Amazing XRCD I just purchased....

Bmwhaus, did you listen to the new XRCD24 of Way Out West? If so, does it improve upon the XRCD that's been out for a few years?

actually the one I got is the 20bit K2 XRCD..has anyone try the 24bit super coding yet?...either way the XRCD is a great medium and IMHO superior to most SACD and HDCD titles at the moment.Anyone can recommend a good acoustic titles in the XRCD format?..new age,modern jazz,etc,etc..appreciated

Sonny Rollins, Saxophone Colossus XRCD, JVC 2002, the dynamics of sound, the instruments in the room with you feeling and yet relaxing sound. Much better (and different) than any HDCD I've heard. My other Rollins CDs now sound like I'm listening to my Dynalab FM tuner by comparison. I consider the sound improvement significant enough to call this a "good value" ($29.95 at Virgin Megastore). Until now I hated paying $16+ for CDs.

Following up on my post above, the K2's which I purchased have been great. Although I have no corresponding XRCD's to compare them to, I would say that they are sonically close to or = to the XRCD sound for a lot less money (typically $14.98 list) and therefore a bargain. But a lot of it goes back to the original recording. "Everybody Digs Bill Evans" on K2 is good but definitely not in the same league as Waltz for Debby XRCD. The Digs K2 is recorded a little on the hot side and you can hear the piano distort every once in a while. The other K2's I have (two by Miles Davis, one Coltrane, one Sonny Rollins and one Wes Montgomery) are beautifully recorded and remastered and sound very close to me to Waltz for Debby. I think you are very safe purchasing any of the K2's originally recorded by Rudy Van Gelder-they seem universally to sound very, very good.

As far as I've been able to tell, the K2s and XRCDs are using the same masters, so they ought to sound very similar. I think the distinction is mostly a marketing one. K2s you can find in any music store, and they are priced for the masses. XRCDs are available only through specialty audiophile outlets, where they can command a premium. (Now, what does that say about audiophiles?)