Been having a play around with some HDCD discs (my Arcam DV-79 will
decode HDCD). With the HDCD filter in place they do sound considerably
better than without (but it has to be said, no better than a normal CD
that hasn't been compressed to buggery).

Comparisons done with analogue out from DVD player (which has HDCD
decoding) against DAC on amplifier (Arcam AVR-250). With non-HDCD discs
it's all but impossible to tell what's in use when using straight stereo
mode (the DAC in the amp sounds slightly better when using any of the
DSP modes, which would make sense - signal stays digital until the last
possible moment).

So short of doing an analogue "rip", is it possible to decode HDCD in
software and dither it down to 16-bit linear before encoding it as an
MP3, to avoid compression on playback?

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Glenn Richards Tel: (01453) 845735
Squirrel Solutions http://www.squirrelsolutions.co.uk/

IT consultancy, hardware and software support, broadband installation