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CDs: Not all created equal

All: Over the past year I've renewed my hobby as an audiophile. Its been several years, and I'm getting used to SS equipment and CD playback. The system I've accumulated over the last year is as follows: Threshold Forte Model 3 (200 wpc into 8 ohms) SS amp; Parasound P/LD line-drive preamp; Arcam Alpha 8SE CD/HDCD player; Cambridge Audio Azur 640C CD player (dual Wolfson 24 bit DACs); Audioquest Midnight Hyperlitz III speaker cables & various Audioquest interconnects; Meadowlark Shearwater "Hotrod" loudspeakers and finally, an RBH passive sub with NHT SA-1 Subwoofer amp. I have learned that there is a fairly vast difference in CD quality. All of my HDCDs sound really nice (almost tube/vinyl like, but a little "brighter"), but the standard CDs vary widely. I have a few MSFL 24K gold remasters, and they are pretty nice. I just bought a Fleetwood Mac remaster by Warner Bros. that is nothing short of spectacular, even though there is no indication that it is a 24 bit remaster, etc. Are there certain brands or indicators I should look for to find high quality CDs?? Many thanks.
klipschking

Showing 2 responses by nyctc7

nyctc7
91 posts
 
The problem for me is that a lot of the labels associated with high-quality CD's feature genres and artists I'm mostly not interested in. You mention HDCD and the only reason I have an HDCD capable player is for Grateful Dead CD's of which I have many. Even their downloads are in HDCD (from their webstore). People really into classical music and jazz (I'm not) are a bit luckier because most of the high-end labels as well as SACD seems to be geared to them.

Get the Music Direct catalog and the Acoustic Sounds catalog. (Check out their respective websites.) They specialize in selling the good stuff. But again, it's not often that the music I like is offered by a high-fidelity specialist label. But it does happen from time to time.
nyctc7
91 posts
 
It is exactly because there are so many traditions, from so many cultures, both ancient and modern, that saying "Happy Solstice" is such a smart-a$$ empty phrase, even emptier than an atheist like myself saying "Merry Christmas" out of common courtesy. Nobody that I've ever met in my whole life gives a damn about the solstice.
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