Converting WAV files to FLAC - Confirmation?

[arj]

As far as research has shown, its quite difficult to differentiate between 320kbps mp3 and flac unless you are dogbert
Cowon player/5.5G ipods with rockbox can play FLAC's AFAIK. But the point is you really won't need flac in the car (thats just my view).

not sure if there has been any research but then again dont believe everything on the internet. as per that the world should have ended 32 times by now (32 failed end of the world predictions for the year 2000)


there is a difference between Mp3 and Lossless as the algorithm does remove any sounds which it feels sound "similiar" and hence cannot be differentiated and then compresses the files. the end result at least to me is that harmonics get lost. eg try noticing the treble like small bells etc ..thats where i find the most differences where the sound becomes Hollow and without body..slightly tinny.

the Ape format has even better compression for a lossless file in terms of size and plugins to play it are available in most players on Windows.. but one problem with Ape/flac is that they are compressed and the playing software has to decompress and then play while a wav is uncompressed . but no one seems to have noticed any difference unless of course the cpu is really old !

 

[marsilians]

I dont know who did the research. I have tried with 192, 256, 320 etc, and each and every time I am successfully able to tell which is CD and which is mp3. I am not an audiophile and neither do I have a kick ass system or golden ears. Infact, a friend of mine, who probably is the farthest thing from audiophile, was able to spot the mp3s at high bit rates also without any issues. This guy is happy with his 20k onkyo table top crap micro music system.

Flac/WMA Lossless are mathematically better than MP3 or Real Audio format because the latter are lossy.

I hear the differences easily esp. when listening with headphones (open or noise cancelling).

I backup all my CDs to flac as well as 192 Kbps MP3s (mid choice between 128 & 320 kbps sizes) for my ipod and Sony MP3 player.

The main differences I hear are gaps in symbols, santoor, tabla beats (esp when they are fast) and vocal fading for pretty much any music genre.

Having said the above, the ultimate sensation depends on if you know the songs structure and lyrics, your speakers, environment and your hearing.

 

[bhaskie]

not sure if there has been any research but then again dont believe everything on the internet. as per that the world should have ended 32 times by now (32 failed end of the world predictions for the year 2000)


there is a difference between Mp3 and Lossless as the algorithm does remove any sounds which it feels sound "similiar" and hence cannot be differentiated and then compresses the files. the end result at least to me is that harmonics get lost. eg try noticing the treble like small bells etc ..thats where i find the most differences where the sound becomes Hollow and without body..slightly tinny.

the Ape format has even better compression for a lossless file in terms of size and plugins to play it are available in most players on Windows.. but one problem with Ape/flac is that they are compressed and the playing software has to decompress and then play while a wav is uncompressed . but no one seems to have noticed any difference unless of course the cpu is really old !

The recommended way to go is:
Buy original CD
For CAR, Rip at 320kbps VBR mp3/wmv/whatever (do the best rip possible, look up for tools etc.)
Burn these to a disc and play in car/store these in your ipod/zen and play through aux-in.

For home, rip to FLAC (lossless compression) and play using your HTPC.
YOu can store the original CD for future usage

As far as research has shown, its quite difficult to differentiate between 320kbps mp3 and flac unless you are dogbert
Cowon player/5.5G ipods with rockbox can play FLAC's AFAIK. But the point is you really won't need flac in the car (thats just my view).

Partially quoting me has moved this out of topic - from whether it makes sense to use your original CD's in the car, or rip them into 320kbps VBR mp3 using LAME and play them via aux-in through your ipod/zen/cowon/etc. Kind of ease-of-use vs. audio quality.

I personally use the best quality mp3 rips and it saves all the hassles of carrying all the CDs (since my zen vision M player does not support flac/ape/lossless-wma).
Yes, if I had the highest quality rig in the car, I would probably invest in getting a player with flac/ape support or carry around a bunch of CDs with my favourite music on them. But I _am_ quite happy with the trade-off for now.

At home, I use ape/flac compression on everything that I stream through foobar2000 via HDMI. Doesn't make sense to use any lossy compression!

 

[moserw]

Bhaskie,

I too follow the same route for all my CDs and for DVDs too go the route of ripping them into Divx format.

Foorbar2000 is a great player, but do check out XMPlay Un4seen Developments - 2MIDI / BASS / MID2XM / MO3 / XM-EXE / XMPlay. I have not turned back after running into it. Great player and handles all formats. Just great for playing music on the PC.

 

[smedhavi]

Hi moserw,

I just installed XMPlay. It does not seem to play flac at all.
Am I missing something?

Thanks,
Sharad

 

[moserw]

Hi moserw,

I just installed XMPlay. It does not seem to play flac at all.
Am I missing something?

Thanks,
Sharad

Oops sorry Sharad. Here is the link to the FLAC plugin for XMPlay. XMPlay Support. Lots of other plugins for XMPlay available here. Just copy the plugin into the "plugins" folder of XMPlay and restart XMPlay. It will play flac format files immediately.

 

[doors666]

I just checked some of the flacs I have on my comp. Most of them are between 900 and 1150 kbps range.

Dont get me wrong, I am not against mp3, its quite suitable for a lot of purposes, specially where portability is needed. But when I am at home relaxing and enjoying music, I would prefer lossless.

 

[nelscottnelson]

Have you tried idealshare videogo which is a professional DTS converter. It can convert DTS to other audio formats or convert to DTS, step by step guide at How to Convert DTS or Convert to DTS

This guide applies to:
Convert DTS audio to other audio formats like converting DTS to AC3, WAV, AAC, MP3, MP2, FLAC, AIFF, WMA, OGG, APE, M4A, AU and etc.
Convert video with DTS audio to video with AC3, AAC, MP2, PCM, or WMA audio like convert MKV DTS to MKV AC3/MP3/MP2/PCM, convert AVI DTS to AVI MP3, and etc.
Convert to DTS digital surround audio from WAV, AC3, FLAC, APE, PCM, AIFF, OGG, WMA, M4A, and Apple Lossless.
Convert video with non DTS audio codec to video with DTS codec files.

 

[nelscottnelson]

Have you tried idealshare videogo which is a professional DTS converter. It can convert DTS to other audio formats like converting DTS to AC3, WAV, AAC, MP3, MP2, FLAC, AIFF, WMA, OGG, APE, M4A, AU and etc.

 

[Igoodluck]

WAV and FLAC files are both features good functions. Converting WAV to FLAC can store files with less space, keep metadata tags, keep album cover art, and has support for fast seeking. You can find a good WAV to FLAC Converter in Google or Yahoo to find the solution of your question.

 

[Jwullty]

Here is a tool to help you convert WAV to FLAC.

This tool supports nearly all kinds of audio formats. Works like a charm.

 

[FannieJane]

Converting WAV to FLAC can store files with less space, keep metadata tags, keep album cover art, and has support for fast seeking, Pavtube Video Converter Ultimate offers an easy and fast solution for you to convert WAV to FLAC in batch on PC. In addition to converting WAV to FLAC, it can also convert WAV to almost all audio formats such as M4A, AAC, WMA, and MP3 and so on.

http://www.multipelife.com/video-converter-ultimate

 

[Fantastic]

....This guy is happy with his 20k Onkyo table top crap micro music system........

He's a VERY lucky person ! He doesn't need to spend much money on equipment or spend hours on end comparing equipment to try and 'improve' it !
He just enjoy's his music without any nagging feeling at the back of his mind telling him that he needs to up grade his system to "something better which he heard at XYZ's place !"

Think about it, he's much luckier than many of us ! He enjoys the music and so he really isn't missing anything !