Das Lied von der Erde HQ-CD

[Papageno]

I just saw that the Klemperer recording of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde has been released in HQ in Japan.  Do you think there will be a significant difference?  I'm really tempted to buy it, even though it costs almost £40.

VS

[Daverz]

I just saw that the Klemperer recording of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde has been released in HQ in Japan.  Do you think there will be a significant difference? 

No.

HQCD (High Quality CD) is a new CD formulation developed by Toshiba EMI as an answer to the JVC/Universal's SHM-CD. Similarly to the SHM-CD, the HQCD uses the same higher quality polycarbonate material developed for LCD panels, which offers better pressing quality and greater transparency. In addition, the HQCD uses a specially formulated amalgam -- which offers better reflectivity than alumunum -- in its reflective layer.

The combined effects are more precise, more faithful reproduction of the glass master in the pressing stage and reduced reading errors in playback. Toshiba EMI claims that these improvements lead to higher perceived sound pressure levels, a better frequency balance, higher resolution and wider and deeper soundstage.

That's pure concentrated bullshit.

[MishaK]

No.

That's pure concentrated bullshit.

You might say Kobe bullshit.

[kishnevi]

Considering that for roughly forty quid, you can buy EMI's Complete Mahler box, which uses the Klemperer for DLvdE......

[villa]

Though its a shame I downloaded the HQ as a torrent I burned to the cheapest CDR, the sound is more clear and immediate than on my GROC original CD. So its not so simple to judge

[Daverz]

Though its a shame I downloaded the HQ as a torrent I burned to the cheapest CDR, the sound is more clear and immediate than on my GROC original CD. So its not so simple to judge

Yes, but it's not because of "higher quality polycarbonate material".  Especially as you downloaded digital files that someone ripped from the CD!

[Tapio Dmitriyevich]

Though its a shame I downloaded the HQ as a torrent I burned to the cheapest CDR, the sound is more clear and immediate than on my GROC original CD. So its not so simple to judge

If this statement would stand a scientific investigation (doule blind listening test), then it's a case of different mastering. You're mentioning "cheapest cd" - erm, you know a CD is a binary thing? The "HQCD (High Quality CD)" text above is finest bullshit for 120 yr. old grand daddies, who do not understand that a byte is a byte, no matter onto which medium it is pressed.

[Daverz]

If this statement would stand a scientific investigation (doule blind listening test), then it's a case of different mastering. You're mentioning "cheapest cd" - erm, you know a CD is a binary thing? The "HQCD (High Quality CD)" text above is finest bullshit for 120 yr. old grand daddies, who do not understand that a byte is a byte, no matter onto which medium it is pressed.

This Toshiba EMI issue could still be a better remastering than the GROC, though.

[petrarch]

If this statement would stand a scientific investigation (doule blind listening test), then it's a case of different mastering. You're mentioning "cheapest cd" - erm, you know a CD is a binary thing? The "HQCD (High Quality CD)" text above is finest bullshit for 120 yr. old grand daddies, who do not understand that a byte is a byte, no matter onto which medium it is pressed.

Of course, the above is valid if you assume that what was recorded was exactly what was in the file and what was read was exactly what was in the disc. The CD format is not exactly the bits-in-bits-out that the abstract concept of a digital stream suggests.

[DavidW]

The CD format is not exactly the bits-in-bits-out that the abstract concept of a digital stream suggests.

What are you talking about?

[petrarch]

What are you talking about?

What you read from the surface of the disc isn't necessarily what really is on it. CD-ROMs are usually more accurate than audio CDs, and this might be why some find that recorded CD-Rs sound better.

[Tapio Dmitriyevich]

What you read from the surface of the disc isn't necessarily what really is on it.

I admit I was in the Data-CDs (files and folders) thinking. So we're in the Audio CD world. But - when we rip original Audio CDs and CR-R(w)s - don't we usually get bit identical files? AFAIK: Yes. In that case there won't be audible differences. Let's say files are not identical. A cause would typically be scratches and error correction. That usually wouldn't be audible, and in extreme cases only at a specific moment.

The problem with that discussions (with the internet) is, you do not know who you are talking to. Very often you discuss and discuss, and people turn out to be really cueless. You realize, your discussion partner does not even understand what "digital" means, what a byte may be, why a byte does not fit into an analog scheme, etc I'm referring to http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,16967.msg513532.html#msg513532

[Scarpia]

What you read from the surface of the disc isn't necessarily what really is on it. CD-ROMs are usually more accurate than audio CDs, and this might be why some find that recorded CD-Rs sound better.

That's just silly.  You can get a bad pressing with errors, for sure.  But you can routinely copy an entire audio CD and have every bit (all three billion of them) copy correctly, not a single one out of place.  Error correction is more extensive in CD-ROM and in CD audio, but CD audio still contains redundant data which allows an incorrect bit to be detected and corrected.

[petrarch]

That's just silly.  You can get a bad pressing with errors, for sure.  But you can routinely copy an entire audio CD and have every bit (all three billion of them) copy correctly, not a single one out of place.  Error correction is more extensive in CD-ROM and in CD audio, but CD audio still contains redundant data which allows an incorrect bit to be detected and corrected.

Not always. Even not counting scratches and dirt, pressing quality varies widely and it is up to the reading hardware to compensate. Why would CD rippers have "paranoia" settings if the level of accuracy was guaranteed (although this only attempts to address read inconsistencies after the hardware has done its job)? Furthermore, when everything fails, the hardware effectively does a best guess at what is recorded. This includes e.g. interpolation, which is of course not a bit-perfect operation.

[zamyrabyrd]

My LP bought more than 25 years ago is still OK. If I want to listen to the same, I go to youtube.

ZB