Answers to common questions about DSD mastering services.
We are the developers of the Dpdo product family (DpdoEngine, DpdoPlayer, etc.), with full ownership of all software IP and core algorithms. We provide end-to-end conversion services from PCM audio (FLAC/WAV/AIFF) to DSD and DST-compressed SACD ISO — lossless ultra-high-spec DSD compression and playback.
DSD (Direct Stream Digital) is the 1-bit ultra-high-frequency encoding format used by SACD (2.8 MHz–45.2 MHz), fundamentally different from PCM's multi-bit quantization. DSD uses ΔΣ modulators to approximate analog signals at over 64× the Nyquist frequency; after noise shaping, baseband SNR can exceed 120 dB.
Compared with common PCM container formats (FLAC, WAV), DSD shows measurable differences in high-frequency detail and naturalness of listening. Traditional PCM (44.1kHz/16bit) has about 96 dB of dynamic range, while native DSD playback exhibits lower modulator quantization artifacts — but this is not a 'format upgrade', it's format matching.
Lossless files of your finished mix (WAV/FLAC/AIFF, ideally 44.1kHz or 48kHz or higher, 16-bit or 24-bit). The better the source quality, the higher the final DSD master quality. We accept any sample rate from 44.1kHz to 192kHz; non-standard rates are automatically resampled to the optimal spec. The single-stage Kaiser sinc upsampling filter (Kaiser β=10, stopband >100 dB) ensures no aliasing is introduced during resampling.
Yes. If you have stems (dry + backing tracks), we can handle the full path from mixing to DSD mastering. This falls under the Custom plan — please discuss specifics via the contact page. Our 14 built-in effect modules (dither, limiter, panorama correction, harmonic excitation, noise shaping, compression, resampling, noise reduction, loudness normalization, etc.) can process each track independently before combining into the DSD master.
SACD ISO is a digital mirror image of an SACD disc, containing the complete album structure, metadata and track information. We build SACD Red Book-compliant ISOs with our proprietary DpdoPackSACD, supporting DST lossless compression (about 2:1–3:1 ratio). We uniquely support 48 kHz base-rate DSD/DST SACD construction — mainstream SACD toolchains (including sacd_extract, AudioGate, Sonoma) and Sony's official SDK do not support the 48k base-rate system. This is currently the only technical solution that can produce 48k-base DSD/DST SACD playable on standard players. You can play it with Foobar2000 + SACD plugin, DSD-Disc compatible players, or use it for physical disc replication.
The number denotes the sample rate: DSD64 = 2.8MHz, DSD128 = 5.6MHz, DSD256 = 11.2MHz, DSD512 = 22.4MHz. Higher rates give the ΔΣ modulator more oversampling headroom, letting noise shaping push more quantization noise into the ultrasonic domain (theoretically ~6 dB better baseband noise per doubling). DSD128 already covers the human hearing limit (20kHz); DSD256/512 are mainly for high-end DAC playback and digital archiving. Our engine supports both 44.1kHz and 48kHz base rates — 48k-base DSD/DST SACD is a proprietary technology unsupported by mainstream SACD toolchains.
We deliver SACD ISO files, not physical discs. However, after the ISO is complete you can commission a disc replication plant to press physical SACDs in small batches — plants can burn directly from the ISO master. We can provide technical guidance on ISO authoring specs and track gap frame counts. For releases that don't need SACD, we can also deliver DSD (DSF/DFF) files only, for distribution as lossless music versions.
Standard turnaround is 3–5 business days; the Pro plan's priority scheduling can shorten this to within 48 hours. Album projects (10+ tracks) or Custom-plan per-track refinement should be scheduled in advance.
We work on a pay-after-confirmation basis. After you confirm the final deliverables are correct, payment is made via WeChat Pay / Alipay / bank transfer.
We promise: if the deliverable does not meet expectations, we will negotiate adjustments. If we genuinely cannot satisfy the requirements, a full refund is provided.
Yes. Before placing an order, you can provide one representative track and we will produce both DSD64 and DSD256 sample versions for you to compare. The sample service is free.
Our proprietary dpdo engine (DpdoEngine) performs PCM→DSD modulation. Whether the input is FLAC, WAV, AIFF or other PCM lossless audio, it goes through the same pipeline: ① single-stage Kaiser sinc upsampling (64×–1024×, 65536 taps, stopband >100 dB) → ② 8 selectable TPDF dither types (including POW-R 3rd-order, Lipshitz 5th/9th-order, Shibata 16th/20th-order) → ③ MASH 4-2-1 ΔΣ modulator (equivalent 7th-order noise shaping) → ④ psychoacoustic NTF (ISO 226 equal-loudness curves, three selectable strategies). Internally everything runs in 64-bit double-precision floating point (IEEE 754), with quantization noise below -140 dBFS. We uniquely support 48 kHz base-rate DSD/DST SACD construction; the Dpdo-V2 / Dpdo-V3 oversampling architectures suit different tonal preferences.
Common playback paths include: Foobar2000 + SACD plugin (Windows), Audirvāna (macOS/Windows), JRiver Media Center, and hardware players with native DSD support (DSD-capable DACs from iFi, FiiO, Astell&Kern, Chord, etc.). FLAC and lossless PCM files play on any player, but on native-DSD devices, DSD files realize their full sonic potential.
Every delivery includes a mastering report PDF by default: spectrum analysis (65536-pt FFT, 0.67 Hz resolution @ 44.1 kHz), level statistics, noise-shaping curves and 20+ technical parameters, following the IEEE 124 mastering format standard. You'll see every technical detail of the final DSD master, including THD+N, dynamic range (DR) and EBU R128 loudness.
Fully compatible. As long as you export lossless WAV or FLAC, any DAW works. We accept any sample rate from 44.1kHz to 192kHz; non-standard rates are automatically resampled to the optimal spec. The resampling filter (Kaiser β=10, stopband >100 dB) introduces no aliasing.
Yes. For analog sources (reel-to-reel, vinyl transfers), please provide high-spec digital transfers (≥96kHz/24bit). We can apply noise reduction, panorama correction, harmonic excitation and other restorative processing before DSD modulation, preserving the natural character of the analog source as much as possible.
No. Your original mix files are never modified. We independently generate a DSD master version from your finished mix; you always retain full control of your original PCM (FLAC/WAV) files. Algorithmically, the single-stage Kaiser sinc upsampling + MASH noise shaping combination ensures the master has a consistent time-frequency response with the original mix in the signal domain. If you need the 48 kHz base-rate system, we can build a separate SACD ISO from the 48k DSD/DST series — a proprietary technology with no commercial equivalent.
The self-developed dpdo engine benchmarks against industry leaders in both DSD modulation and reverse reconstruction.
PCM→DSD modulation: MASH 4-2-1 equivalent 7th-order noise shaping, baseband noise < -140 dBFS; 65536-tap Kaiser sinc upsampling, stopband >100 dB.
DSD→PCM reverse reconstruction (--reverse): FIR decimation with 512–65536 taps (competitors: 32–128 taps), FIR stopband >100 dB + 4-stage Biquad for total stopband >160 dB — versus ~30 dB (FFmpeg) / ~40 dB (sacd_extract) / ~50 dB (AudioGate), leading competitors by an order of magnitude. Internally 64-bit double precision throughout (IEEE 754); competitors mostly use 32-bit float.
We also support both 48 kHz / 44.1 kHz base rates, and 48k-base DSD/DST SACD authoring is unique in the industry. Whether FLAC, WAV or other PCM lossless input, we output measurably high-spec DSD results.
Yes. The dpdo engine's --reverse mode supports DSD→PCM conversion — one of our core technical strengths.
Measured specs vs. competitors:
After receiving DSD files, you can choose FLAC/WAV PCM output, compatible with all DAWs and players. These metrics — especially FIR tap count and out-of-band noise suppression — rank first in every competitive evaluation we've seen.
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