HDCD VS SACD

Blindjim

I think you last paragraph is quite inaccurate.Irrespective of the recording technique employed;dsd IS the best technique for digital playback available today especially in single layer.Again ,we are NOT talking psudo SACD here.

The critical part of HDCD,is having both software and hardware TOGETHER i.e the engineers using HDCD processing while making the CD and the payer having HDCD chips to read;this is the first instance I am hearing HDCD sounds better than redbook AFTER being ripped.Hmmm....

Multichannel playback is also possible with many SACDs. While not a requirement I have found many mixes are better sounding in multichannel. While I do not have a multichannel system I have compared the mixes on other high end systems.

i must preface this with the disclaimer that i know little of the processes related to sacd or hdcd. i do understand the encoding and playback in basic.

i no longer use cds for playback, only ripped files to my hd streamed with a logitech transporter and then to a berkeley alpha dac. the alpha dac was designed and built by the same guys who created the hdcd code (and sold it to msft)so it is integrated well into this dac. whenever a signal is received encoded with hdcd, the hdcd light goes on showing this decoding action (also verifying a perfect rip). i have several records that have this and there is a very noticeable improvement in stage, detail, dynamic and overall realism. i was surprised at how the ripping process maintains the code and it works seamlessly.

neil young uses this on most records, joni mitchell quite a bit, laurie anderson as mentioned above, paul simon on you're the one, emmylou harris wrecking ball, willie nelson teatro and many more. one thing that stands out to me on this list is the fact that these are all very very good recordings and pieces i often like to show off with!

i do not know how to rip sacds but i think there is a way. i have some and used to play them and they have a very different sound than hdcd. these are super detailed and dynamic and often multichannel. like comparing hi rez downloads to redbook cd.

interesting thread...

kieth johnson from spectral and rr recordings was also part of the group that developed hdcd. i meant to write that in my last post but forgot as usual...

Am I sure of what? That there are few HDCD discs and that there are none being issued these days? Yup. There never were many but I do not have a count. In my own collection, they probably number a few dozen. OTOH, I have thousands of SACDs and I am acquiring more each week. In fact, I have disposed of many more SACDs than I have ever had of HDCDs.

As far as I care, HDCD has become irrelevant, unfortunately.

Kal