Any new developments in CD format?

music soothes the savage beast
Joined 2004
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I must be getting old or stupid, or out of touch. I thought cd is cd, that is compact disk for two channel audio encoded in 16bit pcm at 44.1kHz sampling rate. At least that's what i learned at school.

I know that there were attempts in the past to improve the cd. I do have hdcd player, and lots of hdcd disks (compatible with normal cd player), which were 18bit, hence better. Many Joni Mitchel's cds were hdcd, i have most, and they do sound better, if you have player. Mr windows big gate killed the hdcd.

I never invested in DVD-audio format, since i hate how slow the dvd players are due to watermarking...loading, loading, loading, eff that.

Even Super Audio CD was big flop. Mixed at cd format, but not compatible with anything. Dead child.

Now i came accross this cd in my collection, it has too many stickers. Does not sound any better than average cd. So it has compact disk CD logo, SACD logo, Multi-ch Stereo logo, Hybrid multichannel 5.1 logo, and finally DSD Direct Stream Digital logo.
Only shiityy THX logo is missing, just kidding.

Is this the pinnacle of digital disk evolution?
What is DSD? Anyone have 5 ears to appreciate 5.1 channel? What's next?
 

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DVD-audio format, since i hate how slow the dvd players are due to watermarking...loading, loading, loading, eff that.
I recently rediscovered a few DVD discs in the library after breaking out an Oppo which sat in the closet for years. The coolerific wizz bang opening features labels appended like animations, commercials, promos, nested menus, mandates a TV to navigate. Can't just hit play. Never seen a format so rendered useless by boardroom big brains.
 
How do you get 5 channels?
What is red book layer and dsd layer?

There are 5.1 channel SACDs. That format allowed multichannel.

Red Book CD Standard - http://www.audiobaymastering.com/redbook-cd/
DSD = Direct Stream Digital - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Stream_Digital

SACD players have a laser that can focus at two different wavelengths, one for the Red Book CD layer, the other for the SACD layer, both present on the same disc. That's why there are Hybrid SACDs, so you can play the Red Book CD layer on those SACDs in a standard CD player. It would have worked if everybody around the world stopped making plain CDs and made Hybrid SACDs instead. Big ask, apparently.
 
I don't play 5.1 audio. Just stereo.
Multichannel SACDs can be played in stereo, and most SACD remasters of older music are 2-channel stereo.
One cool thing was the series of RCA Living Stereo 3-channel SACDs. The original masters were 3-channel, so I thought it was a fun idea to have SACDs that could be played in that old style, ca. 1960, 3 speaker stereophonic setup. But I've only heard them in 2 channel.
 
A typical scenario today is a big screen on the wall, combined with an 5.1 AV system. This is for enjoying films in the first place. Listening to music without picture is possible on this system, but I think this a typical example of marketing generated demand. If one already has a 5.1 system, there ought to be supply of 5.1 audio source. 5.1 is better than 2.0 or 2.1, isn't it? (I have a good old stereo and don't need more channels).
 
Are you all listening music on 5 channel system now? How many, please let me know.
Or is this just another dead child.
I went to some hifi shows, do not recall any room playing 5 channel audio.
I would say it is dead. SACD players generally only have 2 channels and most blu-ray players which support multiple channels do not play the SACD layer only the redbook. I think the oppo could but that's no longer made.
 
SACD is encrypted. IIUC there are ways to rip them but it may take special equipment. Can't help you there. Otherwise you may be stuck with using a commercial SACD player and the dac inside it. Not usually the best dac I would suspect. Also, SACD players may have an encrypted digital output that a licensed AVR could play though its dac. Maybe or maybe not better than the dac or dacs inside the SACD player.

Anyway, SACD is basically DSD64, or if double speed then DSD128. Ripping the CD layer and using HQ Player to upsample it to DSD26 (using the right settings) might sound as good or better than playing the SACD track. Depends in part on how good of a DSD dac you have.
 
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