HDCD - High Quality Music CDs for sale at Music-CD

HDCD's for sale 

HDCD (High Definition Compatible Digital) is an audio encoding technology developed by Pacific Microsonics in the early 1990s and later acquired by Microsoft in 2000. It was designed to improve the sound quality of standard 16-bit audio CDs while remaining backward-compatible with regular CD players.

Key Features of HDCD:

  • Extended dynamic range: Uses a hidden 20-bit signal within the standard 16-bit CD format, improving clarity and detail.
  • Peak extension & low-level gain adjustments: Enhances quiet passages and reduces distortion in louder sections.
  • Backward compatibility: HDCD discs play normally on any standard CD player but provide enhanced audio quality when played on an HDCD-compatible device.
  • Subtle improvements: Unlike SACD or DVD-Audio, HDCD does not require special discs or players—only a compatible decoder to unlock its benefits.

While HDCD is now largely obsolete, some audiophile CD players and DACs (digital-to-analog converters) still support it.

15 products