The proof of the pudding is in the eating.†So the saying goes. This was why I tried to confirm the veracity of JVC’s claim that its extended resolution compact disc (XRCD) 24-bit Super Analog technology is better than the sound of ordinary compact discs, to which our ears have grown accustomed.
The technology revolves around JVC’s patented 24-bit analog to digital (A/D) and digital to analog (D/A) conversion process in tandem with rubidium master clock all the way through the XRCD’s manufacturing process. The Latin word rubidium, which means red, is actually a chemical substance that weighs less than a gram. It is an atom, which can also be found in humans. Rubidium’s industrial use is mainly for maximum-accuracy timekeeping.
JVC thought that it was only fitting to launch XRCD24 by re-mastering Jheena Lodwick’s “All My Loving†album under Hong Kong’s audiophile label, The Music Lab. Lodwick, a purebred Filipina, is a legitimate singing sensation in Hong Kong and Britain. Her audiophile CDs are globally popular, and among the most downloaded through online stores. Subjective as it may sound, I wholeheartedly agree with JVC’s decision.
I have previously listened to all of the songs in the album “All My Loving†in its high definition CD (HDCD) format, and was enthralled by Lodwick’s rendition of classics such as Emerald City (track 1) and popular hits like It’s Now or Never (track 2), Too Young (track 3) and of course, the carrying single, All My Loving (track 4).
As soon as I spun the XRCD24-formatted album in my Rega Saturn CD player, it dawned on me that Lodwick could give much more. JVC’s super analog format brought out the best of our very own singing sensation. Her warm and sweet voice filled my music room as if she was singing right in front me. The stereo soundstage was splendidly recreated, and I was sure I wasn’t wanting on mid-frequencies.
To think that JVC remained faithful to the 44.1k Hz/16-bit standard (unlike other formats, which have increased sampling and bit rates), the XRCD24’s imaging and tonal shading close to that of vinyl. With lower floor noise and generous dynamics, XRCD24 could take you to musical nirvana.
Lodwick’s If You Love Me (track 6) gives me goose bumps. Listening to it felt like being held captive in her warm embrace, the heavenly, sensual kind you get when you and your lover have just reconciled after a fight. Lodwick, no doubt, is a sensational singer, and XRCD24 made sure that we would not miss out on that.
Listen to what JVC has to say: “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.â€
This simply means that JVC took pains to make sure that, from recording the music to manufacturing the discs, only high-standard equipment would be used to ensure that XRCD delivers on its promise.
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