DVD audio cannot match CD audio quality

Dear Dr. Jon Wong,

I thought you mentioned that 96kHz 24bit systems will sound much better than the old CD system. However, my DVD player sounds terrible compared to my CD player. The worse thing is, the DVD is a nearly top of the end product, but the CD is just a mid priced product. Is there something wrong with my DVD player? The sound is obviously inferior than my CD player.

Puzzle

Hello Puzzle,

Congratulations! You are able to discern the sound differences!

The problem you have identified is due to ‘JITTER’, or the instability of the digital master clock.

For DVD players, the data is usually extracted at high speeds from the media, and then stored in a buffer. The data is then tranferred to the DAC. The clock used for this is 27Mhz, which is not a multiple of the 44.1kHz frequency. Also, due to cost, manufacturers use 50ppm or even 100ppm crystals. The propogation on the stages of digital circuits make the jitter problem even worse. As such, the DVD palyer cannot deliver excellent sound. CD players, due to less complex structure, suffer less from jitter than DVD. However, the CD also face severe jitter problems.

DVD manufacturers are still not addressing this jitter problem till date. For both DVD and CD, if the clock is stable and noise free, the machine will have a quantum leap in performance.

1388.com is looking at introducing a clock and output stage upgrade service. The fee will be low (below S$200), but it depends on the demand. Once the clock is upgraded, you will find that your DVD players is capable of performances comparable to good LP turntables.

If you cannot tolerate modification, then one solution is to use an external 96kHz 24bit DAC, which has reclocking or jitter reduction facility. In this case, the cost will be very much higher.

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