nope. its just a proprietary process for mastering a recording. here's some JVC propaganda:
"JVC has painstakingly gone through every step of the mastering and manufacturing process with
the goal of retaining the highest sonic purity of the original music. This was accomplished not by just
measuring the results, but in extensive listening tests to determine the best configuration. Every com-
bination of equipment, connections , AC power regulation, word clock distribution, mastering format,
delivery system and compact disc construction was tested. The results is the xrcd, a compact disc
that offers clearer definition, more accurate imaging, and higher audio quality than any compact disc
before.
The xrcd process starts at the mastering level. The analog signal is taken directly from the mastering
console and digitized using JVC’s 20 Bit K2 Super Coding. The K2 is a 20 bit, 128 times over-sam-
pling analog to digital converter which provides a dynamic range of 108 dB, -96db THD, flat frequency
response in the passband to within +/- .05dB, and a substantial reduction of harmonic distortion for
low level signals. The K2 Super Coding also provides a bit down mode to convert 20 bits to 16 bits,
and interface signal reshaping to eliminate time base jitter in the digital data stream.
These two functions are taken advantage of during manufacturing. The 20 bit digital signal is then
transferred to a PCM-9000 using SDIF-2. The PCM-9000 stores the information on a magneto-optical
disk instead of transferring it to the U-matic 1630 format tape. The xrcd process takes advantage of
the stability of the magneto-optical disk, as well as its 20 bit capacity, by using it as the audio storage
medium for delivery to manufacturing.
At the JVC manufacturing plant in Yokohama, the 20 bit PCM-9000 magneto-optical disk is converted
to 16 bits using the K2 Super Coding in bit down mode, via a SDIF-2 connection. This stage resolves
the high resolution 20 bit signal to 16 bits while retaining the integrity of the low level information,
which insures a true 16 bit dynamic range without using noise shaping. The 16 bit signal is then EFM
encoded.
Another K2 circuit, called the K2 Laser, is used to reshape the EFM signal right before going to the
laser of the glass cutter. This last stage is the same circuit used for the K2 Super Coding interface,
which eliminates any time based jitter that may be present in the data stream. Throughout this pro-
cess, the word clock is amplified and distributed to the other stages to keep signal quality at a maxi-
mum. Similarly, all equipment is run off regulated AC power feeds to provide a pure base from which
to work. All cables and connections between equipment use the SDIF-2 interface for sonic quality
and music integrity. Tests determined the SDIF-2 offered a superior transmission of digital audio, far
above the AES/EBU standard. A variety of materials, including 24K gold and pure copper were tested.
Ultimately aluminum was decided upon after extensive listening tests. The end result of this manufac-
turing process is the highest quality digital transfer from mastering to compact disc."