XRCD: How a Compact Disc should sound

[@anonamouse5917]

The best CD's IMHO come from: 1. Mastering with a focus on dynamic range and not loudness. 2. High quality Analog/Digital conversion.

[@pfcompany885]

+ gold CD surface

[@anonamouse5917]

@@Ornimegalonyxx Studios use ADCs, we use DACs. I would imagine they use high end ADCs and low pass filters (to prevent aliasing).

[@chromegoh5817]

I have nearly 50 different titles of XRCDs in my collection till date and I also owned other audiophile CD format such as DMM-CD/SACD, K2HQ, K2HD, 24K, LPCD45, Blu-Spec CD, Ultra HD, AMCD, UHQCD, MQA CD, UPM24KCD, HQCD, 1:1 Direct Cut CD etc... But I must say XRCD is still my top choice audiophile format, especially the latest evolution: SHM-XRCD (or sometimes called "New XRCD"). XRCD evolves to XRCD2, XRCD24, to today's SHM-XRCD. I had 2 albums of the same title in both XRCD2 and SHM-XRCD: comparing the same track, I realised that the SHM-XRCD is a far greater leap than XRCD2 - the difference between them is easily heard. Just sharing my opinion and review.

[@anadialog]

Cool! Glad to hear someone else enjoys XRCDs, especially after listening to all the rest of the CD evolution formats!

[@jamestom2510]

will xrcd play in regular bluray or dvd players ? or do i need new equipment to listen to these?

[@chromegoh5817]

XRCD will play in all players that can play a normal red-book CD. XRCD does not require any special decoding but the SACD and MQA CDs does. Hope that explains.@@jamestom2510

[@bubbleone6526]

I’m not sure if you get notifications on older videos but here goes. I only found your channel about a month ago and I’m loving it. I’m an Analog junkie but digital it coming along. I just bought a new in the box, unopened Oppo 105 and about to set it up. I heard you say you had one too so I wish you would do a video just on the Oppo. Keep your videos coming as I’m always watching. 👍

[@anadialog]

Of course I receive them! I do have a 105d Oppo but it is an Audiocom Signature modified model. So it's not an Oppo anymore. I hope they go back in production, they were special and with the right price! Thank you for your words.

[@bubbleone6526]

@@anadialog Yeah that’s the same Oppo I have. Oppo bdp 105d

[@peterbriggs2771]

I just purchased my first XRCd..wow what have we been missing. This should be the defacto standard 👍😎

[@anadialog]

Bravo!

[@andrewvernon4664]

Just to be extra clear, XRCD plays on a regular cd player, right? Or do you need to purchase a dedicated player? I could hear the difference in sound through the KZbin video version. The sound was better with more richness. I don't think it's just placebo, either. I've never heard of XRCD (that I can recall) until today in this video. I'm new to your channel, so I'm enjoying a lot of your past videos. Great work! Thank you for the time and effort that you put into making these videos and the time spent uploading them also.

[@anadialog]

Yes, just a normal CD player! Thanks for your nice comments!

[@100lho100]

I will strongly recommend Sarah Vaughan “ crazy and mixed up “ JVC XRCD2, in general I like the quality of the XRCD formats. Thought I need to say, that my favorite reissue recordings, when talking Jazz or Blues, on Vinyl or SACD, comes from Analogue Production Salino

[@anadialog]

Of course! They make among the best vinyl pressings in the world...good old Chad Kassem!

[@fnd111]

Have a bunch of these. Love 'em. 🇯🇵

[@xapaga1]

I ordered an LP format of Jazz at the Pawnshop from Amazon UK about a month ago, which is due to arrive at mine in Tokyo tomorrow!

[@anadialog]

Good job! I have also the original Swedish version. Breathless!

[@venturarodriguezvallejo1567]

@ana[dia]log: Hi, again. After downloading the tracks and hearig them with no less than four different headphones and three sources, I must admit that the XRCD version is undoubtedly better, in all aspects, than the normal CD one. With no little advantage for the first. At the very beginning, I thought the XRCD (mastering?) was sounding a bit louder, hence the difference. But my strategy of changing and combining different phones with different amps in various permutations, including the AKG K1000 driven by a Luxman MQ 360 2 × 40 watts tube power amp, feeded directly from my smartphone LG V30 as source, or the SONYs MDR-V5 (these are very unforgiving) connected to the headphones output of a Luxman (again) CL 360 tube preamp (or the AKGs feeded by the speaker outputs of my beloved Cyrus Two SE + PSX additional power supply, or a pair of B&O earbuds driven by the smartphone and the preamp, or my AKG K340 with the Cyrus, etc...) has convinced me of one fact: the CD track (don't know if it is a question of mastering) does not sound softer but more "muffled", less airy and less detailed than the XRCD version, and this is quite evident from the very beginning. So, thanks a lot for such a great (for me) discovery. Amazing!

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

I have a couple of XRCD24 samplers and while very clear, they do sound bright.

[@ArcadeDude44]

Awesome, thanks for the tip...I never really knew if these were any good.

[@nicholassheffo5723]

TINA TURNER: PRIVATE DANCER and the CHARADE soundtrack are the ones I recommend, if you can find them. YOu'll have to tell us how JVC K2 CDs compare at some point.

[@vinylcity1599]

Very interesting! I'm all for good quality audio, and I like the "book" type case , it looks more permanent than the traditional "jewel case/printed paper"! And the process seems much better than traditional CD'S, where they source from "videotape" (I could be wrong about that process, I saw it on a video once of how CD'S are made)!

[@anadialog]

Thanks George! I think the videotape source was more of an experiment...not a standard.

[@vinylcity1599]

@@anadialog thank goodness !

[@lelsewherelelsewhere9435]

Some [digital] PCM (since 1970s in japan, but since like 1980 in usa) recordings did use TV studio video tape to record the original live audio data (inside both the [purely analog] video and audio parts of the tape), and store it probably for mastering, etc. Even some 1970s Japanese vinyls came from these digital PCM tapes!

[@lelsewherelelsewhere9435]

@@anadialog digital PCM was stored on analog tape in the 1980s in the USA. thegreatbear.net/audio-tape/early-digital-tape-recordings-umatic-betamax-video-tape/ www.mixonline.com/technology/1981-sony-pcm-f1-digital-recording-processor-377975

[@lelsewherelelsewhere9435]

@@anadialog 1970s mostly Japanese digital recordings made on mostly TV broadcast videotape (past the 1970s, it was commercial, used in small studios outside japan) www.studio-nibble.com/cd/index.php?title=Early_digital_recordings&redirect=no

[@hacmustafaus173]

I have XRCDs. I have been listenning them for one yesr. I agree with you. Yes they are expensive but I pay easily for this quality.

[@takeiteasy6154]

Some of these unfortunately have also suffered the loudness war

[@wurlycorner]

Very interesting... Hadn't heard of XRCD until your video! I am a huge fan of CD and still buy new music albums on CD versus digital download (I just cannot cope with the latter as a choice for listening pleasure). I spend a lot of time listening to music in the car (so CD is a fantastic solution) but even when listening at home on the hi-fi, it is still generally my choice over vinyl (as a good balance between quality and convenience - not to mention price and range of albums available). I have been interested in SACD for a while. The barrier is the price of the players and the albums (with very limited choice also). So as a question... How would you compare a normal SACD recording with an xrcd recording and even the standard CD? (pick say, Dire Straits Brothers In Arms, which is available on all those 3). SACD worth the extra investment, or... Stick with xrcd? Thanks

[@anadialog]

I will start out saying that I love DSD...but I also think that SACDs are just not up to what they should deliver. XRCD are in most cases superior in sonics to SACD. Instead DVD-Audios are simply amazing and for me the best digital source out there. I also made a video on that topic: kzbin.info/www/bejne/apDRkJiEgJp8g80

[@RussoSimon]

WoW! I just got a B.B. King XRCD and I’m wondering how much can I resell it for?

[@davidbryanbartlett4071]

I A-B test at a seminare Vinyl againt Shm C.D.-All 50 attendance chose Shm C.D. over Vinyl-the following are the artist - Dire Straits- Bill Evans waltz - Hank Mobley-Soul Station - of course High End Equpt both sides were used Thanks for your dedication Music

[@anadialog]

Interesting! Can you share with us some details of the playback systems?

[@GodfreyMann]

Fantastic video...I had no idea about this format and then I went down the rabbit hole of XRCD2, XRCD24 and K2 HDCD. Could you please make an update video that talks about K2 HDCD and how it's improved on all the previous formats? If you think it has...

[@anadialog]

Thanks! Well, I did do a video on HDCD: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5vbi2WHa7GYrNE

[@knockshinnoch1950]

It's so frustrating! SACD, SHMCD, HDCD & XRCD- 4 great formats that should be the industry norm but the general public are happy to put up with 3rd rate quality discs and mp3 files and music streamed via their phones! Argh!

[@anadialog]

True...

[@lucalone]

they sound all the same !!! a well mastered cd sounds greatly ! it's a shame that dynamic overcompression and no noise filters have given compact discs such a bad name !

[@knockshinnoch1950]

@@lucalone If you have a hi end system then they do not sound the same.

[@Meteotrance]

SACD is technicly a true 1 bit DSD high res format the other are just regular PCM CD with better plastic and esoteric mastering process that use high res as a source but it won't make the sound better than a very good regular mastered CD especialy if you made a FLAC or PCM rip on a SSD or USB stick to put the transport out of equation for compare.

[@GodfreyMann]

I also did a comparison with my DSD256 download from Acoustic Sounds vs your files, but just listening to the room ambience, instrument tuning, and chatter from 0-38 secs. The CD is way quieter than the XRCD at least 6dB, but volume balancing didn't bring the same experience, because there's definitely more information in the XRCD at the same volume. I can hear this in the ambience in the room. My DSD file is around 6dB louder than your XRCD conversion. When I volume balance them there's also a big difference in sound quality. On the one hand, the DSD file sounds more 'analogue' in the sense that it sounds more 3D, but there's something not quite right about it. Hard to put my finger on it, because the room ambience is good, but the instruments are a touch unnatural compared to your XRCD which is less bass heavy in the room ambience but the instruments sound more real.

[@blastfromtheeast]

Definitelythe best sounding CD format

[@anadialog]

Yeah!

[@Indiediscs]

Hi thanks for this video. I've a XRCD2 from a joblot I bought. It is Coldplay Viva Lavida in a wooden box with an extra live CD, made in Taiwan. Do you know anything about this? I've searched online for info, but don't any info about it.

[@anadialog]

I don't, I am sorry!

[@DanClapp]

Listening to the files I can barely hear the difference, but the xrcd does sound a little brighter and more open to me. That's about all I can tell.

[@danb6843]

Anyone know when I can find the Ponta Box Modern Juzz XRCD? I have the regular CD version and LOVE it, and would love to get the XRCD. This is one of my top 10 fav albums.

[@Badassvidsz]

Yes there's difference even in this video in yt : The cost of this cd is like you said way higher which is very bad for us the music lovers and audiophiles too { not rich dudes like me haha } and probobly this is why the record companies don't make all albums this way :-( Nice video anyway :-)

[@anadialog]

Sadly true...

[@thierryroland7102]

Now, I ripp the tracts of CDs in wav 3072kbps, (48KHz, 32bits) with MediaMonkey, the files are heavy but detailed. For my personal music, I use a Olympus LS-12 recorder, in PCM format, 96kHz/24bit (wav 4233kbps).

[@marwoodrobinson1969]

Do you have the SHM XRCD of the Bee Gees: The Record Their Greatest Hits? If you do what is the sound quality like. Thanks!

[@anadialog]

Nope...sorry!

[@kenroe3]

Question? Do the XRCD's require a player proprietary to the format? I have a Yamaha cd-c600 cd changer I bought brand new just a few months ago. I rarely play due to the cd collection I have consists of standard cd's mastered to the loudness wars. They sound horrible compared to my pro-ject turntable and akai gx-635d tape deck. I guess what I'm asking, will these cd's play hi def music on my current cd player.?

[@anadialog]

Nope! That is the good part. This is not a format but just a really well-made CD! It plays everywhere!

[@jamestom2510]

I never even heard of it........ Where can i buy Rush and other Prog Rock Bands in this format ? Also, will these play in regular DVD/Blu Ray players ? Or do i need yet another piece of equipment to listen to this format ?

[@anadialog]

They are normal Redbook CDs, which can be played anywhere. Simply each stage of production, including the mastering, is optimized. They are still producing a few but they aren't as good as in the 90's. You can hunt for the bands you like on ebay and discogs but they aren't going to be cheap. A lot of people know how good they sound!

[@hacmustafaus173]

What about blu spec CDs?

[@75Krusty]

Are there any XRCD Mastering that have been made to say media like DVD-Audio or perhaps BluRay, in order to not convert from 20 or 24 bit to the lower 16 bit CD? Thanks for the video from Denmark.

[@anadialog]

Unfortunately, no!

[@75Krusty]

@@anadialog ok. But thanks for the answer.

[@anadialog]

You are very welcome!

[@petercelestion7661]

I recently downloaded the files mentioned below and listened to them I did hear quite a difference but in my opinion way to much only according to the mastering and production process Then something came up to my mind wich happened on early produced cd's an that's preemphasis What i did i used audio repair and applied preemphasis on the xrcd track and did the comparison again This time they sound identical to me I do know that a lot of dac's do not have the redbook preemphasis build in Cambridge is one of them Either so when ripping a cd to a file wav flac or whatever wich is preempased it wil not do so on the rip so you have to apply it afterwards A title wich has preemphasis is France Gall "Babacar" Also there are cd's on the market wich were recorded with preempasis but the flag was not set on the cd Tusk Fleetwood mac first issue with sara edited one disc is an example and also dire straits brother in arms first release dito My thought is something like this happened with this recording as well

[@betamax75a24]

Was there any Hard Rock/Heavy Metal albums released on XRCD?

[@anadialog]

That is a really good question! Unfortunately and sadly the answer is no! Audiophiles (stupidly) tend to neglect that type of music when it comes to audiophile productions...Only Mobile Fidelity as dealt with this issue and produced good hard rock audiophile albums like this one: Megadeth 'Countdown to extinction': www.elusivedisc.com/Megadeth-Countdown-To-Extinction-Gold-CD/productinfo/MOBGCD765/

[@drloko4013]

betamax75a I don't know about XRCD, but you can get some harder stuff on DVDA, SACD, and Bluray Audio. I have Nine Inch Nail's The Downward Spiral, Black Sabbath's Paranoid, and Ministry's Animositisomina. Paranoid includes the quadrophonic version, which is nice because I don't have a quadrophonic record player setup.

[@anadialog]

True, but you need dedicated gear!

[@Dave30867]

Have you heard or do you own any Glass CDs ? They are super costly .

[@anadialog]

My dad had some Philips Glass CDs which I usednto listen to (now gone) but not XRCD! Anyone in particular?

[@AudiophileTubes]

Excellent video presentation, thank you! I've heard of XRCD, but never purchased any. I had no idea that there were 4 incarnations of this technology. Question: do you need a special CD player that decodes XRCD's, or can any CD player play them to full capacity and resolution? Thanks!

[@anadialog]

No, the good thing is that it's just a CD, but properly mastered and produced! Any CD player can read them.

[@9thstreetbrandt]

Do all of these play at their highest resolution on standard cd players?

[@anadialog]

They are normal CDs, 16bits/44.1Khz...they have just made made properly!

[@Argottardi]

Could you write the name of your favorite jazz album? Indeed I love listening to rock music, but I am beginning to listen to jazz, so I want to start with good tips. Thank you very much, friend.

[@anadialog]

Hi Anderson, favorite album? Whoa...that is rather difficult...if you haven't seen my first video on this topic, there you will find a lot of good suggestions to start of: kzbin.info/www/bejne/porYXp5rgMqgm9k

[@Argottardi]

@@anadialog Thank you very much friend

[@Nomad-Rogers]

There are 3 types of these now blu-spec, XR-CD, & HDCD.

[@NeedForMichael999999]

@ripsalsa It is. vwestlife talked about blu spec.

[@thierryroland7102]

Some new CDs contain some errors, extracting an audio track with an "original" error with 1536kbps (48kz, 16bit) allows to "clean" the error; in other words, the error has disappeared! It may seem crazy but it's like that!

[@steveaustin7306]

Curious how xrcd stacks up against hdcd?

[@anadialog]

Overall, IMO, XRCD wins!

[@hernancantu1]

Saludos!!!!!

[@venturarodriguezvallejo1567]

Hi, ana[dia]log. Very much interesting video, no doubt. Nevertheless, I wonder why the SACD format (that doesn't need so much minute care in its production) failed as calamitous as it did. DSD digital process, in general, delivers a gorgeous sound quality (when it is done without converting the tracks to some form of Hi-Res PCM for mix and mastering, and then re-converted to DSD, given the very limited capabilities of the system for being miixed and mastered, most probably because its inherent "niche" nature has prevented to develop the tools to do those tasks: a snake biting his tail). It is somehow ironic to think that SONY, the inventor, with Philips, and promoter of SACD (and the DSD format) was the main culprit of his death, with his obsessive insistence in protecting his creature against possible illegal copying with "watermarks" and other methods inside the discs. I'm digressing. Referred to these unknown (for me) new type of improved redbook CDs, well, I'll try to aquire one to compare not with any standard edition, but with someone of my not few Mo-Fi CDs, wich are really good (always speaking about my taste). (BTW: "Jazz at the Pawnshop" never has impressed me too much, both sonically and musically, but I am a jazz fan, too. Again, a matter of personal tastes. Cheers and thanks so much for the links).

[@anadialog]

Ventur Rodriguez, you truly do not like Pawn?! Jees, did you ever listen to all of it on a goid piece of gear? I sm sorry to hear that...i just love it...great ambience and dynamics.

[@venturarodriguezvallejo1567]

@@anadialog It's mainly a question of the type of jazz: I find it too old fashion. I prefer more evolutioned and stylized jazz. I recognize the merits of the musicians and the sound engineer (the take of the double bass is the exception: I directly dislike it) and, as you say, the ambient sounds are good and I receive them well, but not with enthusiasm. I think there is another problem with this famous album: the extraordinary number of masterings, remasterings, re-remasterings, editions, formats and so on. The other jazz album I know suffering this very problem is (oh, surprise!), Miles Davies' "Kind of Blue", and I love this one more than my own life. Concerning to my gear, well; I'm not the more authorized to judge it without being subjective, you get it. Just one thing: I didn't mention: my LG internal DAC was not the only "source" I used to test the tracks. I used too, throu its USB C output the digital data to be converted with a S/PDIF input, the Luxman DA-07 DAC, wich is not, I think, too bad. Anyway, and as I said yesterday, the comparison between the two tracks was impressive. (BTW: There is an album of even more old fashioned jazz of a band named "The Fat Babies" originally recorded in analog by IPI Records I purchased from High Def Tape Transfers in 24/192 just because its amazing sound, not for the music itself. We, self-nominated "audiophiles", made sometimes strange things).

[@yolielin4143]

The fact that SACD did not sell was because it came too late. Most people bought a regular CD player, and would not want to buy another dedicated player to play SACDs. Later on they came out with SACD-Hybrid with a regular CD layer, but that didn't help. People still could not listen to the SACD layer if they didn't have a SACD compatible player. DVD-Audio also failed, as people just didn't want such a cumbersome playback format.

[@mounirehab]

"WE GOT REQUESTS" The Oscar Peterson Trio

[@artmanjohn2]

Wasn't "Brother in Arms" originally recorded in Digital, DDD? I have this XRCD by the way, great recording, much, much better than the original! One of my favorite XRCDs is "Tsuyoshi - Autumn in Seattle". It settles the mind, love it! Oh I also have "Jazz at the Pawn Shop" in XRCD also, thought I was the only one who knew about this wonderful recording!

[@anadialog]

The main master is digital but they also recorded the sessions on magnetic tape, which obviously they discovered being better several decades after. Jazz at the pawnshop is a classic!! Love it!

[@lucalone]

they sound just like normal cd's !! but they are mostly properly mastered !!

[@jawargont_1618]

Xrcd vs Hdcd ?

[@anadialog]

I will just say that I own more better sounding XRCDs tha HDCDs

[@chuheihkg]

The question is how things to be out regardless how.

[@michaelwood4661]

My partner was born in 1980 so the cds back then were recorded in analogue

[@DorianPaige00]

There's a 3 disc version of jazz at the Pawnshop.

[@anadialog]

I know...dozes of releases!

[@laurentzduba1298]

I got the "ordinary version CD" of Jazz at the Pawnshop back in the mid 1990s and even that has a way better sound quality than mainstream Sony releases from that era.

[@mounirehab]

"Boss Tenor" Gene Ammons

[@simonshurville612]

These are grant !!!

[@thexfile.]

MoFi has been doing this for a while.

[@shaun9107]

There is nothing we can do with the CDs we already have is there . What I do is play them on a stranderd small midi stereo so it suits the sound recorded , well thats what they are tuned in to . I have 4 Technics CD players no longer used for the sound system , why so many ? I had them from a car boot sale for next to nothing , there is loads of them ! Can not fined many tape decks at all . My comment is a little out of sink with the video but its were I am now lol

[@azzinny]

Many albums these days are recorded, edited, mastered at higher resolution than 44.1/16, and carefully downsampled to 44.1/16. It seems that XRCD is an invention by the marketing department, not by the sound engineers.

[@anadialog]

I am afraid you completely misunderstood the video and the format. There is no high resolution involved. They take the master tapes or session tapes and mix and master the album the best way as possible, jumping some passages that degrade sound and do each passage with the highest quality processes and gear for a perfect CD. That is it! Pure quality from sound engineers, no marketing. Plus, this is practically a dead process and it was done when high res was not even around!

[@paianis]

XRCD seems to have been an early attempt to master CDs from 20-bit and later 24-bit digital dubs of analog sources. Seems like a pointless endeavour given that analog tape recordings can't come close to mustering even 90dB of dynamic range. Anyway, this...'process' and HDCD were long made obsolete since noise shaping techniques became transparent.

[@anadialog]

Well, actually 90db is the limit of analog tape, which is easily reachable for example from VHS tape. In any case, numbers mean nothing since the quality, not the quantity, of XRCDs and HDCDs are simply unmatched from current normal CD versions.

[@paianis]

@@anadialog The best R2R recorders could maybe reach 75 dB in the best case scenario. VHS didn't really catch on until Alesis figured out how to put 16-bit PCM onto SVHS tape (ADAT). 20/24-bit recorders solve the problem of adding quantisation error to a digital recording when normalising to a higher volume level during the mastering process, but that's about it, and this technology is available to everyone now. I think the big firms in the CD business got a bit over-confident in the 90s and thought they could sell consumers anything that they presented as 'better'.

[@laurentzduba1298]

Audiophile Joe: "XRCDs are the best." 2018 era Sony Music Executive: "...not economically viable.." 😆😆😆

[@thierryroland7102]

Be careful, Ashampoo® Burning Studio 2018 is not compatible with Mac hardware!

[@anadialog]

Bummer...

[@adissabovic]

Dude couldn't tell remixed material if his life depended on it...

[@anadialog]

Don’t remember what I said, this was shot some time ago,but if I said remixed I was wrong. Only remastered. Don’t know if you were pointing at that…

[@pdxnet96studios]

As I'm a older audio engineer 50, I can't really trust my ears anymore, so for me the only thing reliable enough is a nul test. The rest is placebo effect... "This guitar sounds incredible..." Why? because it cost 3000 dollars. Yeah Nah...

[@anadialog]

I must admit that this ancient null test is quite annoying. It is only measuring voltage differences and that is clearly only a fraction of what is going on. Check my recent video on other electrical features that have an impact on sound: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sF6XaaeeZsyGaLc

[@thierryroland7102]

One solution for the CDs: ripp the tracts in wav 1536kbps!(48Kz, 16bits) with Ashampoo Music Studio 2018. There is scam on all the CDs from the entire CD music industry. A VERY BIG FRAUD!

[@anadialog]

Thanks for the suggestion! I just opened thr CD on my Mac and it gave me aiff by default (no wav unfortunately).

[@thierryroland7102]

I open CDs on Windows 7 and 10 home premium, it works very well... with Ashampoo Music Studio 2018, free software, choice the speed x1, CD HD (high quality)... the sound is better! Then, I transfer my wav (1536kbps) files on audio cassette (Yamaha KX-260, JVC KD-A5)...

[@anadialog]

But your talking about ripping...(hence mistakes may occur). I just dragged the file on my desktop...no ripping!

[@thierryroland7102]

Some new CDs have some errors, extracting an audio track with an "original" error with 1536kbps allows to "clean" the error; in other words, the error has disappeared! It may seem crazy but it's like that!

[@azzinny]

Why in 48KHz, 16bits? Does the 44.1 -> 48 conversion improve sound?

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Well if they used analog sources to go to 44.1/16 it isn't even as good as SACD can sound like. I wouldn't waste any money on them unless there is a specific recording not available on vinyl or other media. Have heard many expensive systems and vinyl is still king.

[@anadialog]

If you know a little bit of my channel you know whay is my opinion. This is just to point out how good a cd can be if correctly produced...even better than a poor SACD. Resolution is not everything, which is why analog is better!