Not weighing in on the "vs." factor but I do have HDCD's and have always found them to have a exceptional sound (must be in the recording engineering too). So much so, I too look out for them. On my simple system they alway have a noticeably high quality sound. All the factors we all look for in a recording I seem to find in HDCD's. I hope the technology becomes more standard in recordings. I really can't stand a favorite artist, great song writing and a poor recording. May MS do the right thing and make it free to all (how likely is that?).