Glen, no doubt they would sound better on a HDCD player but I like the Planet for the balance of my discs. Sugarbie, I use several pairs of interconnects, switching them out, Kimber KC-1, Alpha Core Micro Purl, and Audioquest Quartz. The KC-1 sounds the best with the above discs as it is leanest and most focused.
Do HDCDs sound terrible on non HDCD players?
Being an analog guy I have but a small collection of CDs and only a handfull are HDCD encoded. All of them sound terrible on my non HDCD player with thick lower midranges, smeared, closed-in textures and a general lack of cohesiveness. For reference my player is the original Rega Planet and the HDCDs are as follows: Olu Dara, In This World, Steve Earle, El Corazon, Garcia and Grisman, Shady Grove, Neil Young, Silver and Gold. Any opininons?