I always use EAC for ripping to single-file archives. I believe it preserves the special LSB encoding when copied this way.
dBpoweramp Music Converter has a DSP feature to decode the 20-bits of HDCD and give you a 24-bit LPCM file...
...but that requires additional processing steps, time and HD space... and is perhaps contrary to the spirit of cPlay.
As an example, I've got two versions of Close To The Edge by Yes (Rhino 2003 remaster and Japanese HDCD remaster). The decoded, 24-bit version sounds "cleaner". This was judged using 44.1 SR playback, so as not to confuse the issue with upsampling artifacts. And yes, I did adjust for the 6 dB difference between the two formats (...love that precise volume control !)
Wouldn't it be Grand if you could play the 16-bit/44.1/HDCD file and get the real thing coming out the other end !
Cheers - and Thank You again cics, for the incredible gift of cMP-Squared...
Grant
That's not a Toy... IT'S A TOOL !!
