HDCD cd's

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi ArveS, what’s question?

[The Computer Audiophile]

Windows Media Player can only identify HDCD. It can’t decode it. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Here's my take on HDCD physical CDs. Rip them as bit perfect copies of the original and call it a day. Any ripping program can handle this. If you have HDCD hardware, then it will decode the HDCD of the bit perfect rip. If not, enjoy the CD as regular CD. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, Temporal_Dissident said:

 

Sorry to be dense, but I understand the first part (ripping), but not the second. What constitutes "HDCD hardware....that can decode the bit-perfect rip"?

HDCD was invented by Pacific Microsonics and required a chip to decode properly. Berkeley Audio Design DACs can decode HDCD but not much else can these days. Not a real big deal because almost noting is encoded as HDCD anymore. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, Temporal_Dissident said:

OK, but are talking about a DAC decoding the HDCD spinning in a CD transport? Or a DAC decoding the bit-perfect rip, stored on a drive? If the latter, I guess I am surprised that ripping to .wav would not "get around" the need for a special DAC.

Ripping the disc to any lossless format such as WAV, FLAC, AIFF, etc...

 

The special DAC part is because something needs to decode the encoded part. Ripping bit perfectly, just rips the encoded data. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

4 minutes ago, Temporal_Dissident said:

Gotcha. OK, last question. What if we forget ripping for a moment and just play our HDCD like a Neanderthal? Will any CD player be able to decode the full information? What about a CD transport > dCS Bartok? As a previous poster noted, there is a lot of Grateful Dead in HDCD. I have a stack of 'em. 

You can only play the regular CD content of the HDCD without an HDCD DAC. 
 

The big thing about the HDCD releases is that they were created using a Pacific Microsonics Model 1 or Model 2 ADC. Those are magical. You will get most of the goodness just because of that. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

For the most part, HDCDs sound great because of the people who created the albums (mixing, mastering, etc...) and the Pacific Microsonics A to D that created the HDCD. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just now, ArveS said:

1) If the cd player or dvdrw disc/software are not equipped with hdcd detection/encoding then, a hdcd cd should still play back like a normal cd. Is this correct?

 

Correct

 

 

 

 

Just now, ArveS said:

2) If the hdcd  cd is recognized as such the rip software will display or log this information. (this does not occur)

 

Depends on the ripping software. 

 

 

 

 

Just now, ArveS said:

This gives me the impression that a distorted output should not occur under any circumstances.

 

 

Correct. I'm a huge fan of HDCD and have never experienced this issue. 

 

 

 

 

Just now, ArveS said:

Why then is it only hdcd cd's that sounds distorted when played back on my laptop ?( but still play smoothless in my cd player in my stereo )  :) 

 

 

Very good question.