HDCD fans out there?


I've been reading all the discussions about SACD vs CD vs all other digital forms and it is interesting. I do see a few who mention HDCD, which I really enjoy. For the most part, I find them to be closest to vinyl, at least in my system. They are a fairly recent discovery for me but I do enjoy them. I've purchased some old Denon players and a Cambridge Audio unit to be able to read them properly. I think the Denons do the best job among the compatible units that I have. Maybe the difference between Burr Brown 24 bit and Cirrus Logic 24 bit. I know there is more to it than that but that's the simple thought process of it. 

Not all HDCD's are created equal and some are better than others. The same is true of redbook CD, with some of them seeming to be much better than others. I don't know why exactly, other than maybe a better system making the master or a better engineer etc. I just listen and evaluate for myself. I have found some HDCD's that are not labeled as such. Decca label, I think. Any idea why that would be? I also have one or two redbook Cd's that have at least one track of HDCD on them. You'd never know it if you didn't have HDCD capable pleyer. It is a very noticeable difference when you get to it. Just kind of odd and interesting. Anyone else a fan of this obscure format? I enjoy them a lot. 

billpete

I love to listen to Joni Mitchell, Niel Young , etc and have a few HDCDs. Only recently did i realize that they were not properly ripped in my library. Do took the efforts and took the right approach to decode and save as FLAC files. It is amazing how dynamic they sound. Wish we had more HDCDs. But a moron at Microsoft probably killed the format because they had cloth ears.

I was gifted an early 2000's Rotel CD player that has HDCD capability. I have some Joni Mitchell and Beck CD's in that format. I have to SACD's to compare them to, but next to standard 16/44 CD's, they are more revealing.

I have a few HDCDs.  I don’t find them close to vinyl.  My HDCDs do not have pops , clicks, or skips.  They all play longer than 20 minutes.  They have a much wider dynamic range than vinyl.

 

  Perhaps the OP should be seeking a refund.

billpete

You have some excellent gear and cables fro your System. Tube rolling is a must with those Cary Audio SLP 98 pre-amps. If an opportunity presents itself, step up to a Parasound HCA 3500 power amp. Thank me later.

 

Happy Listening!