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Blue Note XRCD -- nice!

GreatTone

GreatTone

Super Member
Recently, I've been buying a number of reissued Blue Note records on vinyl -- the 45 rpm reissues from Music Matters in fact, which I think are the absolute pinnacle of sound, vinyl or otherwise. Not to mention the gorgeous cover reproduction. But there was one album I really wanted to get, that I wasn't quick enough on. It's Horace Silver's "Cape Verdean Blues," which I really like. The Music Matters release was already out of print before it entered my radar, but I found that Elusive Disc had it available for a bit more than the already substantial $50 price tag. It was the only place I could find it still available, and I was happy to pay the premium, but the day I went to buy it, it had sold out, and there are no more to be had.

So last week I came across a copy of the album on CD -- the new XRCD series. I've been wondering about those since I heard about them not long ago. I don't have a great CD setup, just a cheap Sansui DVD/VCR combo, but since the vinyl was gone, I grabbed it anyway. While I was at it, I picked up a used RVG reissue of the same album for a few bucks to compare. The XRCD was a bit under $30.

First, the cover treatment on the XRCD is really nice -- a thick, glossy book-like treatment, with all the original liner notes plus more commentary inside, along with nicely reproduced photos.

I listened to the RVG edition first. The thing I noticed immediately was the highs -- they leaped out of the speakers, very prominent. The emphasis on the highs is something I never got used to. Meaning, my attention kept focusing on the highs, instead of the music as a whole. The rest of the audio spectrum seemed okay, but nothing to write home about.

Then I put in the XRCD. First off, I had to turn up#the volume. It was considerably quieter. In fact, compared to the RVG, the XRCD initially sounded dull, with rolled-off highs. But as I listened, I realized that the highs were actually much more natural sounding. It was just in comparison to the artificially-boosted highs of the RVG that the XRCD sounded lacking in treble. Within a minute my ears adjusted, and the XRCD sounded great, with detailed, clean highs.

The XRCD had much greater dynamics than the RVG, and a relaxed, natural flow that is really pleasing. The music is both warm and detailed. This is my first XRCD, and I have to say it is by far the best-sounding CD I own.

After that, I put on a vinyl copy of another Blue Note reissue from Music Matters. While it sounded better than the XRCD in just about every way, the difference wasn't as night and day as it usually is between CD and vinyl on my system. In fact, the XRCD sounds so good, it is inspiring me to upgrade my CD player so I can enjoy Cape Verdean Blues more. I plan on getting more XRCDs in the future.

The difference is not subtle. Even on my car stereo the difference between the RVG and XRCD was easy to hear. Great job on the XRCD!
 
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GreatTone said:
Recently, I've been buying a number of reissued Blue Note records on vinyl -- the 45 rpm reissues from Music Matters in fact, which I think are the absolute pinnacle of sound, vinyl or otherwise. Not to mention the gorgeous cover reproduction. But there was one album I really wanted to get, that I wasn't quick enough on. It's Horace Silver's "Cape Verdean Blues," which I really like. The Music Matters release was already out of print before it entered my radar, but I found that Elusive Disc had it available for a bit more than the already substantial $50 price tag. It was the only place I could find it still available, and I was happy to pay the premium, but the day I went to buy it, it had sold out, and there are no more to be had.

So last week I came across a copy of the album on CD -- the new XRCD series. I've been wondering about those since I heard about them not long ago. I don't have a great CD setup, just a cheap Sansui DVD/VCR combo, but since the vinyl was gone, I grabbed it anyway. While I was at it, I picked up a used RVG reissue of the same album for a few bucks to compare. The XRCD was a bit under $30.

First, the cover treatment on the XRCD is really nice -- a thick, glossy book-like treatment, with all the original liner notes plus more commentary inside, along with nicely reproduced photos.

I listened to the RVG edition first. The thing I noticed immediately was the highs -- they leaped out of the speakers, very prominent. The emphasis on the highs is something I never got used to. Meaning, my attention kept focusing on the highs, instead of the music as a whole. The rest of the audio spectrum seemed okay, but nothing to write home about.

Then I put in the XRCD. First off, I had to turn up#the volume. It was considerably quieter. In fact, compared to the RVG, the XRCD initially sounded dull, with rolled-off highs. But as I listened, I realized that the highs were actually much more natural sounding. It was just in comparison to the artificially-boosted highs of the RVG that the XRCD sounded lacking in treble. Within a minute my ears adjusted, and the XRCD sounded great, with detailed, clean highs.

The XRCD had much greater dynamics than the RVG, and a relaxed, natural flow that is really pleasing. The music is both warm and detailed. This is my first XRCD, and I have to say it is by far the best-sounding CD I own.

After that, I put on a vinyl copy of another Blue Note reissue from Music Matters. While it sounded better than the XRCD in just about every way, the difference wasn't as night and day as it usually is between CD and vinyl on my system. In fact, the XRCD sounds so good, it is inspiring me to upgrade my CD player so I can enjoy Cape Verdean Blues more. I plan on getting more XRCDs in the future.

The difference is not subtle. Even on my car stereo the difference between the RVG and XRCD was easy to hear. Great job on the XRCD!
Click to expand...

The CD format is truly impressive when done right.
 
I got a question. I know that XRCD is an expansion upon the long standing Red Book CD format and that XRCD can be played on a traditional CDP but they now have XRCD2 and XRCD24 (probably been out since 99 but whatever) I was wondering do they still offer the same backwards compatibility? i ask this because amazon is selling a fair amount of XRCD24 discs (all jazz, which is a little disappointing.) and I would like to hear the difference between them and traditional redbook.
 
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Also the JVC HDK2 mastering technology was designed for redbook compatibility.

FYI: There are several websites that talk about K2, that are sadly out of date and talk as if it were a xrcd varient. The K2 system has gone through at least 3 revisions since the information mentioned was posted. K2 refers to the fact that the two members of JVC's R&D Lab that worked on this have surnames that begin (In English) with "K".

Best Regards,
TerryO
 
Vintage_Hi-F said:
I got a question. I know that XRCD is an expansion upon the long standing Red Book CD format and that XRCD can be played on a traditional CDP but they now have XRCD2 and XRCD24 (probably been out since 99 but whatever) I was wondering do they still offer the same backwards compatibility? i ask this because amazon is selling a fair amount of XRCD24 discs (all jazz, which is a little disappointing.) and I would like to hear the difference between them and traditional redbook.
Click to expand...

All of them are backwards compatible and each is actually a step up. Our Audio Club has done comparisons of all these formats as well as SACD and HDK2 using the same recording and there is a difference. Of course SACD isn't a red book format, but HDK2 is and often beats SACD for sound quality.

Last Thursday, our Audio Club (Pacific Northwest Audio Society) did LP vs Digital Processing comparisons. The statistical data hasn't been processed yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a tossup. There have been so many advances in the "digital reproduction and processing" of music that the superiority of good Vinyl may have finally been eclipsed. If not, it won't be long.
:music:

Best Regards,
TerryO
 
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TerryO said:
Last Thursday, our Audio Club (Pacific Northwest Audio Society) did LP vs Digital Processing comparisons. The statistical data hasn't been processed yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a tossup. There have been so many advances in the "digital reproduction and processing" of music that the superiority of good Vinyl may have finally been eclipsed. If not, it won't be long.
:music:

Best Regards,
TerryO
Click to expand...

I would be interested in the hearing /reading the results of that experiment.
 
olson_jr said:
I would be interested in the hearing /reading the results of that experiment.
Click to expand...

Mr. Olson Jr,
(Geat name BTW!)

I've already written a bit about it here:

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=346970

Subsequent postings and results will certainly be posted there as well.*

*Note 1: A listing of the recordings used, has been posted to the above.
*Note 2: Some preliminary numbers and general trends

Best Regards,
TerryO
 
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Gee, Thanks A Lot Guys! Now I've gotta spend even more money for music. ;)

Though in all seriousness thanks for your guy's help, I just wish they would sell something other than jazz in this format...like Judas Priest or Saxon or maybe some Rush. :D
 
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GreatTone, now you're speaking my language! I have four from the Blue Note series: Speakin' My Piece, True Blue, Cool Struttin', and Soul Station.

Now, I'm a huge fan of XRCDs, and I have a substantial collection of them built up over the years (they're not cheap). Most of them sound great, but I think this Blue Note series is probably about as good as it gets with XRCD. I think at the heart of it is the fact that they used the actual master tapes for these editions, so the recordings kind of got a new lease on life.

So what are you considering as a CD player upgrade? In the last few years I've climbed up the CD player ladder a bit (see signature), and I can tell you it's totally worth it. You'll get even more out of the XRCDs on a really good CD player, not to mention any other halfway decent CDs in your collection.
 
Mr. Lin said:
GreatTone, now you're speaking my language! I have four from the Blue Note series: Speakin' My Piece, True Blue, Cool Struttin', and Soul Station.

Now, I'm a huge fan of XRCDs, and I have a substantial collection of them built up over the years (they're not cheap). Most of them sound great, but I think this Blue Note series is probably about as good as it gets with XRCD. I think at the heart of it is the fact that they used the actual master tapes for these editions, so the recordings kind of got a new lease on life.

So what are you considering as a CD player upgrade? In the last few years I've climbed up the CD player ladder a bit (see signature), and I can tell you it's totally worth it. You'll get even more out of the XRCDs on a really good CD player, not to mention any other halfway decent CDs in your collection.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I haven't visited this thread in a few days.

I'm not in the market to spend much on a CD player -- all my audio money is going into those Music Matters LPs at this point, as well as the parts to restore my Dynaco SCA-35. The thing that has me intrigued is the Lampizator mods, which can be done to any reasonably decent player. I have my eye out for a used Denon, Sony, Philips, whatever, then I'll try adding the tube triode output stage. Should be able to keep the whole venture under $100, so if it doesn't work out, no big loss. I just had to order some more wire, so I added a couple of tube sockets to begin the project. But the Dynaco will come first.

I do want a decent CD player, because I have hundreds of good CDs, but I have thousands of LPs, so that's where my focus will probably remain.
 
GreatTone said:
Recently, I've been buying a number of reissued Blue Note records on vinyl -- the 45 rpm reissues from Music Matters in fact, which I think are the absolute pinnacle of sound, vinyl or otherwise. Not to mention the gorgeous cover reproduction!
Click to expand...


:ntwrthy:

Check out the CTI Masterworks series if you want a good digital vibe...Milt Jackson's Sunflower is tremendous, beautifully redone. California Concert is on my wish list.
 
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GreatTone said:
I'm not in the market to spend much on a CD player -- all my audio money is going into those Music Matters LPs at this point, as well as the parts to restore my Dynaco SCA-35.
Click to expand...

I can't blame you, and even when buying used, it's not cheap to get into the fancy CD player game. If I had to pick one to focus on it would also be the vinyl rig.

I think you might get really nice sonic results by doing the tube modification to an older CD player.
 
Mr. Lin said:
I can't blame you, and even when buying used, it's not cheap to get into the fancy CD player game. If I had to pick one to focus on it would also be the vinyl rig.

I think you might get really nice sonic results by doing the tube modification to an older CD player.
Click to expand...

That's my thinking also. I'm not quick at getting my projects done, but I almost always do finish them eventually. After the Dynaco (a couple of weeks, tops, I hope), then I have to build a vacuum RCM (have all the parts except the case), THEN the CD player. Have to find one first, but I'm looking.
 
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