DSD. 2.822 MHz/16 gives 172 KHz samples per second. So, a 1xDSD can be sent as 172 KHz DoP. To do 2xDSD as DoP your DAC needs to handle 352 KHz PCM. Using DoP means the manufacturer can using their existing PCM input without having to also include a native MHz input module and also means standard WASAPI can be used on the PC, which means they do not have to develop an ASIO driver. WASAPI cannot handle MHZ signals, but ASIO can. Apple systems do not support MHz sample rates, so the only way to play DSD on them is through DoP. That is why most manufacturers of DSD DACS support DoP. If you send a DoP signal to a DAC that does not understand DoP, then it will play as low level white noise. Those extra 8 bits that identify each sample are the most significant bits and are set to represent a low level white noise in PCM. That insures that a DoP signal will not play loud if the DAC does not understand it.

DSD conversions on JRiver goes through PCM. It is not straight DSD.

You can use Vinyl Studio, which has a 30 day free trial. It has a function to remove lead in noise in Split Tracks that you could use - hold down shift and drag the green line. Then just save the file. http://www.alpinesoft.co.uk/VinylStudio/home.aspx The Tascam Hi-Res Editor can probably do it also, although I do not know the details. It is free. http://tascam.com/product/hi-res_editor/

I just added a Masters album to a playlist from the PC Tidal app and BubbleUpNP on my Android phone sees the tracks and plays them. Unfortunately, I have no way to tell if it is seeing a Masters file or not. Since it is just looking at a Playlist, I think it might be seeing the Masters file. The PC Tidal app definitely sees the tracks in the playlist as MQA. So using BubbleUnNP may be able to cast the Masters file to the CCA. Not sure if this will work, but it may be worth investigating.

You can use BubbleUpNP on an Android device to stream Tidal and have it send to a Chromecast Audio, which then connects to your DAC. That will provide full Tidal playback, alhough I am not sure if BubbleUpNP will see the Masters files.I have used BubbleUpNP for Tidal streaming to a CCA, but have never tried it with a MQA files or a MQA DAC.,

The idea that integer downsampling retains many of the original data points is why people think integer downsampling must be better than non integer down sampling. In fact, modern methods use detailed interpolation algorithms that are far more accurate than just dropping intermediate data points.. They use the trend, not just the individual points. You really have to look at the actual algorithms to be sure, but most people who know the algorithms say integer downsampling is no more accurate than non integer downsampling. That said, sometimes non integer downsampling can take more CPU time, so, integer downsampling may be preferred from a CPU perspective when doing downsampling. Unless their is something specific about your DAC that prefers a specific sampling rate, I would do integer downsampling, just in case their is a difference and to minimize CPU time.

Jriver now has an option to use SOX for downsampling. It does not implement all the options of SOX but it can do the basic downsampling using SOX.

DoP contains exactly the same bits as the native DSD. All it does is store 16 bits in a 24 bit PCM wrapper so it can be sent to the DAC. The original data is extracted from the PCM wrapper by the DAC. The DAC receives the exact same bits as in the original file. In that regard DoP quite different from PCM downsampling, since in that process the bits are definitely changed.. If you prefer native DSD over DoP it must be because of the effect the receiving and extraction process has on the working of the DAC. I agree that this is not the place to discuss that issue, I just want to point out that the bits the DAC receives are exactly the same as in the original file. Again, that is a different situation than downsampling.

I have digitized hundreds of records. Here are some observations. It is perfectly possible to get your digitized files to sound basically the same as your vinyl. However, as with all audio, you need to use the right equipment. You need the right adc and the right DAC. Right does not necessarily mean expensive, it just has to be at a level comparable to the rest of your system. I was not happy with my initial efforts but when I got the right DAC, then there was little difference between the vinyl and the flac file. I use a Korg MR-2000s at 24/192 and the result is very close to the original. My test is my wife's ears - she is incredible hearing. She hears a big difference between 16/44 and 24/96 and only a minor difference going to 24/192. On our DAC, 2x DSD does not sound better than 24/192. How PCM compares to DSD depends on your playback equipment. Somes DAC are great with PCM but not with DSD and vice versa. You cannot process DSD files beyond breaking them apart. That is why I stopped using it. Removing clicks and pops and hiss really helped the sound. People are often concerned that removing clicks and pops changes the music, but, my view is that damage on the vinyl has already done that, so cleanup is warranted. Sometimes damaged sections cannot be fixed without making things worse, but that is unusual. That usually happens with a long scratch parallel to the tracks. Anything across the tracks is easy to fix. If you want to listen to the effect of click and pop removal, get a decent set of headphones and listen carefully. It is amazing how much detail you can hear with headphones. With Vinyl Studio you can also look at the original waveform and the cleaned up waveform. Vinyl Studio is great software, for only $29 with a 30 day free trial. As with all software, it takes some getting used to but once mastered it is very efficient. I find it much easier to use than Audacity and it uses online sources to get track names and times - a great time saver. My Korg and the Tascam DA-3000 record to removal cards. So you can record without being connected to a PC. You then move the files to the PC for processing. Other adcs, like the new Korg, connect to the PC for recording. I like recording to disk, since it does not tie up the PC when recording. Handheld recorders like the Tascam DR-05 (24/96, $100) and the DR-100mk111 (24/196, $300) are nice entry level products.

Here is a 2013 version available in 176/ 24. Available for download in the US. I have not heard it, so no idea of the quality. JoAnn Falletta-Gershwin Rhapsody In Blue - Strike Up The Band Overture - Promenade - Catfish Row-FLAC 176kHz24bit Download|Acoustic Sounds