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HDCD a flash in the pan already??

I started looking for a new CD Player a while back but put the search on the backburner for a bit(needed a new sub & picked up a Onix Rocket UFW-10)so now it's back to CD Player hunting and it seems to me there are less HDCD players coming out then when I orginally researched. For example the new Music Player 25.2 isn't HDCD ready where the CD-25 was nor is Onix's best CD Player CD-2(their lower one xcd-99 is). Even though they're out of my price range players newly released players like the Rega Apollo,Cambridge Azur 640 or Naim CD5i do not appear to be HDCD. Is this another format that isn't going to make it or just a option on lower end players. I was recently at a couple local CD stores (Borders, Fye and Barnes and Noble) and there were at the most 3 HDCD Cds there none of which I would be interested in.. Starting to seem like HDCD shouldn't even be an option to look for in my CD Player search.. Any comments?
pmt1209

Showing 10 responses by pmt1209

pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
Tbg, why do you think that is? I couldn't find anything on their site about it, you would think since they own it they would want to promote it..
pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
I didn't realize there were that many HDCD CDs out there, even CDs I looked at such as Claptons Chronicles was HDCD but wasn't marked HDCD. Leave it to Microsoft to put a damper on it by jacking up the price for the rights to manufacturers of Players, like Bill Gates needs more money.. Still not sure now if it's worth looking for HDCD in a new CD Player..
I was hoping someone might post that the newer DATs were so good that everything played through them sounded as good or better then HDCD quality :)
pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
HERE'S A BIG UPDATE ON HDCD!!!

I wrote one of the dealers who does a lot of the modifying on Music Hall and Onix CD Player and asked him why the newest players are not coming out with HDCD and he said and I quote:
"HDCD is no longer supported by Microsoft, who bought Pacific Microsonics, its inventor."
I can't see MicroRipOff selling they're rights to HDCD so this could be the beginning of the demise of HDCD as we know it.. Well this really su@%$!! Why can't Bill just stick with killing us in the computer world..
pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
Where at Tbg? Every search I do sends me to
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/AudioProd.aspx
pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
Tbg, never thought about that.. iPods and iTunes really caught them off guard.. I have three teenagers myself and that was number one on all three's xmas list.. of course they got them... damn for what I paid for those three iPods I could have bought a really REALLY nice used CD Player here :), hmm maybe I deserve to splurge a bit more in my CDP search LOL..
pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
You guys aren't making my decision any easier lol, your saying it's not important but it's "great".. Now I'm really on the fence, plus got a line on a Music Hall CD-25.2 for under 4 delivered and not sure which way to go..obviously he 25.2 is not a HDCD where the CD-25 was and my search started thinking all newer, better CD Players would be HDCD.. hmm...
pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
Advent11, "I believe that it does make a difference"
I was afraid someone was going to say the lol.. Which makes me really wonder why the newer/better CD Players (like the ones I listed earlier in the thread such as the Music Hall CD-25.2) are NOT putting HDCD in their new CD Players? Really got me in a quandary here.. It's like I'm better off buying the older discontinued models rather then what should be they're newest more advanced players,, I hate to pass up this deal on a practically new Music Hall CD-25.2 but if the older ones will sound better with HDCDs I might not have a choice, I don't want to buy it and then wish I waited for one with HDCD.
pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
Is HDCD Technology Dead?
Just found this intersting article, also has a site with a listing of available HDCDs, there's more out there then I thought and by the looks of it more coming out daily..

http://www.hometoys.com/htinews/aug05/articles/bergman/hdcd.htm
pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
This may be a tough question or a non-applicable one but here it goes:
Would a player with HDCD playing a HDCD cd sound better, the same or worse then a "newly released" CD Player using the newer Burr-Brown Dac such as what's in the Music Hall CD-25.2 (Burr-Brown PCM 1738 24 bit/192k DAC) or players using Wolfson WM8740 DAC, 24/192 DAC such as the Arcam Diva C-73, Rega Apollo(which is getting some great reviews, off the point but had to mention it) and the Cambridge Audio 640Cv2 which actually is using 2 Wolfson WM8740 DACs(one for each channel)??
It would be interesting if someone has tried setting up a say a Music Hall CD-25 and a Music Hall CD25.2 both with the same HDCD cd in and toggled back and forth to see the difference.. Or in this whole analogy am I comparing apples to oranges?
pmt1209 OP
44 posts
 
Well now all I have to say on this thread I started is "I HOPE NOT!!" LOL.. I decided on and bought a Music Hall CD-25 w/mods.. I figured it's a great player for the money(which was a consideration unfortunately) with or without the HDCD capability but having HDCD is just a nice bonus.. a win win situation I think..
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