What is a .dsf file?
DSD Stream File · Audio · Sony
A .dsf file holds DSD audio, the 1-bit high-resolution format of Super Audio CD, in Sony's stream-file container. Audiophiles buy and archive hi-res albums as DSF downloads.
What is a .dsf file used for?
DSD (Direct Stream Digital) encodes sound as a 1-bit stream at 2.8 MHz or more, a completely different approach from the PCM used by WAV and FLAC. DSF wraps that stream with ID3 tags, which is why it beat the rival DFF format for music libraries.
Playing it properly needs a DSD-capable DAC (natively or via DoP); otherwise players convert to PCM on the fly. Files are large: a stereo DSD64 album runs to gigabytes.
What opens a .dsf file?
The .dsf format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- foobar2000
- Audirvana
- JRiver Media Center
macOS
- Audirvana
- Colibri
- VLC (PCM conversion)
Linux
- MPD (DSD support)
- DeaDBeeF
- VLC
Open a .dsf file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .dsf. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with foobar2000 or Audirvana.
- On Mac, use Audirvana or Colibri.
- On Linux, try MPD (DSD support) or DeaDBeeF.
- Still stuck? Convert the .dsf to flac, which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .dsf file?
Almost always because no installed app understands DSF. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .dsf at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .dsf file
You can convert a .dsf file to flac, wav, aiff using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
What is the .dsf file signature (magic bytes)?
A .dsf file starts with the hex bytes 44 53 44 20, which read as DSD in ASCII. Programs identify DSF by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.
These are the documented signatures for DSF. For a full breakdown, see the DSF (DSD audio) file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | ASCII | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44 53 44 20 | 0 | DSD | ASCII 'DSD ' |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .dsf file?
A .dsf file holds DSD audio, the 1-bit high-resolution format of Super Audio CD, in Sony's stream-file container. Audiophiles buy and archive hi-res albums as DSF downloads.
How do I play a .dsf file?
Use a player with DSD support such as foobar2000 or Audirvana. With a DSD-capable DAC you get native playback; without one the player converts to PCM, which still sounds fine.
What is the difference between .dsf and .dff?
Both carry DSD audio. DSF (Sony) supports ID3 metadata tags, which music libraries need; DFF (Philips) is more common in studio interchange and lacks standard tagging.
Is DSD better than FLAC?
It is different, not automatically better: DSD is a 1-bit 2.8+ MHz stream, FLAC is lossless PCM. Audible differences are debated; FLAC is far more practical for most listening.
Related formats
Sources
Details on this page were checked against authoritative references. How sources are ranked and what is deliberately left out is set out in the methodology.