No question is too silly in the world of high end equipment.There are several high resolution formats all of which require special hardware for playback. The HDCD is the most common "high resolution" format, with thousands of popular titles on the market. These cds require either an HDCD capable cd player,or an outboard DAC with an HDCD decoder to realize their full potential. However, HDCD discs sound better than convetional cds even though a non-HDCD player. This is because of the superior mastering hardware involved in the creation of HDCDs. For a list of HDCDs and a list of HDCD capable players, go to www.hdcd.com. Also, used Audio alchemy DDE 3.0 DACs and Musical Fidelity X-Dacs are available on the used market for $200-$300. HDCD is a 16 bit 44.1khz format that is decoded to "20 bit resolution" Other high resolution formats such as Sony's SACD and DVD-A offer true 24 bit resolution at sampeling rates of 88.2kz to 192khz. SACD players are at this point outrageously expensive and there are few titles available. There are a number of 24bit Audio DVDs available from Chesky and Classic records. These discs use the audio band of a standard film DVD to deliver 24 bit 96khz sound. They are often reffered to as DADs, or digital audio discs. They are not true DVD-As but they sound exactly the same. The difference between DVD-A and DAD is only the copy protection. To my knowledge, there are no DVD-A titles available yet. I would get decent used HDCD out DAC and wait till the dust settles on the SACD/ DVD-A issue. In the meantime, if you want to hear true 24bit 96khz sound, buy some 24 bit DADs from classic records or Chesky and pop them in to your regular DVD player.
