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Philip Hamm · 03-22-2002, 11:25 AM

Occasionally I hear people talking about DAD discs. What the heck is that???

These are DVD-Video discs available from many retailers including forum sponsor Laser's Edge. Though they conform to the DVD-Video spec they are more like DVD-Audio in implemetation. These are stereo albums that were mastered to DVD using the DVD-V spec and 96/24 Audio tracks.

96/24 PCM audio (CD style audio at a much higher resolution than CD delivers) is part of the DVD-Video spec, so you can definitely play DADs. No doubt about it. However, there are some limitations to the 96/24 bitstream. The original DVD-Video spec did not allow for this resolution to be transmitted through the digital outs of a player. Some companies, notably Pioneer, simply ignored this part of the spec and sent the full bandwidth signal regardless. Most players do not allow for this type of transmission, and will only send a 48/16 signal with the extra bits and resolution simply thrown away.

*** It is important to note here that due to the very careful mastering of the 96/24 DVD-Video titles, the truncated 48/16 version when decoded through an ordinary DAC can sound very damn good, possibly better than the redbook CD of the same material. This is how I used to listen to my DADs when I had a ProScan DVD player. You don't get the benefit of the extra resolution, but you do get the benefit of the extra care taken during the mastering process, much like with "audiophile" CDs.

If the DVD player has a 96/24 DAC built in (a highly touted feature in 1999/2000), you can use the analog output to enjoy sonic excellence from these discs. This is how I've enjoyed these discs for years. However, it is important to note that your receiver must have an analog bypass mode. If the receiver digitizes the input analog stereo signal for bass management, tone controls, etc.(many do) then once again you won't get the benefits of the added resolution the discs have to offer. On my old ProScan 8680Z DIVX machine the analog output from these amazing discs didn't sound as good as the comparable redbook CDs. I suspect that the 8680Z had a lousy DAC that played the 48K truncated version of these fabulous discs.

So you see, it is a very complicated affair. Though it is part of the DVD-Video spec, this seldom used format is much closer to DVD-Audio in actual implementation.

But I assure you that the results, if you have a well calibrated system that is capable of taking advantage of the format, are absolutely breathtaking. I've got four of these discs and they are extremely impressive.

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03-22-2002, 11:25 AM
Philip Hamm Member Join Date: Jan 1999 Local Time: 06:28 AM Local Date: 07-19-2008 Posts: 4,174	Occasionally I hear people talking about DAD discs. What the heck is that??? These are DVD-Video discs available from many retailers including forum sponsor Laser's Edge. Though they conform to the DVD-Video spec they are more like DVD-Audio in implemetation. These are stereo albums that were mastered to DVD using the DVD-V spec and 96/24 Audio tracks. 96/24 PCM audio (CD style audio at a much higher resolution than CD delivers) is part of the DVD-Video spec, so you can definitely play DADs. No doubt about it. However, there are some limitations to the 96/24 bitstream. The original DVD-Video spec did not allow for this resolution to be transmitted through the digital outs of a player. Some companies, notably Pioneer, simply ignored this part of the spec and sent the full bandwidth signal regardless. Most players do not allow for this type of transmission, and will only send a 48/16 signal with the extra bits and resolution simply thrown away. *** It is important to note here that due to the very careful mastering of the 96/24 DVD-Video titles, the truncated 48/16 version when decoded through an ordinary DAC can sound very damn good, possibly better than the redbook CD of the same material. This is how I used to listen to my DADs when I had a ProScan DVD player. You don't get the benefit of the extra resolution, but you do get the benefit of the extra care taken during the mastering process, much like with "audiophile" CDs. If the DVD player has a 96/24 DAC built in (a highly touted feature in 1999/2000), you can use the analog output to enjoy sonic excellence from these discs. This is how I've enjoyed these discs for years. However, it is important to note that your receiver must have an analog bypass mode. If the receiver digitizes the input analog stereo signal for bass management, tone controls, etc.(many do) then once again you won't get the benefits of the added resolution the discs have to offer. On my old ProScan 8680Z DIVX machine the analog output from these amazing discs didn't sound as good as the comparable redbook CDs. I suspect that the 8680Z had a lousy DAC that played the 48K truncated version of these fabulous discs. So you see, it is a very complicated affair. Though it is part of the DVD-Video spec, this seldom used format is much closer to DVD-Audio in actual implementation. But I assure you that the results, if you have a well calibrated system that is capable of taking advantage of the format, are absolutely breathtaking. I've got four of these discs and they are extremely impressive. Philip Hamm Moderator Emeritus