The biggest problem with HDCD enabled DAC's and CDP's is that the the PM chips are not that great sonically (sorry Poetcatullus) so much so that Mark Levinson (the brand) got special permission from PM to manufacture their own HDCD chips to incorporate in their players.
One non-PM solution for great sound from both Redbook and HDCD disks is (are) Wadia equipment. The reason is that Wadia's D to A processing is based on software decoding rather than 'brick-wall' filter chips. Therefore, all the information on a HDCD disk is read and fully processed (doesn't require the special PM chip) and HDCD's sound fantastic on Wadia equipment. Of course you don't get the little 'HDCD' indicator light on the front panel, but you can sure hear the difference!
So I was interested to hear about the 'attenuation' issue, because on my Wadia equipment, HDCD's sound louder if anything -- although that might just be a subjective response on my part to the improved quality of HDCD disks. I don't go out of my way to collect them, but I'm always thrilled when an artist/performer I like chooses to release their music on HDCD's. And some have been doing it for a long time (Chris Isaak comes to mind.) I know this is a bit off topic, but speaking of artists who seek to use interesting or sophisticated technology, I just discovered that quite a few of Lou Reed's earlier albums were recorded binaurally! The joke was definitely on me, because I've had those albums since they were released, and it never dawned on me until I was searching eBay for binaural recordings and they all came up!~
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One non-PM solution for great sound from both Redbook and HDCD disks is (are) Wadia equipment. The reason is that Wadia's D to A processing is based on software decoding rather than 'brick-wall' filter chips. Therefore, all the information on a HDCD disk is read and fully processed (doesn't require the special PM chip) and HDCD's sound fantastic on Wadia equipment. Of course you don't get the little 'HDCD' indicator light on the front panel, but you can sure hear the difference!
So I was interested to hear about the 'attenuation' issue, because on my Wadia equipment, HDCD's sound louder if anything -- although that might just be a subjective response on my part to the improved quality of HDCD disks. I don't go out of my way to collect them, but I'm always thrilled when an artist/performer I like chooses to release their music on HDCD's. And some have been doing it for a long time (Chris Isaak comes to mind.) I know this is a bit off topic, but speaking of artists who seek to use interesting or sophisticated technology, I just discovered that quite a few of Lou Reed's earlier albums were recorded binaurally! The joke was definitely on me, because I've had those albums since they were released, and it never dawned on me until I was searching eBay for binaural recordings and they all came up!~
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