excepting the initials are these different "formats"? in other words if i buy a cd player that supports hdcd will it encode sacd that will allow one to enjoy it's benefits? i am thinking of getting the denon cd390 which has hdcd. i like the 5cd changer for the cd format
HDCD -- High Density Compatible Digital -- enhances the audio quality of Compact Discs. At least that's what it is designed to do, and that's what my ears tell me it is doing. But nonetheless, it is a process layered on a Compact Disk (CD). SACD -- Super Audio Compact Disc -- is an entirely different format.
HDCD discs can be played back in non-HDCD players. But it requires an HDCD capable player to achieve the desired results: a claimed increase in dynamic range and a more natural sound.
An HDCD capable CD play is still a CD player, and not an SACD player.
thanks john do all compact disc's(those from record labels,you know one's put out by bands etc)have HDCD? or only certain cd's so is HDCD something on cd's in general and having a HDCD CD player brings it out,or are only certain CD's made with HDCD as i think only some CD's have SACD
Not all compact disks are HDCD. Not even from big record labels. Last time I looked there were over 4,000 titles that were HDCD encoded, but that's a small fraction of the total number of CD titles available.
Look for the HDCD logo on your CD's, and see if any of them have it. You might be surprised to find that you already own several. The label is often small, and usually hidden on the back of the jewel box.
Yes, you need an HDCD capable CD player to "bring out" the best in an HDCD CD. They can be played on a non-HDCD machine, and won't sound any worse than a "normal" CD in those circumstances.
It is probably more correct to say that some SACD's are hybrid SACD's, and that they have both an SACD and a "Redbook" (or normal) CD layer; than it is to say that some CD's have a Super Audio layer. That's really the case. Some SACD's also have a standard CD layer, and can be played in a regular CD player. But keep in mind that not all SACD's have this feature, and many can't be played unless you have an SACD player, or multi-disk player that decodes SACD.
john yes it is.i also "googled" the question and found out the anwser.it seems that a cd player made well without HDCD or SACD will fit my needs. thanks mitchell