freddydwight Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 (edited) The Extended Resolution Compact Disc (XRCD) from JVC brings the listener higher fidelity and improved audio quality by enhancing the process of mastering and manufacturing compact discs. All of this is done within the current CD standard, so no special cd player or decoding box is needed to hear the benefit of the xrcd. In most cases, after a record has been mastered, a U-matic 1630 format tape is prepared and shipped to the manufacturing plant. At this point the artist, producer, and engineers can only hope that their work will return to them in a relatively unchanged form. This manufacturing chain is not standardized, and while digitally correct, does not always reproduce the highest audio quality possible. Since the manufacturing process works as a number of components linked together in series, the overall performance can only be limited by each stage. This means that extreme care and attention must be paid to every aspect of mastering and manufacturing to get the most out of the process. JVC has painstakingly gone through every step of the mastering and manufacturing process with the goal of retaining the highest sonic purity of the original music. This was accomplished not by just measuring the results, but in extensive listening tests to determine the best configuration. Every combination of equipment, connections , AC power regulation, word clock distribution, mastering format, delivery system and compact disc construction was tested. The results is the xrcd, a compact disc that offers clearer definition, more accurate imaging, and higher audio quality than any compact disc before. The xrcd process starts at the mastering level. The analog signal is taken directly from the mastering console and digitized using JVC's 20 Bit K2 Super Coding. The K2 is a 20 bit, 128 times over-sampling analog to digital converter which provides a dynamic range of 108 dB, -96db THD, flat frequency response in the passband to within +/- .05dB, and a substantial reduction of harmonic distortion for low level signals. The K2 Super Coding also provides a bit down mode to convert 20 bits to 16 bits, and interface signal reshaping to eliminate time base jitter in the digital data stream. These two functions are taken advantage of during manufacturing. The 20 bit digital signal is then transferred to a PCM-9000 using SDIF-2. The PCM-9000 stores the information on a magneto-optical disk instead of transferring it to the U-matic 1630 format tape. The xrcd process takes advantage of the stability of the magneto-optical disk, as well as its 20 bit capacity, by using it as the audio storage medium for delivery to manufacturing. At the JVC manufacturing plant in Yokohama, Japan, the 20 bit PCM-9000 magneto-optical disk is converted to 16 bits using the K2 Super Coding in bit down mode, via a SDIF-2 connection. This stage resolves the high resolution 20 bit signal to 16 bits while retaining the integrity of the low level information, which insures a true 16 bit dynamic range without using noise shaping. The 16 bit signal is then EFM encoded. Another K2 circuit, called the K2 Laser, is used to reshape the EFM signal right before going to the laser of the glass cutter. This last stage is the same circuit used for the K2 Super Coding interface, which eliminates any time based jitter that may be present in the data stream. Throughout this process, the word clock is amplified and distributed to the other stages to keep signal quality at a maximum. Similarly, all equipment is run off regulated AC power feeds to provide a pure base from which to work. All cables and connections between equipment use the SDIF-2 interface for sonic quality and music integrity. Tests determined the SDIF-2 offered a superior transmission of digital audio, far above the AES/EBU standard. A variety of materials, including 24K gold and pure copper were tested. Ultimately aluminum was decided upon after extensive listening tests. The end result of this manufacturing process is the highest quality digital transfer from mastering to compact disc. All of this attention to detail allows the listener to enjoy the music just as the artists, producer, and engineers originally intended it. Every nuance of the performance is duplicated as it was recorded, with higher accuracy in both sound quality and imaging. This is the Extended Resolution Compact Disc. More information: http://www.xrcd.com has freddy got some? yup. does he like them? yup. B) freddy Edited July 28, 2004 by freddydwight Quote
Leeway Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 Biggest problem with XRCD?-- Price Twice the price of the K2 remasters, which rival them for audio quality. Quote
freddydwight Posted July 28, 2004 Author Report Posted July 28, 2004 Is this an ad? Free samples? nope. and no free samples. first cd freddy bought (pricey at 30 bucks) was Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Collosus. noticed the difference immediately. JVC knows what it is doing, ifho. B) freddy Quote
Jazzdude Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 XRCD is great. I have a few discs. I was turned on to it after buying a sampler on a lark. The air around the instruments and detail are amazing. I want to ge the 4 CD Miles set---"Steamin'", etc.,-- on XRCD. Also, I want to get this Japanese flautist, Nakamura, I think his name is, that I heard on the sampler. He does a great version of " 'Round Midnight" on it. I have two Bill Evans and one or two other things on XRCD. Highly recommeded! Quote
Claude Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 (edited) first cd freddy bought (pricey at 30 bucks) was Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Collosus. noticed the difference immediately. JVC knows what it is doing, ifho. Hello Freddy, I had this Sonny Rollins XRCD too. But the SACD of the same album sounds even better. I think XRCDs will disappear now that better audiophile formats are available (SACD, DVD-A). After all, it's just a CD with 16Bit/44.1kHz resolution, despite the name. BTW, this has been discussed here before: How good really is XRCD? Edited July 28, 2004 by Claude Quote
robviti Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 (edited) btw, why does freddy refer to himself in the third person? are you/he related to this man? rob wanna know! Claude, While XRCDs are unlikely to gain mass market appeal, I think the K2 technology will continue to grow in popularity. Edited July 28, 2004 by jazzshrink Quote
Man with the Golden Arm Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 "The Jimmy" like dem too! Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 In most cases, after a record has been mastered, a U-matic 1630 format tape is prepared and shipped to the manufacturing plant. The 1630 U-Matic tape is an outmoded format for cd mastering. Many modern plants don't have the hardware to use them. Quote
jazzbo Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 XRCD (which has had a few evolutions) probably doesn't use that 1630 Umatic any longer. Quote
Dmitry Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 XRCD is great stuff. It's the next best thing to vinyl, imo. I have 7 or 8 of these, and would've had way more had I not been hooked on vinyl. Quote
J.A.W. Posted July 28, 2004 Report Posted July 28, 2004 btw, why does freddy refer to himself in the third person? George likes 'em too! Quote
freddydwight Posted July 29, 2004 Author Report Posted July 29, 2004 (edited) btw, why does freddy refer to himself in the third person? @ jazzshrink it's an online persona. give freddy a break. in the mods/admins room, he refers to himself in the first person. go figure. agreed. SACD, DVD-A, K2 tech are the new wave. B) freddy Edited July 29, 2004 by freddydwight Quote
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