Why do my HDCDs play lower on my HDCD machine?


I own two Arcam FMJ CD/DVD players.
My CD catalog includes many CDs that are HDCD coded which include artists such as The Grateful Dead, Mark Knopfler and Neil Young. I also own several HDCDs from the Audio Fidelity label.
My Arcam C36 is a CD player only with no HDCD capability.
My Arcam DV139 is a universal machine with HDCD capability.
My HDCDs play lower on my DV139 than they do on my C36.
Is there something wrong with either of my machines or are HDCDs expected to play lower on HDCD capable machines?
Or, is this the design of the Arcam machines?
theaquaman

Showing 1 response by 4est

By default if it is going to have extended dynamics, the initial loudness must be lower to avoid clipping.

That may not be issue here, but my first guess.