Hi VeloRoad, Yes, there is absolutely zero point in using the two encoding features of HDCD unless there is a way to decode them. For over a decade, the only way to do this was with mass-market DVD and/or Blu-ray players that included HDCD decoding, but this is clearly not an ideal situation...

Hi Veloroad - Don't feel bad, this just means that the Pacific Micronsonics A/D converter was used when transferring the analog tape to digital. Even a dozen years after it's been discontinued, it still is one of the best sounding A/D converters in the world. Also, any mastering engineer with...

  Ideally a listening test only changes one variable at a time, leaving all else constant. I would suggest a different test to understand the difference offered by decoding HDCDs:   Foobar makes a module that allows the user to convert the 16-bit file ripped from an HDCD into a 24-bit file...

  Thanks for the info. I was unaware of the capabilities of ffmpeg. It sounds like some nice advantages are there:   a) Multi-platform b) Can scan the entire track   However if you see a max gain adjustment of 4 dB in a track, you can be certain it was just a fade-out in a song. I have...

  Hello, I tend to agree with this advice, and also there are pros and cons that can make one way better than another. If one has a player that decodes HDCD in hardware, that will provide the best decoding. I have looked at the available software decoders and there are small, but definite...

  Hello VeloRoad,   Good work on finding these hidden HDCDs. They will definitely sound more dynamic when decoded, ss the top 9 dB of range is compressed into 3 dB on the disc. Decoding it will restore the full dynamic range. One thing I like to do is to turn on the Peak Meter module in...

  Hi Kiwivda,   The reason why there are very few posts on this thread is that many have been fooled by what are called "fake HDCDs". A "fake HDCD" will light up the light on a "compatible" HDCD player. However there is nothing to decode! It is just a great sounding recording made with a...

  Hi Dick,   Awesome work! Thanks so much for sharing the benefit of your labors with everyone!   Thanks also to the Foobar developer who created the HDCD plug-in. That is the only way to know what is actually going on. By looking at enough HDCD discs, one can easily tell exactly decisions...

  Hello Veloroad,   Superb analysis! Here is my take:   1) TF will always be flickering. The PM A/D converter has two different anti-aliasing filters that it automatically selects when recording and this feature cannot be disabled. However there is no possible way to "decode" this. No HDCD...

Hi Dick,   The "Very Best of the Doors" is what I call a "fake HDCD". It not only does not require decoding, it cannot be decoded. The only thing it does is light up the light... :(   The reason this came to be is \there were three main people at Pacific Microsonics. The guy who designed the...

Hi Dick,   Don't forget that the HDCD indicator does not necessarily mean that the disc requires any decoding! Instead it only means that the mastering studio used the Pacific Microsonics A/D converter. This converter has two optional features that can be engaged by the mastering...

  Several different topics:   1) Computer-based digital volume controls work with 32-bit floating point operations. These only have 24 bits of precision, as the rest is in the exponent. When you turn your volume down by (say) -48 dB, you are literally throwing away 8 bits of resolution. If...

  What you are saying make sense. Unfortunately I've had many experiences contrary to that which are inexplicable to our current understanding. For example I once fed a 24-bit DAC chip an audio signal with the LSB either rounded, with ±0.5 bits TPDF dither added, or with ±1.0 bits TPDF dither...

  Excellent point. Pacific Microsonics (notorious prevaricators) always claimed "20 bits of resolution" for HDCD. That is nonsense.   The Peak Extend was 6 dB, or 1 bit, giving 17 bits.   The Low-Level Extension was a maximum of 4 dB, but this was never realized in pop music. The process...

Hello All,   Just a reminder -- there are lots of discs that were mastered using the Pacific Microsonics (PM) A/D and D/D converter, as it is a very good one. (In fact for many years, it was the only good one available.) Every single one of these discs will light up the HDCD light on a...

Hi All,   This is probably one of the most insightful replies I've seen regarding sensitivity measurements. These guys clearly know what they are doing and should be taken very seriously.   I have reservations about the use of RCA connectors for the detachable cables for a very simple, yet...

Quote:   Hello 5150,   There have been many attempts by several different people to reverse engineer the HDCD decoding algorithm. Every single one of them were successful in finding the three different flags in the "subcode" one for PE, one for LLE, and one for the TF. And of course...

Quote: Dear 51-50,   Yes, that is exactly the case. There was a period when playback DAC chips could only reach 16 bits. Then I believe it was Denon that released the first 18-bit chip. This started a numbers race. Within only a few years, EVERY DAC was claimed to be at least 24 bit...

Quote:   Hi Fumbles,   Sorry for the VERY late reply. I didn't have internet access for a long time. The short answer is YES, most HDCD's are really closer to 16 bits than 20. Here's the long answer:   Only two of the encoding features affect the dynamic range -- Peak Extend and...

Quote: The PM A/D converter is still used by many mastering engineers. I would assume that there were at least two different engineers used on this disc, as normally the same converter would be used on all of the tracks. If the PM converter is used, the Transient Filter will always...

Quote:   You are severely handicapping yourself by using AAC files. All of these players are designed for better sonic performance than iTunes. Using AAC files for comparison is like trying to compare racing tires on a Fiat 600. It just ain't gonna make much difference.   The second...

Yes, Foobar can be somewhat inscrutable. I was only able to figure out the correct "commands" by reading through a thread on Hydrogen Audio, which is the official support outlet for Foobar. I immediately received a warning from an administrator because I said that the Pacific Microsonics encoder...

Originally Posted by madwolf    Wow, Madwolf!   Outstanding work! Thank you so much for your dedication and also sharing your observations.   One thing I have found is that 99% of all capacitors have copper-plated steel leads. This ruins any hope for good sound. It is difficult to...

Yes, the PM A/D converter has two anti-aliasing filters. These change according to some unknown algorithm based on the music being converted. One filter is optimized for flat frequency response and the other for improved transient response (less ringing). The only differences show up above 15...

Thank you for the kind words. I'm glad that they were helpful.   When I looked at HDCD.exe, I plugged the values for Peak Extend into a spreadsheet so that I could look at the graph. My sense was that they were created by trying to read the values from the graph in the AES paper or...