I will be upsampling CDs to 24/192 on the cheap: $299!

The idea of upsampling CDs has intrigued me for awhile. I've considered picking up the Musical Fidelity A324 DAC for $1200. My gripe about it (and some other DACs) is that it only has one coaxial digital input and one optical digital input. I wish the A324 had a few coaxial digital inputs. I would use such a component in my main system, where I have a Sony SCD-777ES and Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 as single-disc transports, and would like to be able to connect both via coaxial digital cables. Anyway, I could always use the A324 for the '777ES and be done with it.
Another option that intrigued me is the Cairn Fog v2.0 CD player that Sam Tellig reviewed favorably in the current issue of Stereophile. The base player is $1095, but it is available with a 24/192 upsampling chip installed for $1595. This is a less appealing option than the A324 to me because it is more expensive and because I don't want a new player. The '777ES with the A324 would probably be a killer combo.
Yet another option is the Perpetual Technologies P-3A for $800. For another $800, Dan Wright will mod it, and his mods are authorized by Pepetual Technologies. It has been said that the A324 beats the stock P-3A, but I'm sure the modded P-3A would be something to behold.
Then there is the new Bel Canto DAC to consider for around the same price as the A324. I would certainly try to audition both before plunking down the cash.
For now, I have decided to upsample to 24/192 for a mere $299. Upscale Audio (www.upscaleaudio.com) is offering a 24/192 upsampling board for the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 for just $299. I have pre-ordered one. It will supposedly be available at the end of August. I am not going to say that this upsampling board will match the A324 or other comparably priced stand-alone DACs, but for $299, I feel it is definitely worth a try. Some of you may be aware that Dan Wright of www.modwright.com is also offering mods to the Ah!. These mods are compatible with the upsampling board, so I could go with Dan's mods later if desired.
I won't be upsampling for a couple months yet, but I will report back when the chip is installed. Of course, this chip doesn't allow me to upsample from the '777ES, which I still would like to try at some point. It's too bad the Ah! doesn't have a coaxial digital input like some high-end CD players do (e.g., the Cary CD 306/200).
Down the road, I will consider a stand-alone DAC like the A324, but I like the idea of trying out upsampling on the cheap first. I also like being able to try upsampling without having to make room for yet another box in my audio room. Finally, I bought the Ah! for tweaking, which adds some fun to the hobby.

 

Matthew,

I was not aware that the Onkyo 'DS898 upsamples. A home-theater receiver that upsamples. Very interesting. No offense, but I wonder how good a job the 'DS898 does at it. Like anything else, some components are said to upsample better than others, and I am talking about high-end CD players and stand-alone DACs. It's too bad the 'DS898 doesn't upsample to 192 kHz.

Interestingly, I see no mention of the 'DS989 or 'DS989VER2 flagship models on Crutchfield's web site being capable of upsampling. The 'DS898 is the only home-theater receiver I am aware of that upsamples.

As for my receiver, I have yet to hear back from the repair shop. If it cannot be repaired, I will get a check from Sony (again) or get part of the money from my insurance company (less the deductable). No matter what, I will get a receiver that is the equal of or better than the 'V444ES.

The Kenwood minidisc deck is working fine. Thanks for asking.


Jeff,

Not everyone out there is sold on upsampling. I have read comments on Audio Asylum from people who prefer the upsampling mode on high-end players and DACs turned off. Also, I have read comments from people who prefer upsampling to 96 kHz over 192 kHz. If you stick around this hobby long enough, you are bound to hear everything. In the end, I will try out upsampling and see how it sounds. If I am not happy with the $299 upsampling chip either because it sounds no better or sounds worse than the stock DAC set-up, I will not write off upsampling altogether. I am sure that there are better ways to upsample, but they cost far more than $299. The bottom line is that if $299 gives me a noticable improvement over the stock unit, it's money well spent. If it doesn't, I'll return the upsampling board for a full refund.

Many people love upsampling. I guess like anything, it depends on one's system (overall quality and system synergy) and one's preferences. If you haven't read it already, read Sam Tellig's column in the current issue of Stereophile. In it, he gives a brief review of the Cairn Fog v2.0 CD player with a 24/192 upsampling chip. Tellig clearly likes upsampling. I'm in a good mood, so I'll provide his quote about upsampling:

 

Eugene, we'll see. If $299 makes my piles of CDs sound better, it's money well spent, as I said to Jeff. If it doesn't do it for me, I'll return it for a full refund. For just $299, I think it's worth a try at upsampling.
Don't worry. I'm still buying software.

 

Doug,

I am going to take this one step at a time with the Ah! The upsampling board is a simple and inexpensive tweak. Simply swap boards and you're off. As I said, if I don't like the sound of the upsampling board, I can return it. Dan Wright's mods are more involved, and his more comprehensive mods are more expensive than the upsampling board. For these reasons, I would like to see some reviews of Dan's work before jumping in.

It would be nice if the upsampling board were available sooner. I decided to place an order now because Upscale Audio is currently giving preference to people who already own the player, like me. At some point, Upscale Audio will start taking orders for new players with the upsampling board installed. I don't want to be thrown in with the pack, so to speak.


Kevin,

I understand what you are saying, but 'upsampling' is the accepted term for increasing the sampling rate. It has been said by some on Audio Asylum that 88.2 and 176.4 kHz sound better than 96 kHz and 192 kHz. I seem to recall reading such opinions, anyway.


Jeff,

Your point is well taken. The inherent problem in putting what one hears to words is that terms get thrown around loosely. I don't know what Sam Tellig meant by "dynamics". Perhaps you should write a letter to Stereophile voicing your objection. They might even print it. Again, the jury is out on upsampling for me because I have little experience with it.


Matthew,

I read up briefly on the 'DS898 on Crutchfield's web site and no mention of upsampling to 192 kHz. The 'DS898 has 24/192 DACs, but I recall reading that it only upsamples to 96 kHz. Of course, you own the receiver, so you should know its capabilties best. I also was not aware that the 'DS797 upsamples. Onkyo is ahead of the game on the music side of things.

Glad to hear that your Tascam deck is working well for you.

 

Eujin, when I started reading your post and came across a Chinese CD player, I thought you were going to mention the Shanling CDT-1000, which is a tube player (no SACD playback). Music Hall is the lone US distributor of the Shanling player, and it sells for $2000.

The Xindak Audio players sound very intriguing, but I have never seen any mention of them on Audio Asylum (which doesn't mean there hasn't been any). Unfortunately, I do not read Chinese, so the link you provided does nothing for me. Are the model numbers really SCD-1 and SCD-2? I would imagine that Sony would have a problem with another company using SCD-1. Anyway, I have a hard time believing that a player that does everything you describe (tube output stage, SACD playback, and upsampling of CDs) could possibly sell for $500 USD, unless it is an APEX-type product. I am not dismissing your information, but I am skeptical about the quality of this player.

 

Oliver,
Thanks for the information. It is interesting that more companies do not advertise upsampling technology in their components. I have never heard Denon refer to its Alpha Processing as upsampling. Interesting. Anyway, I know that upsampling is not new, but I had no idea it was so widespread since it is not advertised, except by the high-end companies.
Eujin,
Thanks again for the information. I only peruse the AVS forum occasionally, but it looks like I should do so more often.

 

Justin, I realize the different DAC could make a difference and I am not sold on upsampling. However, I have little experience with upsampling. Truthfully, the upsampling board for the Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 CD player is not the best way to evaluate upsampling because you cannot turn off upsampling. With a DAC like the Musical Fidelity A324, you can switch between 16/44.1, 24/96, and 24/192. I would be interested in comparing the three modes. I understand the theory you are citing, but many people have claimed to hear differences when having upsampling off and then on. In some cases, people have said that the upsampling mode sounds better. I have read such opinions on Audio Asylum. Anyway, all I will be able to do is compare the sound of the Ah! player with the stock DAC and then with the upsampling board.

 

Saurav, I am not an electrical engineer, so I am not completely up on digital theory. All I will say is that while many people like to blow off the audiophiles out there as inventing improvements that aren't there or can't be there, I do not believe that high-end audio is completely smoke and mirrors. I feel some tweaks are bogus, but when legitimate high-end audio companies incorporate upsampling into their CD players, that suggests to me that there is something to the technique. However, I have little firsthand experience with upsampling, as I said, so I cannot say one way or the other whether upsampling is beneficial.