Vista users, again, prepare yourselves ...

[GerardA]

Yes yes yes!

BTW, I just read that SP1 can be found on Pirate Bay, no idea what that is
Or did you already find it?

[PeterSt]

No. But I don't think it is necessary anymore ! So :

Also in order to keep this topic going a bit : 44K1/16 to 24 or 32 works as well.

Now up to giving those options as choices in the XXHighEnd UI. And then let's see whether we can get those Terratecs going a bit.
Oh, and before this small project is finished I will try to get 18 bits (TwinDAC+/SPDIF) and 20 bits (??) going usefully.

And if you then know that this topic actually was about something else ... (which it is not ).

[GerardA]

We still get the clarity and spaciousness?

[PeterSt]

You bet you will !

[Ava12]

So 20Bit?
Is there any chance to get a HDCD Stream (from a HDCD CD) as lets say a 20 Bit wav file (I don't know if there is more 20 Bit material out there).
So you can play it in XX. When 20 Bit is no such a hard challenge as 24 Bit? 

[PeterSt]

Hahaha, I was waiting for that question. Ok, right now ? no. Why ? because that takes special arithmetic (and knowledge ) which I have to dive into. So, HDCD is not 20 bits, it acts like it. Ok, you knew that ... In the end, yes ... *or* the HDCD can be interpreted in the way it should (but your DAC must be able to cope with it ... that could even go without my attention i.e. it could work right now *or* I could expand the 16 bits loslessly to 20 bits and then each 20 bits or larger DAC could play it.

So, later ...

[Ava12]

But every HDCD which I rip with EAC contains the HDCD stream in the wav file, doesn't it?

[PeterSt]

Yes. And as long as the DAC doesn't interpret it as intended, you'd play that CD with less resolution than 16 bits.

[Ava12]

So and lets say, if XX would support 24 Bit or real 20 Bit resolution you would have to use an alogarithm which converts the "20 Bit" wav into a real 20 Bit or even 24 Bit stream.
Wouldn't that be the way?

[PeterSt]

Yep.
Keep in mind though that all *is* a trick. So a real 20 bit recording would be better than a HDCD recording. But if all is right the HDCD recording will be perceived as better and higher rez than a 16 bit recording. Well, that is what I understood from it when I read it a while back. I never heard it.

[GerardA]

For HDCD you need the special chip in your DAC like a PCM100 if I recall correctly.
My Rotel has one and I can only say that all the HDCD's I have sound better.
But it is to my ears especcially the bass that becomes more lifelike.
Why does the extra resolution give better base???
And why does XX give so much better base??
Peter??

[PeterSt]

For HDCD you need the special chip in your DAC like a PCM100 if I recall correctly.

Yes, but as said, I can interpret the same as a DAC does, and then "mangle" the data so that a normal DAC would understand. That is, if it can cope with the resolution (*and* if the means of doing it is not propriatery, but I don't think it is).

On your other questions ... let's wait until 0.9u. I think a lot of things become more clear then.
And more confusing.

[SeVeReD]

For HDCD you need the special chip in your DAC like a PCM100 if I recall correctly.

Yes, but as said, I can interpret the same as a DAC does, and then "mangle" the data so that a normal DAC would understand. That is, if it can cope with the resolution (*and* if the means of doing it is not propriatery, but I don't think it is).

On your other questions ... let's wait until 0.9u. I think a lot of things become more clear then.
And more confusing.

If I remember correctly HDCD was bought by Microsoft and I think they've let it die.

[edward]

If I remember correctly HDCD was bought by Microsoft and I think they've let it die.

You are correct, Dave, Microsoft did "buy" HDCD.

For HDCD you need the special chip in your DAC like a PCM100 if I recall correctly.

Well, not necessarily. What Microsoft did when they bought the technology was incorporate the decoding into Windows Media Player. As long as you set WMP to output 24 bit and your soundcard can accept 24 bit, then HDCD is decoded by the software and the "special chip" ( Pacific Microsonics PMD200) is not necessary. I have a handful of HDCDs and I can play them through WMP to my USB DAC and the HDCD light comes on on WMP and it decodes properly. It sounds pretty good too. (This, of course, does not work if you are using S/PDIF out)

So this is somewhat good news for Peter - in that it is possible to incorporate the decoding into XXHighEnd. However, Microsoft is not going to license this to Peter, so I don't know if there is a way around it.

On the hardware side of things, here is a blurb from a Stereophile blog regarding Reference Recordings HDCD releases and the new Alpha DAC:

...Reference Recordings therefore stuck with HDCD. Unfortunately, after Microsoft bought the rights to HDCD from Pacific Microsonics a few years back, it dropped development and support for the format. Fortunately, two of Johnson's dear friends and associates from those days, Michael Ritter and Pflash Pflaumer (who co-invented HDCD with Johnson), have since launched Berkeley Audio Design Associates, and have developed an Alpha DAC that Martin claims sounds better in some ways than Pacific Microsonics' no-longer-produced Model 2 HDCD encoder.

The Alpha DAC, which does not infringe on the HDCD patents that Microsoft now owns, will debut at CES (2008)...

[PeterSt]

Guys,

I know you are waiting. But so far what I can do with 16 bits, I can't do with 24 (whatever it is I mean by that ). Theoretically it can be done, but in practice things are, say, just a tad too complicated for me.
Since this morning (after many days of struggle) I have sound from it which doesn't sound wrong. However, so far I can't prove that what happens in the least siginificant bits of the 24 bits (the part which has the higest resolution) is correct.

So please be patient.
Peter