HDCD'S


I’m new to HDCD’s in fact I hadn’t even heard about it until I purchased a player capable of decoding an HD disc. I’ve asked around at the local cd shop and a few used outlets, no one seems to know much about it. I’ve searched the internet looking for a list of HDCD titles and came across one site called Fish Records in the U.K. Is there a outlet here in Canada or in the U.S.?
larryvt
I have a couple of Parasound CDP-2000 Ultra CD players (1998-99 vintage) that have HDCD decoding. As noted, the small audiophile label Reference Recordings, based in San Francisco, and all of whose recordings are engineered by the excellent "Professor" Keith O. Johnson, has presented most or all of their material in HDCD since 1992. If you don't know them, their catalog is mostly classical and jazz; many worthwhile titles, and their sound is usually superb. I'm looking right now at one of their CD's, "Testament: American Music for Male Chorus and Band," that reads on the label "The World's First HDCD, High Definition Compatible dDigital Recording." It was recorded 6/1992. (And Reference Recordings is supposed to be making a comeback from the dead, namely the bankruptcy of Dorian, and returning to life shortly, according to another recent thread here, so hopefully their catalog will become available again soon.)

I also have three wonderful (and great-sounding) bluegrass CD's from the same label, Acoustic Disc, all of which are HDCD. These are, in order of release, "Old and In the Way: That High Lonesome Sound" (ACD-19, released 1996), "Old and In the Way: Breakdown" (ACD-28, released 1997), and "Old and In the Gray" (ACD-51, released 2002). I assume there are a number of other titles in HDCD from this label.
as always: the forum archives will yield a number of posts regarding HDCD suggestions that others have enjoyed, so definitely do yourself an archive search...

There used to be a complete listing of all available HDCD's athdcd.com however it now redirects to a microsoft webpage apparently containing hdcd promotional references. I didn't pursue the site in depth; hopefully the listing is still somewhere in there?
Microsoft bought the HDCD technology, and has done nothing with it as far as marketing to studios, etc. I fear HDCD will disappear even though the discs sound excellent. Try Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris. I go out of my way to find encoded discs and they are almost always worth it!
1. Brain Setzer Orchestra - "Vazoom!" (not marked)
2. Joni Mitchell - "Blue" & "Court and Spark"
3. Van Halen - all David Lee Roth era remasters are HDCD
4. Dave Brubeck - "Time Out" (not marked)
5. Eric Clapton - "Reptile"