What is your favourite audio format?

[PP Mguire]

Good point, from reading I realized that FLAC loses lossless compression just like a zip file unzipped is exactly the same without losing the quality and FLAC takes up half the size of a CD whilst sounding the same. I heard there are better-than-CD versions in quality. I wonder whetehr these make a difference to the CD-quality FLAC's ?

Also, tidal vs spotify @ 320kbps ? I wonder how much difference it makes to those who tried both, interesting discussion on another forum i was having.

What you're referring to is generally a 1:1 copy. Not compressing, ripping disc to FLAC with the cue file for an exact digital copy in lossless 16/44. This is generally the same size as the CD itself as it's a perfect digital copy. There is audio out there in FLAC that is higher than CD quality and are bigger than a standard CD. One album from Steve Vai that I have is 24/96. I don't get the point of compressing and using FLAC. You want lossless, stay 1:1. Most people can't tell the difference between a 320 MP3 and a proper FLAC audio file anyways.

 

[~Code&Anime~]

What you're referring to is generally a 1:1 copy. Not compressing, ripping disc to FLAC with the cue file for an exact digital copy in lossless 16/44. This is generally the same size as the CD itself as it's a perfect digital copy. There is audio out there in FLAC that is higher than CD quality and are bigger than a standard CD. One album from Steve Vai that I have is 24/96. I don't get the point of compressing and using FLAC. You want lossless, stay 1:1. Most people can't tell the difference between a 320 MP3 and a proper FLAC audio file anyways.

I read on multiple sites that flac files are, in fact, compressed. They take up around half the file size of a CD, whilst maintaining CD-quality. FLAC file size would be lower than WAV file size for the same since WAV files are uncompressed.

 

[PP Mguire]

You can compress FLAC yes, but the whole point of using FLAC is to not have compressed audio. If you're going to compress whether it says lossless or not might as well use MP3.

Proper CD rips in 16/44 are the same size as the CD you're ripping because it's proper 1:1. See attachment one for an example, the .cue file is there because it's an exact replica of the disc you're wanting to make a copy of. Same file size, not wav format.

Mastered audio via vinyl or from the studio in 24/96 is double or more the size of a standard CD. See attachment 2 for an example.

All digital audio in some form is compressed. The difference is how it's compressed or stored; alternatively also how it's played back. If you're taking a sample and decreasing fidelity or shrinking you are losing audio which isn't truly lossless. That's the point I was trying to make. Another point to make is if you don't have the hardware that can handle lossless audio or the frequency range given there isn't much of a reason to have lossless audio to begin with besides for backup.

 

[~Code&Anime~]

You are missing the point, FLAC is compressed, whilst lossless. It depends on how and level of compression , this is why it is still lossless. WAV files are uncompressed in contrast !!!

 

[PP Mguire]

You are missing the point, FLAC is compressed, whilst lossless. It depends on how and level of compression , this is why it is still lossless. WAV files are uncompressed in contrast !!!

Sigh, I'm not the one missing the point here.

You can compress FLAC yes, but the whole point of using FLAC is to not have compressed audio.

All digital audio in some form is compressed. The difference is how it's compressed or stored; alternatively also how it's played back. If you're taking a sample and decreasing fidelity or shrinking you are losing audio which isn't truly lossless.

FLAC compression and decompression algorithm is meant to provide a lossless playback experience, but the instant you shrink you're still losing fidelity due to the nature of how compression works. Especially with audio. You don't master digital audio that's recorded in 24/96 at 16/44, you compress it to fit a disk. That's a decrease in fidelity. FLAC 0 in 1:1 to a disk is lossless to the disk as none of the audio itself is compressed off the disk. That's how it's lossless. FLAC 1-8 compression is still compression aka not truly lossless, off the disk.

In retrospect FLAC is the preferred form of compression due to the lossless playback style over MP3 which is a lossy compression compared to FLAC. The point I'm trying to make here and from the start is that a person ripping audio via FLAC won't compress. You don't use FLAC to save space, you use FLAC for a true to disk listening experience.

Edit: And before this becomes a Kman style back and forth stalemate I'll go ahead and say this.

FLAC is lossless, there's no compression.

This as a blanket statement and with no context is false. Hence were this came about, and where I think the point was misconstrued.

FLAC used the way people properly backing up an audio disk use it for is no compression. There is no variation in size give or take the CD extras or graphic. My first picture attached above is a perfect representation of this, it's true to the CD and that's how most use FLAC. WAV by definition is uncompressed simply because it offers no compression due to it's RAW/LPCM format. This also makes the file obtuse and why nobody wants to use it. FLAC offers compression in a "lossless" format, but those truly seeking a proper backup won't use FLAC 1-8 therefor uncompressed like my examples above.

 

[isaccasi1234]

I use Audirvana mostly, sometimes AIMP4, so FLAC & ALAC are my favorite formats.
I have some MP3 files but it is 5 % of my collection.
And the MP3 files I like to play in Winamp 5.8 with the MAD plugin.

 

[linajohn]

I like 320k mp3 audio formate. This is very clear and loud sound.

 

[Yami]

Personally, I only listen to 32kb/s WAV files encoded in the early 90s played through the free Sony-Ericsson headphones I found in a drain powered by a headphone output of 1ohm

 

[isaccasi1234]

95% of my music is in FLAC or ALAC, the rest in 320kbps MP3 or 256-320kbps AAC.

 

[Bofbwo]

Everything that is lossless in sound quality