Customer Reviews

HDCD Sampler, Vol. 2 (Reference Recordings)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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.