Ultimate HQCD (UHQCD) - new CD format, King Crimson on UHQCD and more

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by toilet_doctor, Aug 10, 2016.

  1. toilet_doctor

    toilet_doctor "Rockin' chair's got me" Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    [​IMG]

    Soundboy, this is your picture from July 1916. I remember you commented on Kind of Blue HK SACD...
    Would you please add some comments on UHQ version with FORS Master Sound, if it's possible?
     
  2. toilet_doctor

    toilet_doctor "Rockin' chair's got me" Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Musicisthebest, tell us please a bit more about these SACDs, you bought. Is it only one was released?
     
  3. Musicisthebest

    Musicisthebest Exiled Yorkshireman

    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    This is in the 3rd batch of ECM SACDs released through Tower Records Japan.

    Batch 1

    Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert
    Pat Metheny - Bright Size Life
    Chick Corea - Return To Forever

    Comments found here ECM SACD reissues: March 8, 2017

    Batch 2

    Keith Jarrett Trio - Standards, Vol. 1
    Chick Corea/Gary Burton - Crystal Silence
    Pat Metheny Group - S/T (but confusingly called Memories Of San Lorenzo by the Japanese)

    Comments found here ECM SACD reissues: June 7th, 2017

    Batch 3

    Keith Jarrett - Standard Trio Vol.2
    Chick Corea - Trio Music
    Pat Metheny - Off Ramp

    Batch 4 (not yet released)

    Gary Peacock - Tales of Another
    Richard Beirach - Hubris
    Steve Kuhn - Trans

    Batch 5 (not yet released)

    Keith Jarrett - The Sun Bear Concerts

    I own the Pat Metheny - S/T & Offramp & Chick Corea - Return To Forever SACDs. I found Pat Metheny - S/T to be a small but worthwhile improvement over the standard CD while the other 2 SACDs offered bigger improvements, possibly because they have a denser sound? In the case of Offramp I made my comparisons to the UHQCD. There was significantly more air round the instruments with the SACD while the UHQCD, while very detailed, had a slightly "sat upon" sound in comparison.
     
    toilet_doctor likes this.
  4. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member

    Coming in June 2018. Saw this during my daily Google search for SACD news.

    「ハイレゾCD」登場、MQA×UHQCDでユニバーサルから100タイトル

    Below is a translation done by Google....

    Universal Music will release to take advantage of the MQA technology a "Hi-Res CD" on June 20. In Limited Edition, line up all 100 title. Price but each 3,000 yen, or 4,000 yen at 2 Disc title, be released in no less than 1,000 yen experience sampler that can be compared to listen to the effect of high resolution CD. The title and "rogue of The Rolling Stones / Main Street" and "Eric Clapton / 461 Ocean Boulevard".

    Universal Music in 2007, using a polycarbonate material which is excellent in transparency and liquidity "SHM-CD", in 2010, "SACD ~ SHM" specification adopted the SHM material to the SACD of Single Layer, such as in 2013 to launch a "Platinum SHM" using a platinum reflective film, it has developed and launched a high-quality disc for audio / music fan.

    Newly developed "Hi-Res CD" is, that the MQA-CD and UHQCD, adopted the two technologies. It is positioned as "was recorded hi-res sound source which boasts more than spec CD, high-quality CD of knobs."

    MQA is a high resolution sound source and the "quality as it is possible to reduce" technology. And "0 to music signal of up to 24kHz" the music, divided into "That high-frequency music signal than", a high-frequency signal like to fold origami, hear in the ear, which is in the music signal of up to 0 ~ 24kHz It moves into the free level of the noise signal, and a proprietary encoding method.

    Thus, when reproduced by the player that does not support MQA, are recognized as normal PCM data can be reproduced in the same manner as CD. If you play in the corresponding players, those that enjoy the high resolution sound. Ripping also possible.

    MQA In addition to this, also improves the accuracy of the time axis. Clean the bleeding time sounds caused by the digital conversion, prevent deterioration of the time axis information included in the master. "Quickly is one one of the sound, because the carving stand up deeply, not only the vocal and the main instruments come to mind rich sense of air, also often it is surprised by the presence of the now until the notice did not" hidden sound, "" that's .

    In the manufacture of the disk, it adopted UHQCD is the latest type of material-based high-quality CD. Those Memory-Tech developed, in a normal audio CD, a way that injection molding, when recording pits (groove) of the data to polycarbonate, using a mold called stamper, a polycarbonate dissolved in high heat by Komu flow, to transfer a pit pattern on the stamper. However, polycarbonate has a sticky, not fit to every nook and corner of the stamper of the pit, can not be completely transferred the pit of the stamper master.

    In HQCD, rather than polycarbonate, using a photopolymer, transfer pits of the stamper. Photopolymer is in a normal state but a liquid, there is a characteristic that hardens when exposed to light of a specific wavelength. By utilizing this property, penetrate the stamper fine groove in a liquid state, it can reproduce the unevenness with high accuracy. Thus, being able to dramatically improve the accuracy of the CD player reads the information.

    The sound quality of high resolution CD that combines the MQA and HQCD, in the universal, are as "the height of the master reproduction capabilities such as rose freshness of like sound," Approaching the highest performance of Crystal disk "". The label side, adopted the green color label coat to absorb the unwanted pickup light which is reflected in the CD player.

    Same jewel case specifications as normal CD, but the band has adopted a special form, such as a clear file that wraps around the entire case. By removing from the case, to transform itself can fit a CD or jacket to "slim case". That's "concept of MQA Similarly, the case thin" collapse "can be, happy style for those who suffer from space of the CD shelf."

    The first series of high resolution CD Universal is released, the classic that was carefully selected from a rich catalog, jazz, pop name board 100 title. That was a master in many, 176.4kHz / 24bit files converted from DSD material for SACD ~ SHM specification series. The Hi-Res CD, called "here also includes a digital undelivered sound source which can only be to obtain". In addition, for some hi-res CD series, a new title that caused from analog tape.

    The first series title lineup of Hi-Res CD is "Steely Dan / Aya (teenager)", "Stevie Wonder / Songs in the Key of Life", such as "John Coltrane / Blue Train" 100 title. More information can be found at a dedicated page.
     
  5. luckyno13

    luckyno13 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    Love the translation.
    I particularly like 'high-quality CD of knobs'.
    Says it all really.
     
    rxcory, art, Michael Rose and 85 others like this.
  6. Nostaljack

    Nostaljack Resident R&B enthusiast

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Cool! Another way to move copies of the usual suspects for more money to people who already have several copies of everything they'll sell.

    Ed
     
  7. Dave S

    Dave S Forum Resident

    It's all about the mastering.
     
  8. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    I will sticky about my favorite things
     
  9. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    I can’t make head nor tail of that translation... Is it Hi Res or not? Or is it like the SHM/Blu Spec thing where the sound is supposed to be superior but really isn’t at all?
     
  10. rxcory

    rxcory proud jazz band/marching band parent

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    That’s obviously a pretty lousy translation, but the essential elements from the Japanese are all there.

    Boy, sure makes you wonder how Barry Diament, Dennis Drake, Steve Hoffman and others ever got good sound using the horrible, inaccurate tape playback/mastering/CD manufacturing technology of the last 30 years!
     
  11. Dr. Mudd

    Dr. Mudd Audient

    That translation is hilarious! Kind of exposes the absurdity of most articles about MQA.
     
  12. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Blimey. The idea of SHM SACD makes me laugh. Out loud.

    We don't need any of this nonsense. They have a solution looking for a problem. We have Blu-Ray, which gives all the storage we need, cheap players, and hi-res. But nooooooooooooo - we need MQA.

    It reminds me of those old Infomercials that claimed to cure baldness by spray painting your head.

     
  13. Echo

    Echo Forum Resident

    Blu-Ray? Why do I need an improved video system for my music?
     
    beasandpeans, scobb and ClassicalCD like this.
  14. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    Depends. If Vinyl is your thing, you may not. If CD's are your thing, then Blu-Ray is an obvious step up in resolution and storage. RedBook has served us well, but time has moved on. Sadly, record companies are too busy compressing the life out of digital releases, and giving away their product via streaming sites, to care very much.
     
    Metalrob, SinnerSaint, stever and 7 others like this.
  15. ispace

    ispace Senior Member

    Location:
    Sydney Australia
    This! Do Japanese reissues still suffer from massive compression & boosted lows/highs? My recent AOR reissue purchases suggest they do.
     
  16. DrZhivago

    DrZhivago Hedonist

    Location:
    Brisbane Australia
    Just when you think you've seen it all.
     
    The Beave and apesfan like this.
  17. mwheelerk

    mwheelerk Sorry, I can't talk now, I'm listening to music...

    Location:
    Gilbert Arizona
    So if I understand clearly, and who knows if I do, Blu Spec CDs, UHQCD and SHM are all about manufacturing processes for the disc itself. MQA is an audio processing code that needs a processor (software, hardware?) to "decode" it. Some people seem to believe that the materials themselves help with audio sound on an optical disc. Some see this as hogwash. Some people believe MQA is a significant audio process like SACD or DVD-Audio, some believe its much ado about nothing. Me, I only know that I will through the rest of my life await the next moment of "now I've seen it all".
     
    The Beave and apesfan like this.
  18. blaken123

    blaken123 Your Greater Tri-County CD Superstore

    Location:
    Lexington, KY
    I dumped all that stuff in the garbage. Pono and SHM-CD for me only.:laugh:
     
    Ivand and Waymore Lonesome like this.
  19. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Japan will press Steely Dan SACDs until the entire island is buried in them.
     
  20. pathosdrama

    pathosdrama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Firenze, Italy
    CD is all but dead (in Japan).
     
  21. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I think everyone in Japan has an SACD player in every room and in the car, every one loaded with American yacht rock.
     
    zappaien, JL6161, DHamilton and 6 others like this.
  22. Sevoflurane

    Sevoflurane Forum Resident

    MQA on a CD? No sale. No thanks.
     
    sunspot42, Mr Bass, pfausto and 4 others like this.
  23. dobyblue

    dobyblue Forum Resident

    Blu-ray Disc is a physical medium, it's no more a "video system" than CD is.

    That said, Blu-ray Disc is capable of supporting 24/192 LPCM up to 5.1 and 24/96 LPCM up to 7.1 (and 24/96 lossless compression in the form of Dolby Atmos up to 7.1.4 and Auro3D up to 11.1) so I don't think it's out of line to additionally call Blu-ray an "improved audio system".
     
  24. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    Blu-ray is AWESOME for audio. I really wish it were the standard. There's dozens of titles I'd gladly buy on Blu-ray if they existed.
     
  25. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    It's about time the money grabbers stopped with this format nonsense. We have formats already available that can reproproduce higher frequency ranges than a microphone can even pick up. we have people mastering music with virtually no dynamic range, making specs redundant.

    pick a format that's good and use it and stop with the endless re-releasing of albums we love, telling us this is the best version. give us a good mono where available for those monoheads out there a good stereo for the stereoheads out there and a good surround for teh surroundheads out there where possible
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2018
    SteveM, Mike McMann, Popsy and 5 others like this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine