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View Full Version : What is everyones opinion on FLAC? Kreios 11-17-2010, 05:29 PM Maybe FLAC is not as supported as other things yet, and file sizes are a little big, but what does everyone think of them? I tried listening to a song in mp3 with a 221 bit rate, compared to the same one in FLAC, and I didn't really notice anything. Is it just better for people who actually edit audio? truthillusion 11-17-2010, 05:38 PM The average person will not notice any difference. It really matters only those who are really anal about quality and what not. EX-Takuya 11-17-2010, 07:32 PM I also do not know anything about the difference between a FLAC and MP3. And I do hope to know =)) truthillusion 11-18-2010, 12:37 AM MP3 is what's called "lossy." In other words, when you rip music from a CD or something, you will lose some form of audio data, which also affects the quality. FLAC is "lossless," which is the opposite. The reasons why you can't hear a difference can be linked to your speakers, headphones or simply because you can not recognize a difference. Here is a visual reference I got off of another forum I'm on http://img179.ΘΘΘΘΘΘΘΘΘΘ.us/img179/8201/comp1ek1.png http://img128.ΘΘΘΘΘΘΘΘΘΘ.us/img128/752/comp2hy5.png http://img128.ΘΘΘΘΘΘΘΘΘΘ.us/img128/7210/comp3fb5.png Kreios 11-18-2010, 10:43 AM Yup, that's why when you listen to music bit rate is important! But it is also true that the human ear can only perceive so much, so FLAC may be pointless compared to a song in 320kbps. Thanks for the pics truthillusion Kurochiku 05-04-2011, 01:36 PM theres always the discussion if peopel can actually hear it or not.. truth is that most computers and devices have such bad audio cards and speakers, that you probably cant hear the difference even if you could xD i think low rate mp3s are really noticeable, but like you said if the bitrate gets higher its more difficult to tell a difference. fact is mp3 attempts to cut off some frequencies/sounds, maybe nobody will notice, maybe it depends on the music piece, its hard to say :) I think compared to the other lossless formats FLAC is one really good codec. It also seems rather light to decode, so it should be easier to support on underpowered devices, like mobile phones, giving it more of a mainstream chance compared to say .. monkeys audio. seeing how storage is really cheap nowadays, i think flac is a good solution to store music.. its more about the flexibility i guess, if you keep your music in mp3 you can never change it to another format without loosing quality. :/ so if you play a lot with audio.. remix stuff, its probably a bad idea to take mp3's as your source. flac is perfect for archiving! DeadSilent 05-06-2011, 12:41 PM I only ever rip audio to FLAC (unless video audio) and can say I prefer FLAC to 320 or V0. The only issue is drive corruption over time causing loss in audio quality. That's why having a SSD or using a server is key for storage. =o !WANDER 05-11-2011, 03:47 PM get some decent headphones. FLAC is fine. DeadSilent 05-13-2011, 04:18 PM AKG = Quality. !WANDER 05-14-2011, 06:29 AM indeed, though I'm using a pair of Sony monitor headphones at the moment. my ex had AKGs. I should have stolen them. flamesofbob 05-16-2011, 10:38 PM I think what it ultimately comes down to is the level of audio equipment you use. If your listening to it on something low quality like skull candys or most headphones below 50$, you most likely not going to notice the difference than say 320 mp3 (although if space the issue aac at the same bitrate would be better than the mp3) If you have a decent monitor, you should be able to tell the differences, defiantly in the crispness of the highs. posutan 07-10-2011, 10:32 PM FLAC is more like a luxury to have. Unless you have really nice speakers or headphones, you probably will not notice the difference. Like all luxuries, unless you can afford to justify "having" it, you don't "need" it. mooshimuushi 07-20-2011, 05:14 AM It's always good to know that you are getting the best of the best for sound quality (digitally). FLAC (for those who does not know) stands for "Free Lossless Audio Codec" which can also be defined as music with no quality lost. FLAC can be decoded up to a very high frequency that (true) our human ears can not hear, but you know subconsciously that you are listening to the best quality. Compared to. . .whatever! WAV? To be able to hear the best of the best! There are some variables that you should take in, and one of them is your music source! Can your music source (E.g iPod touch 4G) play FLAC files? Can your music source produce the same amount of frequency that the FLAC can play? (OF COURSE NOT IF YOU'RE USING THE IPOD TOUCH!) An iPod Touch 4G highest frequency response is 20,000Hz Whereas FLAC can play up to 96,000Hz!!! But that doesn't matter as much. Also, another variable you should keep in mind is what you're using to listen your music from your music source. Earphones/Headphones. Every headphones/earphones (generally) has different specs and frequency response. Not just only frequency response but comfort and structure of the headphones/earphones. I just brought an Alessandro MS1i and a AKG K242 HD (check my avatar). The MS1i is amazing clear, not the best of the best, but it is so damn clear. I haven't tried my AKG yet (due to me lacking an amp), but overall, headphones are just as important!!! Overall: FLAC (Any music that fits your taste) + Amazing Music Source (Cowon or Sansa Clip+) + Amazing headphones (Any that fits your personality) = THE BEST MUSIC EVER! For sides dishes (E.g Placing a cherry on a cake). All the above + AMP/DAC! AND OMFG! WOOT! Have fun :) flamesofbob 07-29-2011, 04:24 PM A thing you will want to watch out for when using an amp, is unless they are good ones, it is very likely they will degrade the quality of the audio source. And another thing to throw in Mooshi, would be 24bit/192k sample rate. Although things like that are a bit more than most portable media players can handle. mooshimuushi 07-29-2011, 08:26 PM A thing you will want to watch out for when using an amp, is unless they are good ones, it is very likely they will degrade the quality of the audio source. And another thing to throw in Mooshi, would be 24bit/192k sample rate. Although things like that are a bit more than most portable media players can handle. Very true about the amp. For entry/cheap, go for the CMOY or Fiios. Little Dot's are expensive (yet they are entry :twitching: ) Devspar_Zero 10-16-2011, 09:54 AM FLAC or mp3, I usually opted for MP3 (not enough storage capacity), though FLAC always has the extra details... jamesred 10-19-2011, 01:43 AM Takes too much space in my mp3, that for sure. Posted via Mobile Device Norza 04-21-2013, 06:47 PM The average person generally won't have the hardware capable enough to play it in it's lossless glory and so it's definitely a waste of space. I think Motherboards these days have Audio Chips good enough for playing flac, but they aint got nothing compared to soundcards--provided you have really nice speakers to play it (no point playing flac on crappy speakers--think of it like playing flac on the integrated laptop speakers. It's crap. You don't even need to prove my point using flac). Anyway. If you got nice headphones or say the Pioneer SP line of speakers (Or many other quality speakers), you're in good shape. The integrated audio chip would suffice provided you set up it properly on the receiver. If you got headphones, a sound card boosts your immersive experience and you have full control adjusting music to your preference (with the plus of reduced CPU tax). Better the speaker/headphone means more range and soundstage. And when you make the adjustments, using flac reduces distortions. Which explains FLAC goodness. I just got the Audio Techinca 700X (Open back version) and by the heavens, everything sounds beautiful (I use a Xonar DX Sound card). I'm not audiophile enough to tell the difference between 320 and FLAC at vanilla settings, but with the aforementioned adjustments, it certainly is discernible. Salifex 04-28-2013, 03:09 PM Quality sound for an audiophile. Memory is cheap these days that you'll hardly miss what a flac file consumes. So what's giving a little extra to get something superior to the other formats? |