Some questions on transcoding

[Lex]

Hello Simon,

I tried your suggestion and spent way too much time trying different settings. But, whatever settings I use, it does not seem possible to retain the full audio quality converting DSD to PCM.
I tried all target sample frequencies (88, 176 and 352 kHz), different lowpass filters (4th order LR at 40 kHz would be my preference, made sure I use sox at 32 bits precision, dithering etc.

It occurred to me that perhaps my DAC is better at playing DSD than it is at playing PCM, but the CD versions also sound better than the converted SACDs, in some ways. Sure, the CD is not as refined and the bass is all over the place (relatively speaking), but some of the space and transient edge of percussion etc. seems to get lost in the conversion process.

I believe I must accept this, and make a choice if I prefer the room correction, or the unrestrained sound quality of the DSD file. At least: I won't look into this any further.