HDCD Sampler, Vol. 2 (Reference Recordings)

George Whitefield Chadwick (Composer), Arthur Wills (Composer), Pavel Chesnokov (Composer), Marvin Hamlisch (Composer), John Rutter (Composer), Leos Janacek (Composer), Eddie Durham (Composer), Duke Ellington (Composer), Artie Shaw (Composer), G. / Hudson, Will Duning (Composer), Vaclav Nelhybel (Composer), José Serebrier (Conductor), Frederick Fennell (Conductor), Timothy Seelig (Conductor), Dallas Wind Symphony (Orchestra), Paul Riedo (Performer), Dick Hyman (Performer), Nancy Keith (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Paul Riedo, Dick Hyman, Nancy Keith
• Orchestra: Dallas Wind Symphony
• Conductor: José Serebrier, Frederick Fennell, Timothy Seelig
• Composer: George Whitefield Chadwick, Arthur Wills, Pavel Chesnokov, Marvin Hamlisch, John Rutter, et al.
• Audio CD (July 5, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Reference Recordings
• ASIN: B0000015AJ
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #115,888 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #29 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Symphonies > Sinfonia

Track Listings

1. Noel

2. Vikings [Edited Version][Edit]

3. Spaseniye Sodelal

4. A Chorus Line [Medley]

5. Lux Aeterna

6. Finale from Simfonietta

7. Moten Swing

8. Dooji Wooji

9. Concerto for Clarinet

10. Moonglow [Analogue Master to Sony 1630]

11. Moonglow [Analogue Master to HDCD]

12. Lux Aeterna [Analogue Master to Sony 1630]

13. Lux Aeterna [Analogue Master to HDCD]

14. Trittico-Finale [Sony/Koh 701es Digital Master]

15. Trittico-Finale [HDCD Digital Master]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Was Skeptical, but Hearing is Believing, April 5, 2001

By 

George John (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: HDCD Sampler, Vol. 2 (Reference Recordings) (Audio CD)

I bought a Toshiba 5109 last year for the progressive component video capability. I knew that it had a HDCD decoder but that fact didn't make much of an impression at the time. I didn't buy it for that reason and it wasn't a factor in my evaluation of DVD players. I was wrong, it should have been.

Two months ago my interest in possibly buying a SACD and DVD-Audio player caused me to take a look at this older but more established 2-channel technology...

I bought a couple classical recordings of some favorite works (various Copland and the Bruckner 9th) that were well reviewed. I was stunned at how exceptionally good they sounded, as close to a live performance in a good hall in a good seat as I have ever experience in non-live setting, but was this the exceptional quality of the recoding engineering only or was the HDCD technology a factor, too?

The final proof was this sampler, which has comparisons of the same material in regular 16-bit format and HDCD. I can't begin to describe the incredible difference it makes. I hesitate to say it, but the words "profound difference" comes to immediately to mind.

I had always been skeptical about audiophile comments about how something was lost when the industry moved away from analog vinyl to CD format. I no longer am.

One caution if you play this CD, track 7 has exceptionally wide dynamic range. Luckily, I am cautious and my system can handle huge transients, but I think I may have melted the windows near one of my speakers -grin-, the brass sound is white hot.

I can see why Microsoft purchased this technology.

George

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HDCD adds sound value, July 14, 2002

By 

TonyZ (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HDCD Sampler, Vol. 2 (Reference Recordings) (Audio CD)

I bought this CD to go shopping for high end speakers. Not knowing really what HDCD was or how it sounds. Well, I also took along regular 16/44 CDs as well.

Conclusion: huge difference in sound... I would say moderately improved dynamic range, but more importantly, the resolution of the sound. You can hear (on track 3) the chorus taking breaths... and on certain systems even individuals taking breaths at fractionally separate points in time during a rest beat.

With good electronics and your preferred selection, and I mean near reference quality electronics, the HDCD sound MOVES you. I don't know how SACD sounds, but when I get my new room together, HDCD is definitely going to be there.

FYI, I listened to HDCD on a mark levinson 390S... so HDCD had the benefit of excellent D/A.

My immediate favourites are tracks 2 and 3. I must go find more Russian vocal type stuff... very cool sounds. Track 2 (Vikings) is amazing... the pipe organ wants to bring down the house if you run it thru 350w/channel and Wilson Watt Puppies.

4.0 out of 5 stars hdcd sampler 2, January 11, 2007

By 

Daniel Bouchard "sound freeeek" (Calgary, AB Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HDCD Sampler, Vol. 2 (Reference Recordings) (Audio CD)

Sound is very good on the home stereo. Perfect if you have a hdcd player. Sounds really good on the discman as well. This disc has a longer playing time than the first.