Why HDCD did not become a dominant format?

Joman that's interesting as Billy G. certainly could have handled the 'marketing' of HDCD. I wonder what he's done with it? I hope Keith Johnson was well paid for it; he has certainly contributed much to my listening enjoyment via cassettes, Spectral and HDCD and Reference Recordings(maybe even Avalon Acoustics?(anyone know). Maybe it from that some of that income Keith decided to continue Reference recordings and bought it back??

Mcpody I understand the majors couldn't agree; I just don't understand why, given the marked superiority of HDCD? Sure DVD-As and SACDs were on the way-but neither was as easily backwards compatible. In fact,it seems virtually all manufacturers could have made money selling new machines had they fully adopted HDCD.

Mrpresident, that's a big blanket.

Mcpody,yes I too enjoy the JVC XRCD and 'very' much appreciate their quality. JVC seems to have absolutely minimized distortion and that certainly allows for a much more musical presentation. In fact I think that's another recording system that CD could have evolved to, to the benefit of all. No new system. No new machines. Just better sound. The expense involved could not have been that great; probably insignificant in the grand scheme, just as HDCD would have been an insignificant expense on the recording side. I think you're right about it allowing for recordings virtually equal to the new formats in the way they reproduce music, especially over less than 'state of the art' playback systems. Which brings me back to my search for a newer "used" CD player that will provide closer to the XRCD or HDCD experience with my 'normal' classical recordings- i.e. elimination of the distortion and lack of detail/nuance, particularly in the strings, flute and bass sections. While I'm at it the Sony NS 9100ES I've been trying out sounds very nice; however when playing a Reference Recordings "HDCD" the sound is nowhere near as detailed, dynamic or lifelike as when played through my 'modest' older Toshiba SD9200 which decodes the HDCD. I'm sure Sony could do better Redbook CD if they wanted. Shame on their insatiable greed and dominant attitude. Just a little cooperation could have given us such a significant improvement on the CD.

Thanks David, You're right about the XRCDs. They're available-but very pricey, more than even the priciest SACDs. That's what keeps my purchases of them resticted. If they were only $5.00 more than a regular CD they'd be a favorite for me; but they are often close to triple the cost and I don't have an unlimited CD budget and there are so many recordings I'd like to buy. As far as labels I also find Harmonia Mundi consistently above average, as well as good old Philips,Deutsche Grammophon,Verve and yes, even Sony has provided some great classical recordings to my ears, especially solo instruments.

Thanks all. Mcpody, I appreciate your info and the EAD 2000 may sound great but I am unwilling to take a chance on the inevitable breakdown for which parts may no longer be available. To my certain knowledge this is already affecting maintenance/repair of some extremely well known and highly regarded units from very established, reputable companies - that are still in the CD reproduction business in a 'very' strong way.

I think you're both right. The mix and recording skills are vital. Yes the RR recordings will sound great on any decent machine, however, IMO you haven't really heard them til you've heard them via HDCD on a comparably decent machine. I was very surprised at how much more refined the sound was via the old Toshiba SD9200 HDCD compared to the new Sony NS9100ES.

It is possible the differences stand out more due to the Spectral/MIT system.

Thank you very much Mcpody, I will check them out. Today I went and listened to a Sony XA9000ES. Unfortunately I am spoiled by the Spectral/MIT but I found it good enough that I will try it at home in the next day or 2- they are clearing it out at 1/2 price.

Dbphd,I will.

I've just listened to the NS9100ES again in my system.
I found it better than the Toshiba SD9200. More detail,faster & more dynamic as well.
I had not matched power cords when I previously listened
to it, which was a mistake on my part.
Although it's unquestionably better, I think I'll wait a bit for a move to a Sony XA9000ES or Lexicon RT20.
I was not able to audition the XA9000ES at home as it sold; but I believe it must be a fair amount better. It was impressive through a pair of JMLabs speakers.

John z, I'm with you on that.
Digital music has certainly been confounding.