HDCD Surprise! and a Question

[cpt_paranoia]

We want the raw HDCD sent so the Dac can decode it, don't we?

Not if your external DAC doesn't support HDCD decoding... Most modern DACs will be pure PCM, and won't decode HDCD.

Assuming you want the 'benefit' of HDCD decoding, that is.

 

[n_dt]

So, after 4 years and 36 posts
I have yet to read a definitive answer. Will an HDCD player pass teh HDCD info out it's coax output to a Dac?
Yes or no? Anyone sure what the answer is?

Tricky Q :
======
If said HDCD player has it's HDCD decoder turned OFF then the coax outputs the still-HDCD-encoded 16bit Redbook version.

HOWEVER, if HDCD player has it's HDCD decoder turned ON then,
in every case that I'm aware of
.... ( except for a subset of players from only one mfg ),
only the player's analog outputs will be sourcing the ~20bits-worth decoded HDCD
while the coax outputs send out the still-HDCD-encoded 16bit Redbook version.

I suspect the vast majority of player mfg's did the latter because ::
..... A) They feared the possibility of copyright legal issues (Microsoft owns the patent).
..... B) They expected the A/V rcvr / integrated amp to have it's own HDCD decoder for digital coax use.

The only exception that I am aware of is the Oppo BDP-95.
... (...but I believe this applies to Oppo's BDP-83 & BDP-103, too ).
Wrt the former, you can refer to the 95's Owners Manual (v1.2),
middle of pg66 :
.... Coaxial or Optical Digital Audio to Receiver
.... the following audio format setup options are recommended:
............ :
........ HDCD Decoding : On (or Off if the receiver can decode HDCD)
............ :
The result is ~20b of content in 24b/44.1khz format.
In my case, I use a Tascam DR-100mkIII to create a WAV and then I convert that to FLAC.

FWIW, I much prefer a pure digital rip for HDCD's
—vs— relying on some SW decoder (which are all built w/o using a spec, the latter which is unpublished).

And EAC does a fantastic job IMO for regular CD rips, and I often use EAC w/a HDCD
just to be able to CP the EAC-generated 'song name text' to Paste over Tascam's generic numbered file names.

Hope that answers your Q in full.

 

[n_dt]

< replied to eljr 2X but each reply FAILED to appear under eljr's Q >