Archiving Super Audio CDs (SACDs) With a PS3

By hardwarehank in CircuitsSoftware
The problem with SACD is that nothing plays it - even Sony's PS3 dropped support in recent versions.
There are very few ways to get the DSD (the file format used on SACD) material off of the disc, because
of copy protection. There are some expensive mastering workstations that will rip SACDs, but a more
cost-effective solution is an old hacked PS3.

Step 1: the PS3

The original PS3 could play SACDs, and many of the thick bulky models can do so. A list is here:
http://ps3sacd.com/faq.html#_Toc180147566

You need a firmware previous to 3.55, or any custom firmware (CFW). Once you have the PS3 in-hand,
you'll have to install a custom firmware on it. I used the REBUG 3.55.4 REX edition available here:
http://rebug.me/rebug-3-55-3-and-4-21-1-rex-editions-and-999-downgrader/

Step 2: Software

I have a linux server in my house, and I used it to build sacd-ripper using the PS3 toolchain (just get the
precompiled toolchain - don't try to build it yourself).
http://sacd-ripper.github.io/
Building is a bit of a pain, but it will build once you get everything happy with regard to the toolchain -
see the README for details on the build process. You'll also need sacd_extract in the same project,
which is available under tools. Use cmake to build this.
Next you'll need to install wine on your linux server.

While that's going, get foobar2000 for Windows.

Get the sacddecoder plugin and unzip: http://sacddecoder.sourceforge.net/

You'll need FLAC for Windows: https://xiph.org/flac/download.html

Install foobar2000 with wine as well as FLAC. Go into foobar's preferences and install the sacddecoder
plugin.

Step 3: Rip an SACD

Connect the PS3 to your LAN. Start the sacd-ripper software (that you installed on your PS3 using the
instructions in the README), choose server mode, and insert an SACD. Fool around with the options to
sacd_extract on your computer a bit, and get it talking to the IP of the PS3. Once you understand the
options, go ahead and rip an SACD ISO out of the PS3. You'll end up with a complete ISO after around an
hour.

Add TipAsk QuestionCommentDownload

Step 4: Convert to DSF Files

Let's use sacd_extract again, this time on the ISO, to grab the first track as a DSF file (assuming our ISO is
called sacd.iso):

sacd_extract -i sacd.iso -2 -s -t 1 -c 01.dsf

This should get you a rather large file (my 5-minute track was around 200MB).

Add TipAsk QuestionCommentDownload

Step 5: Set Up Foobar2000

Now drop that bad boy (the DSF file) into foobar2000 (make sure to restart foobar after installing the
plugin) and go into the main preferences area. Go to Tools -> SACD. The image shows my settings, but
you can tweak these how you want. I find 88.2khz sample rate to be good enough. Hit OK.

Add TipAsk QuestionCommentDownload

Step 6: Convert to FLAC

Open the DSF file with foobar2000. You might get an error - don't worry about it, I think it's related to
not being able to play the file through wine's audio stuff. Right click the file, and choose
convert. Choose the FLAC audio codec with a compression level of your choosing (I used 5). Go ahead
and convert it, then try playing it (I used Cog on my Mac to play mine). Open the new FLAC file with
foobar2000 and check out the properties of the file. You should see something similar to mine in the
image.

Add TipAsk QuestionCommentDownload

Step 7: Conclusion

I hope this helps you understand the process of creating high-resolution audio from your SACD
collection. FLAC files can be played using a plethora of audio players, and even many hardware devices
(I installed Rockbox on my 4th generation regular ipod today and it plays FLAC).