I've decided not to run my masterings through an HDCD converter..

I for one will not miss it. The current state of Redbook playback is very good indeed. I prefer to have high quality CD, SACD, or DVDA mastering. Thank you for letting us know some of the thinking that went into the decision making process.

 

I took the following part of the letter that they do not use the 24-bit intermediate stage for the CD mastering.

 

I too would be interested in what Keith Johnson thinks about the current analysis of HDCD.

 

saves on HDCD licensing fees????

By not releasing HDCD discs, does this also save AF licensing fees to Micro$oft?

 

They only have to pay licensing fees to Microsoft when the logo is printed on the booklet and/or disc.

 

It frequently only becomes obvious that something's wrong when everything else improves.

We've seen a LOT of A-D upgrade in the last five years, not to mention the (grudging) incorporation of better interconnects and power provision in recording and mastering studios.

You probably couldn't hear this stuff five years ago, and it's obvious now.

 

good. with few exceptions, I prefer the sound on the older DCC releases.

 

I'm not seeing this as an argument against HDCD; I am seeing it as a vote against the particular box Stephen has been using. I have no idea if KJ uses the same box or not.

(at least Reference still make SACDs of pretty much everything anyway....)

 

I thought HDCD encoding was completely flat?? But there is the word "snare" that suggests things happen when transients occur.

Well... HDCD or not HDCD. I'm happy with Steve's decision to go with whatever gives the best sound.

 

THANK YOU! Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz and Mr. Stephen Marsh.

 

Too much guano will dampen the reverb of your listening room.

 

Better sound 1, marketing 0.

 

I'm very happy to hear this - HDCD has caused so much confusion over the years, few players support it properly, and converters are so good these days without it, that it really does make sense.

The worst example of bad sounding HDCDs played without the encoding I've found, has to be the Silva Screen soundtrack recordings - shrill, bright, compressed - awful! With encoding they open up and sound - in the main - fairly good. So many people out there have experienced similar findings with other discs, often without knowing why or what HDCD even is/does. Those manufacturers that branded their discs HDCD often haven't used it properly either giving variable results from player to player. It's been a real hit and miss affair in the main.

I welcome Steve's annoucement - top-notch mastering and modern ADC converters = no need for HDCD

- John

 

I actually took away from the original post that it is very important that you do have a player that will decode HDCD, as playback on regular CD players was where the sound was degraded.

They may be right that there was no noticeable benefit from using the HDCD process to begin with, but since it has been used on a good number of discs, I think I am glad I have a compatible player so that I will get the sound that was intended.

I have always wondered if this somehow negatively affected playback on regular CD players. I guess we have our answer. Never compared an HDCD disc on both side-by-side myself, however.

 

Good move for end user standardization and especially important if that PM HDCD box is affecting the post-valve sound.

IMHO, the less software in the signal path, all the better.

 

Amen.

Sometimes I wish Steve was still using the same A/D converter he used when he did Buddy Holly's From the Original Master Tapes

 

Yes. Actually I thought that's how SH was using it -- as just a high-quality A/D box. Such discs are still flagged as 'HDCD' by HDCD-ready players.

I doubt it's SOTA these days too. But I also doubt Keith Johnson would agree regarding the audio quality defects being reported by Mr. Marsh...he certainly wouldn't ascribe them to HDCD generally (not that Mr. Marsh does that either).

And DVD Audio too of course. Anyway the future is downloads, and 24 bit PCM is simple to provide at any of the standard sample rates, without watermarks or other DRM restrictions that accompany the hard media.

True, but has that ever stopped anyone here from sounding off?

 

Just because it is not a tool that fits Steve's style does not mean it is a dead format and does not provide a benefit to the sound of some discs. I personally hear a difference in the realism in some instruments when I play back using HDCD. The recent Neil Young box set is a perfect example.

I have an average ear. I am confused that no one else can hear a difference.

 

Apparently, you have not heard any of the Reference Recordings releases.

 

Top quality A/Ds equaling or surpassing the Pacific Microsonics' technology have been around for a long time, e.g. Lavry's products have been on the market since the mid 1990s...right around the same time HDCD made its debut.

 

Have you ever compared the sound using HDCD to not using it on an encoded disc?

 

That is the million dollar question. What changed all of a sudden? Only Steve knows that answer.

 

I really can't speak to how bad an HDCD disc sounds while played on non HD-equipment, but can tell you the majority of mine played on my HK HDCD player sound great (especially the AF series!!!) With all due respect to the SACD - I have many, many more HDCD's than SACD's!! Always thought it a bit odd that both formats couldn't co-exisit on the very same disc! Anybody have a count on the number of HDCD's which have been released vs. # SACD's? I'd be willing to bet its at least a 4-1 ratio in favor of HDCD. Considering this, as well as many major recent box sets have been in HDCD (Neil Young, The Dead, etc.) and the fact that the format is still being produced make it far from dead in my eyes!

 

I would be amazed if they did not do A/D transfer (and digital production, if any) at 24bits, and then dither down to 16 bits for CD release.

If one is worried about capturing more than 96dB of dynamic range off a tape (which is what audiophiles do, though one could argue whether rock recordings from the 1970s really have that much in the first place) that is the way to go.