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Is it the transport or DAC that enables HDCD/Red?

Good morning all,
I am new to transports and seperate DAC's. I recently purchased a Parasound CBD 2000 Belt Drive Transport and am looking to buy a DAC.

However, I am not sure what signal the transport is to provide in order for me to play HDCD as well as Redbook CD's. Should I expect the transport to provide the HDCD and Redbook signal or does the DAC do all the work?

Does balanced in/outputs produce a better sound than does regular RCA in/outputs?

Right now I am looking for a compact DAC (the smaller the better) that offers good to excellent sound for not a lot of money. I listen to classical (choral/orchestral) and jazz music. I love the human voice and large scale orchestral and choral works.

What shoud I be looking for since this is all a mystery to me at this point. I am just being honest. I really don't know what's happening in this area. By the way, I would be pleased if you would offer some of your choices please.

Finally, I am reading more so that I can learn more. Thanks so much for your understanding and input. Have a great and wonderful day and weekend.
rbwinterlink

Showing 4 responses by nsgarch

nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
The reason high-end players/DACs tend not to decode HDCD today is strictly based on cost -- licensing fees.
Yes thanks to Microsoft's purchase of PMD.
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nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
Yes, HDCD capability is (or isn't) in the DAC. All transports supply the information off the disc, Redbook or HDCD. DAC's themselves almost universally employ a D to A chip of some kind. Some are better than others, but if they DON'T do HDCD, then the extra digital information for HDCD processing (of an HDCD disc) is disregarded (basically dumped.) Otherwise, on HDCD implemented DAC or CDP, a Pacific Microphonics chip is used which WILL recover the HDCD info. The problem is that the Pacific Microsonic chips aren't the highest quality, which is why most hi-end DAC's/players don't do HDCD. That is, except for Mark Levinson, which got permission to make THEIR OWN high quality HDCD decoding chips under additional license from Pacific Microsonics.

One other (high end) exception is Wadia. Unlike Mark Levinson, they do not use a custom HDCD chip. In fact Wadia DAC's don't use ANY D/A "chip" in the usual sense. Wadia uses their (claim to fame) patented "Digimaster" decoding software. Basically, Wadia DAC's are really high speed computers using the proprietary software to decode digital audio data. For that reason, the HDCD information is not dumped, but processed by the software. So although you won't get an "HDCD" indicator light on a Wadia, you WILL get the best HDCD perfomance (I've heard.) Is it better than the Levinson's custom HDCD chip. I haven't heard the Levinson, but the Wadia HDCD reproduction is truly amazing.
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nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
K: you need to add the "www."

RE: Bob's comment about MS killing the technology. I don't know if that is so or not. but what I do know is that Keith Johnson's (co-inventor of HDCD) ReferenceRecordings site seems to be doing very well and of course all the issues are in HDCD:
http://www.referencerecordings.com/default.asp
and there's a new format on his website you can read about (I haven't yet) called HRx.

I just wish he'd bring back RR LP's ;-)
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nsgarch's avatar
nsgarch
2,524 posts
 
While we're letting it ALL hang out ;-) I thought I'd mention the JVC XRCD. USA operations now being handled by Elusive Disc:
http://www.elusivedisc.com/products.asp?dept=859
I have purchased a number of these (at CES's) and found the reproduction to be really amazing - especially the remasters of some great older recordings, like the Reiner/Bartok 'Concerto for Orchestra'. They can be played on any Redbook playback system.

I'm not as versed in digital audio technology as you folks, but I am able to understand the process in concept, and it does seem unique.
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