HDCD Decoding ?

So, how are we to discover what HDCD means and how it is implemented in a 21st century CD player? I have emailed one manufacturer about this but have not heard back from them yet. They may need to consult one of their older engineers who was on the job when this all started. Was that sometime in the early 1990s?

Interesting post Elizabeth. I use an EAD 7000Mk3 DAC which decodes HDCD. I think it still competes well with the newer DAC's of today. Recently did an AB with the new Benchmark DAC...EAD was FAR more analog sounding. When I play any of the Ref Recordings HDCD's on the EAD, it's still up there with some of the best I have heard.

The biggest problem with HDCD enabled DAC's and CDP's is that the the PM chips are not that great sonically (sorry Poetcatullus) so much so that Mark Levinson (the brand) got special permission from PM to manufacture their own HDCD chips to incorporate in their players.

One non-PM solution for great sound from both Redbook and HDCD disks is (are) Wadia equipment. The reason is that Wadia's D to A processing is based on software decoding rather than 'brick-wall' filter chips. Therefore, all the information on a HDCD disk is read and fully processed (doesn't require the special PM chip) and HDCD's sound fantastic on Wadia equipment. Of course you don't get the little 'HDCD' indicator light on the front panel, but you can sure hear the difference!

So I was interested to hear about the 'attenuation' issue, because on my Wadia equipment, HDCD's sound louder if anything -- although that might just be a subjective response on my part to the improved quality of HDCD disks. I don't go out of my way to collect them, but I'm always thrilled when an artist/performer I like chooses to release their music on HDCD's. And some have been doing it for a long time (Chris Isaak comes to mind.) I know this is a bit off topic, but speaking of artists who seek to use interesting or sophisticated technology, I just discovered that quite a few of Lou Reed's earlier albums were recorded binaurally! The joke was definitely on me, because I've had those albums since they were released, and it never dawned on me until I was searching eBay for binaural recordings and they all came up!~
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Yes indeed, Nsgarch!

I agree that the original PM chips were not necessarily all that wonderful after all. And I fully recognise that in the price/quality category of Levinson and Wadia, HDCD can be implemented without compromise, either to the HDCD discs or regular CDs.

This takes us back to the original issue. If I see a current mid-priced CD player that includes HDCD decoding and an HDCD indicator light, without knowing what process the manufaturer is using, how can I know that said player is not going to compromise my regular CDs (either intentionally or by default) with their particular HDCD implementation. Is the old attenuation practice from the 1990s even used today at all?

One reason for reducing the volume on non HDCD tracks was to deal with CDs that contained both HDCD and regular CD tracks.

The Oppo players implement HDCD and actually allow you to turn it on and off. Their HDCD implementation used to use a customized version of a Mediatek chip. I believe they are still using Mediatek for HDCD with the 103/105, but I have not seen anything that confirms that.

It is my understanding that the Oppo does not change the volume for regular CDs, but I have not tried it.

You might check with Oppo on the details. They are usually pretty good about answering this type of question.