HI-Res CD Sampler For Classical Music (2 UHQCD)

This sampler contains seven classical tracks from Universal Japan's series of new UHQCS in two versions. One CD is a standard CD, the second is a UHQCD with MQA encoding for personal comparison.
UHQCD stands for Ultimate High Quality Compact Disc and is a joint development of the Japanese CD replication company Memory-Tech and the Audio Quality CD Company from Hong Kong. Unlike conventional CDs, UHQCDs are not pressed from polycarbonate, but are cast from a photopolymer and cured with UV light. To protect the softer photopolymer from scratching, another layer of high-purity polycarbonate is applied. The combination results in a significantly reduced reflection of the laser light inside the CD and an unrivalled precise edge transition between pits and lands of the CD. UHQCDs are 100% compatible with normal CD players. Musically, the result is a sound that is strongly reminiscent of analogue master tapes.
The discs offered by Universal Japan are additionally encoded with MQA (Master Quality Authenticated). If you output the digital signal from the digital output of your CD player or the previously ripped data stream of your music server to a corresponding MQA-DA converter, you can generate a 24-bit signal with up to 352 Khz sampling frequency from the CD data.
While the first UHQCD series of Universal Music Japan used the DSD data of previous SHM-SACD releases, albums that had not previously been released as SHM-SACD are now also being released with increasing popularity. Typically, the master tapes of the Universal Archive are converted to DSD and then post-processed with the appropriate MQA encoder. Thus, the UHQCDs are ideal for music lovers who want to get as close as possible to the sound of the recording, but do not have an SACD player.

Selections:

Disc 1
1. Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, op.30 Prelude (Sunrise)
2. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in C minor, op.67
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G minor, K.550, Molto Allegro
4. Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, op.11, Rondo Vivace
5. Antonín Dvorák: Symphony No.9 in E minor, op.95, B 178 – "From the New World", Largo
6. Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.5 in C sharp minor, Adagietto (Very slow)
7. Gustav Holst: The Planets, op.32, Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
Disc 2
1. Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, op.30 Prelude (Sunrise)
2. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.5 in C minor, op.67
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No.40 in G minor, K.550, Molto Allegro
4. Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor, op.11, Rondo Vivace
5. Antonín Dvorák: Symphony No.9 in E minor, op.95, B 178 – "From the New World", Largo
6. Gustav Mahler: Symphony No.5 in C sharp minor, Adagietto (Very slow)
7. Gustav Holst: The Planets, op.32, Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity