HDCD Sampler, Vol. 2 (Reference Recordings)

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Music reviews of HDCD Sampler, Vol. 2 (Reference Recordings)

Music Review: I Was Skeptical, but Hearing is Believing
Rating: 5 Stars

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

Description of HDCD Sampler, Vol. 2 (Reference Recordings)

Classical CDs

• Music > Styles
• Jazz
• Miscellaneous