Thread: SACD vs HDCD vs Remastered

Posts: 7

Post by ross February 18, 2004 (1 of 7)
Is anyone made the comparison of the quality for the same recording between SACD, HDCD and Remastered.

I know that SACD has the advantage of the multi-channel, but I'm talking only on a sound quality perspective.

I have test SACD vs normal and Remastered and SACD is superior. But I have never made the comparison between HDCD and SACD (for the same recording)

Post by serengetiplains February 18, 2004 (2 of 7)
Ross, in the last week I read two audio equipment reviews, one, I think, on 6moons, the other on positive feedback online, comparing SACD to HDCD. SACD won both contests. My theoretical two-bits why SACD wooed these reviewers, and continues to woo others, if you care, are this. HDCD, while superior to regular CD coding, is still PCM. Meitner, the engineer who brought SACD to fruition, suggests PCM coding is quite foreign to audio, and is primarily limited by having zero resolution at the zero crossing of the graphically represented acoustical wave. This so-called zero crossing point represents the reversal of acoustic pressure (including a reversed direction of travel for the speaker membrane) and so represents a significant change in velocity (I once knew the g's a tweeter pulled in reversing direction, but can no longer remember it ... you'd be shocked). Hearing is particularly attuned to---might even be defined as the perception of---relative changes in velocity of a vibrating mechanism (air), suggesting SACD, done properly, will more faithfully sound like "sound." My sense is SACD will cannibalize PCM in short time. Below is a url to an interesting interview of Meitner.

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue11/meitnerinterview.htm

Post by ross February 18, 2004 (3 of 7)
Thanks for the info.

Do you think that the CD audio layer is as good as the HDCD in terms of quality.

For example if I use a satndard CD player to read my SACD.

Post by serengetiplains February 18, 2004 (4 of 7)
Do you think that the CD audio layer is as good as the HDCD in terms of quality.
The standard CD layer will give standard CD sound and indistinguishable from a normal CD. All other things being equal, if you prefer HDCD to CD, which I do, the CD layer on a hybrid SACD disc will be inferior to HDCD.

Post by zeus February 18, 2004 (5 of 7)
ross said:

Do you think that the CD audio layer is as good as the HDCD in terms of quality.

It's my understanding that the CD-compatible layer of hybrids can be HDCD encoded as well. So really what you're asking is how CDs with and without HDCD compare. There's too many variables in the chain to draw universal conclusions, but the high-density DSD signal on SACDs has greater dynamic range (and more bandwidth) than HDCD, so you'd reasonably expect it to sound better, all things being equal.

Post by sound_labs February 18, 2004 (6 of 7)
I know that SACD has the advantage of the multi-channel, but I'm talking only on a sound quality perspective.
That part of your question is very strange indeed. Forget about multi-channel.

Channel per channel, SACD will always sound better than CD or a HDCD encoded CD. If both are using the same high quality master or source tapes, SACD will always have the advantage of a higher definition or resolution.

I'm not a big fan of DVD-A, but the same would apply there. Even in two channel mode, DVD-A will still outgun CD in all its incarnations. I also feel the need to add that equipment is a big factor here as well. For example, I don't feel that a $120 SACD player will blow away a really good CD/HDCD. The parts in all the machines in the entire chain must be of such a quality that they can unlock, convey, and deliver all the detail of a given format. It's like DVD wouldn't blow away VHS if we were looking at it on some 10" color TV meant for the kitchen.

But all things being equal, SACD wins.



- Tony






http://www.epinions.com/user-sslabs

Post by soundboy February 18, 2004 (7 of 7)
Read in an article that the owner of Hugo Productions was talking with JVC to put a XRCD (redbook) layer onto a hybrid SACD.

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