XRCD is no successor nor has any relation, bearing, or comparison to HDCD. Both can be played on a redbook player, the HDCD chip to decode whatever HDCD was supposed to improve was just a minimal to nil upscaling flop generally by comparison.
XRCD is a totally different, FAR SUPERIOR, and patented detailed hi-rez INITIAL MASTERING and PRESSING PROCESS of the recording . HDCD was a rudimentary, clumsy and failed attempt on a very nominal ( if any ) attempt in upscaling a recording by way of a chip add-on.. . Think of HDCD as the fleeting flavour of the month back in the Jurassic era of CD digital before the advent of hi-rez mastering.
There is NO performance comparison to XRCD in its product manufacturing or its audio performance, and thus a reminder refrain from any conflation between the two.
Extended Resolution Compact Disc (XRCD) is a complete hi-rez full mastering and manufacture process patented by JVC (Victor Company of Japan, Ltd) for producing Red Book compact discs.
An XRCD is priced a LOT higher about as a regular full-priced CD. JVC attributes this to the higher cost of quality mastering and manufacturing. HINT: avoid ALL XRCD listings out of China including eBay ….most if not all units flogged out of China are cheaply produced, crap quality, crap sounding, inferior and illegal fakes . I got stung once … never again. Caveat emptor .., the real McCoy discs are great, the illegal fakes are shite,
Played on a high end cdp player, an XRCD will smoke any HDCD
…. not even close.