Does EAC correctly rip HDCD encoding?

imho the simple answer is Yes (if you don't have an HDCD decoding DAC), you should decode HDCD files with dbpoweramp or hdcd.exe this will remove HDCD "compression" (of the waveform) and enable full dynamic levels. What HDCD and dbpoweramp will not do is apply different digital filters dynamically during playback.

 

Yes, WMP v11 decodes HDCD discs.
You have to set it to do so (and I believe you need a 24bit soundcard):
Tools\Options\Devices\Speakers\Properties\Performance\ and select "Use 24-bit audio for CD's"

You will not see the HDCD logo during playback when it’s set correctly. If it’s not set, you will see the HDCD logo when playing HDCD CD’s.

Note that the HDCD.exe program decodes HDCD’s as well as WMP does. Neither may be decoding all the functions.

 

Does anything have to be set up for this to happen? Is there some way of knowing it is truly decoding HDCD? Previous versions showed a sign when HDCD decoding kicked in.

[Note: I just saw the post above this one. Thanks GreenDazi. ]

 

Correction of Widespread Misinformation

Hello -

Please note that while the HDCD encoder *does* use two digital filters which it switches "on-the-fly" during the encoding process, there is only *one* playback filter for HDCD. The idea that there are two playback filters is widespread, but incorrect.

Therefore the software decoders available on the internet *are* doing what they are supposed to be doing. It is not clear how accurate the volume expansion features are, but any errors there are likely to be extremely small.

 

Thanks for the clarification, Charles. And welcome.

 

Thanks Charles for bringing some fresh ayre to the forum.

 

Hi all,

This thread seems quite old, but i don't think i shouldn't say anything about this.
Will EAC preserve my HDCD?
In short: No.
EAC will preserve the HDCD - flags in the stream, so your hdcd-player will turn on the hdcd-decoder. But vital information for decoding seems to be stored in the subchannel - data. HDCD uses a logarithmic scale, and the multiplicators for decoding at least *can* be stored in the subchannel-Data. If you rip your HDCD with EAC you only get the PCM - data while loosing all subchannel information. If you burn a disc from such a rip, it plays as hdcd, but the effect is quite good to hear:
Sound might be quieter, you instantly find that the transients are gone, the room, clarity is gone in comparison to the original. A very good example for this is Kari Bemnes "Norwegian Moods". I tried to backup that thing for week now, but always the copy sounded so much worse than the original that i was searching the internet for a way to backup hdcds. Tried different writing speeds, CD-Rs etc. Finally the solution was quite simple, resulting in a copy virtually indistinguishable from the original.
Use CloneCD to rip an Image with the following settings for audio cd:
Read subchannel data
reading speed: as slow as possible (subchannel data has no crc, so the slower the better)
Quality of extraction: very good.
only first session
Create the image.
After that, here the settings for burning the image:
Writing speed AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE (i own a yamaha crw-f1 and am able to burn at 1x)
don't repair subchannel data
always close last session

Try to compare with original. This time the hdcd-Decoding ist working correctly. At least with Kari Bremnes.

 

I suggest that you read emmodad post (#13).

 

If you have a bit-perfect extraction HDCD will play back correctly; if it doesn't you're doing something wrong.

What I find more interesting is the disagreement between Charles Hansen's post and emmodad's concerning the transient filter.

 

In this thread on the Benchmark forum an engineer at Benchmark mentions that it is possible to enable some extra HDCD features that aren't fully compatible with standard (non-HDCD) playback. He mentions that he's not aware of any commercial HDCD discs that make use of those features, but maybe that Kari Bremnes disc happens to be one that does.