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My first encounter with K2 Mastering

I'd like to share my first experience with K2 mastering. I received Chinese music CD "Red Cliff Capriccio" featuring Wei Li renowned Guzheng player. Guzheng is a string instrument (zither family) that is large horizontal box (size of electric piano) with approx. 20 strings on the top (four octave range). Recording was made in Skylark Studios known for low background noise with close miking that gives more of "orchestral" quality. Expressive power of this instrument is absolutely incredible with powerful transient and loudness while at the same time soft passages are clean and delicate. I've never experienced such purity and dynamics in any recording I have. I don't know what is better in K2 mastering but result is incredible on standard redbook CD. I'm sold - what is your experience with K2 mastering?
kijanki

Showing 3 responses by bombaywalla

bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
I believe that there are 2 K2 masterings available now - the original (JVC) K2 which used 20-b mastering & today you can get K2H2 which I believe uses 24-b mastering. Just reading your post, I believe that you got the older/original K2 mastered CD (which is excellent sonic quality).
Yup, I have several K2 20-b mastered CDs & they are all superb sonically. Definitely worth their price IMHO.
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
Kijanki,
I meant to answer your question but it slipped my mind! Anyway, better late than never....
In the original K2 & in the newer K2HD processes the key does lie in the A-D conversion from the master tapes/original digital recording and then in the subsequent down-conversion & truncation to 16 bits. Here is some info on the K2HD mastering process:
http://hificable.dk/k2-hd-mastering/
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
Kijanki,
here is a bit more technical info on JVC's K2 process:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Resolution_Compact_Disc

it seems that besides the A/D & down-conversion, the aspects of making a physical disk are also precision controlled.
This reminds me of several (yester year) home-use CD burners (such as the Yamaha) where we could burn longer pits. These burned CDs sounded much better than the commercial CDs but the penalty was that all the tracks not always fitted onto 1 CD.
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