I do this all the time but not via ripping. I take the 5.1 analog outs from my Denon DVD-3930 (DVD-A and SACD) (I like the sound of the DA) and then input that signal into my MacPro via a MOTU HD192 (the best sounding interface I have ever used, even better than my ProToolsHD). I am using Logic 8 Pro to record the 6 tracks at 192/24(with 64bit float) to a 4TB raid5. I save the files as interleaved 6ch (oddly, quicktime handles them just fine, and I am using itunes as my catalog and playback [lost of config in Apple Audio/MIDI utility]). Playback is from the HD192 (outs 3-8) to a denon 4308 to 5 Aperion 6Ts, and a Velodyne DD-12. Outs 1-2 feed my Stereo setup (ML Sequel II with 2 bryston 4B bridged, BP6 Pre) and I rip the 2ch material separately. I have an apple script that flips from ch 1-2 to 3-8 when a file with "5.1" in its name is played, and ch 1-2 gain is controlled by the BP-6. The MacPro is remote controlled via a wacom cintiq 12wv touch screen pen display and 15 foot DVI and USB cables and Tributaries 9 Series xlr to rca, and xlr cables, Horizon 10 gauge speaker cables. I'm very happy with the setup, but i am looking for a replacement stereo pair as the martins are very long in the tooth, but still astound with the right material. When I set up the 6Ts, I did a A-B test of both SACD and DVD-A material and I could not tell any difference over analog but over Denon Link (192/24) the sound was not as rich and lacked a general intensity. Another nice thing about the system is that the MOTU DSP up converts 44.1 and 96K without coloration so I don't worry about sample rates and can just listen.

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Glad you're set up for hi-rez. But I'm still wondering if *reviewers* did this through high-end gear - to see if 24-bit audio was "vastly better" than CD...

The flippant answer would be they didn't have to- they just heard the difference. But that wouldn't be polite.

I've been listening to DVD-A since 1999. The Talking Heads Brick, Steely Dan and Donald Fagen, Buena Vista Social Club, Billy Cobham, the AIX series, etc. recordings should be proof enough of sonic superiority. The acid test? Crank these babies up to levels that would send you running if tried with a cd. No distortion. I have a lot of great sounding cd's and a few clunker DVD-A's, but all my well-engineered/recorded DVD-A's trump cd and SACD quality. IMO.

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Glad you're set up for hi-rez. But I'm still wondering if *reviewers* did this through high-end gear - to see if 24-bit audio was "vastly better" than CD...

The difference is dramatic. It's like the difference in listening to a movie in the theater (bad DD), then on DVD (better DD), then on Blu-Ray with PCM. The sound only improves, and you can hear this difference on headphones, and even on mid range bookshelf speakers. DVD-A and SACD do provide more detail and sonic clarity than CD. The real problem is that the market for both is going away, and we may never get it back. If you had to read Dickens with every tenth word crossed out, you would give up. Yeah, you'd get the plot, but you would also be missing the art of the work. I feel compression in any form, be it down sampling, or aural trickery, is removing me from the work. I just like giving the artist the best chance to let me hear his or her intentions on an album.