HDCD Albums

Amazon? 

Aussiesteve,

I'm a classic rock listener and have >80 HDCDs in my collection. I very much enjoy the HDCD presentation in my system. Works better for me on a bare CD5x than when I had a FCXS on it. You'll find some HDCD detractors here and I think the sound is system/room dependent. Notable artists that used the HDCD format include Neil Young, John Mellencamp, and Tom Petty. If you search the net you'll find extensive lists of HDCDs.

Roxy Music had quite a few HDCDs. Cheers!

Hi Aussiesteve, yes HDCD can be great.. In your post you mention not having an external DAC yet... It's worth pointing out just in case you are not aware that if you connected a DAC to the CD5XS the DAC almost certainly will render as a regular CD and not HDCD.

HDCD works by inserting special tiny control instructions in the least significant part of PCM samples of the CD audio. The CD5XS DSP chip (Pacific Microsonics) detects this and processes the sound to provide an expanded presentation of HDCD. However an external DAC won't be expecting or understand this and will play the PCM back normally. These control instructions embedded in the PCM  are effectively in audible so don't worry... but to enjoy HDCD using your CD5XS you will need to use the player's internal DSP and DAC.

Simon

I very much liked the bigger and more dynamic presentation that many HDCDs exhibited when I had a bare CDX2. I don't like how they sound at all now because my system has changed. They crop up all over the place. Roxy Music, B52s, Yes, Mike Oldfield and many more. Finding them is hit and miss. There used to be a database. There may still be one somewhere. A Google search will bring up discussion topics which include artists and titles and music retailers such as CD Universe, CD Japan, HMV and Amazon might be susceptible to a search on "HDCD".

The majority of Roxy Music's catalogue was released by Virgin on HDCD including the Viva! Live album and the Early Years compilation. Virgin also released HDCDs of Bryan Ferry's solo albums up to Taxi.

Asylum released a few of Joni Mitchell's albums on HDCD (I have Court & Spark, Miles of Aisles and Shadows and Light on HDCD) which might be worthwhile seeking out.

Many Grateful Dead remasters are HDCD and quite good for a 'remaster'.

G 

I've replaced all the HDCD versions in my collection (that it is possible to do!) Not for me Roxy, Oldfield on HDCD (can't do much about Neil Young without a Pono?) The latest Roxy and Oldfield 'non' HDCD iterations/remaster/reissues/whatever are clearly superior to these ears. Roxy's 'Stranded' on HDCD was particularly painful, Oldfield's 'Incantations' is no longer a squashed mulch. Whether this is due to the technology or the source tapes/studio transfers I cannot say, but I'm only going by the end result and the difference to me (having owned these artists music from the word go on vinyl).

PS: Discogs.com is also an excellent resource to find HDCD format releases if that is your preference.

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Hi Aussiesteve, yes HDCD can be great.. In your post you mention not having an external DAC yet... It's worth pointing out just in case you are not aware that if you connected a DAC to the CD5XS the DAC almost certainly will render as a regular CD and not HDCD.

HDCD works by inserting special tiny control instructions in the least significant part of PCM samples of the CD audio. The CD5XS DSP chip (Pacific Microsonics) detects this and processes the sound to provide an expanded presentation of HDCD. However an external DAC won't be expecting or understand this and will play the PCM back normally. These control instructions embedded in the PCM  are effectively in audible so don't worry... but to enjoy HDCD using your CD5XS you will need to use the player's internal DSP and DAC.

Simon

It's certainly true of the CX2.2 into the nDAC, and I suspect the CD5XS.

nDAC won't do it with any CD transport. It doesn't decode HDCD. If you are streaming you can rip to include the HDCD DSP in a 24bit file which sounds the same (to me) played back through HDX as the HDCD does through the CDX2.  Hook them both up to the DAC and this of course changes as expected. The DAC can handle the 24bit file but the CD will revert to standard 16/44 playback.

Stephen Stills and CSN(Y) albums are available on HDCD.