Which is better - XRCD or Sony K2 HD?

[jtein]

Hi folks, I came across "Harry Belafonte At Carnegie Hall" which is available in 2 formats - XRCD2 and Sony K2 HD - in Elusivedisc.com. Both are priced the same. Can anybody tell me which format is better?

 

[Steve Williams]

I have both. I prefer the K2HD

BTW both are Redbook format

 

[Ronm1]

I have both. I prefer the K2HD

BTW both are Redbook format

Same

 

[Bruce B]

Guess Sony has adopted the proprietary JVC K2HD format.

 

[Ronm1]

Guess Sony has adopted the proprietary JVC K2HD format.

Since TMK Sony owns all the RCA stuff, I suspect they farmed out the mastering?

My set says K2HD mastered by FLAIR, Victor Entertainment. Could now be under the Sony umbrella.

 

[Bruce B]

Since TMK Sony owns all the RCA stuff, I suspect they farmed out the mastering?

My set says K2HD mastered by FLAIR, Victor Entertainment. Could now be under the Sony umbrella.

I actually sat in on a couple of mastering sessions at Flair/JVC with Winston a couple years ago. They are pretty tight-lipped about the K2HD process. All I saw was generic boxes with cables going in/out. They use Pro Tools for mastering.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

I've never quite understood the differences between the various options. XRCD, K2HD, SHM-CD......what gives?

 

[Bruce B]

I've never quite understood the differences between the various options. XRCD, K2HD, SHM-CD......what gives?

Well I can tell you that the SHM-CD and SHM-SACD are an actual "physical" difference. The others... XRCD, XRCD2, K2, K2HD, HDCD and others are proprietary encoding differences.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

Well I can tell you that the SHM-CD and SHM-SACD are an actual "physical" difference. The others... XRCD, XRCD2, K2, K2HD, HDCD and others are proprietary encoding differences.

How are those SHM's physically different?

Any faves amongst the others? Or is it all just a question of good mastering?

 

[Bruce B]

How are those SHM's physically different?

Any faves amongst the others? Or is it all just a question of good mastering?

SHM or Super High Material is an enhanced transparency polycarbonate material developed that is used in LCD screens. I've never heard any I liked and really can't compare them to the regular discs because most of the time the mastering is also different.

 

[Johnny Vinyl]

SHM or Super High Material is an enhanced transparency polycarbonate material developed that is used in LCD screens. I've never heard any I liked and really can't compare them to the regular discs because most of the time the mastering is also different.

Thanks Bruce for taking the time to answer my query!

 

[Ronm1]

I posted awhile ago a comparison between disc of the same mastering, SHM vs not SHM. All disc sound quite good but the gist was the better the playback h/w the less perceived benefit, that implies the more mediocre the playback h/w there did seem to be a perceived perk. Colleague and I found that amusing since its marketed diff. In the end that made sense to us as the better players should read better anyway. OTOH the better mastering techniques mentioned, certainly had a better benefit with better playback h/w. Nose to console appears to be where it is at.

 

[jtein]

How are those SHM's physically different?

Any faves amongst the others? Or is it all just a question of good mastering?

Hi John, I have A/B'd SHM-CDs with regular CDs of the same album and have found that there is increased transparency, more retrieval of inner detail thus making my listening experience a bit more enjoyable.

 

[MarinJim]

What about Ultra HD 32 Bit Master CD? Or this a topic for another thread?

 

[Bruce B]

What about Ultra HD 32 Bit Master CD? Or this a topic for another thread?

Topic for another discussion.... let's just say it's marketing.