Educate me on FLAC

jervin007

So, I have never really jumped onboard the FLAC bandwagon. I know the sound is superior, but I listen to most music on my IPOD or in the car and, from my understanding, FLAC files don't work in cars/ipods. However, I do want to start accumulating the best quality shows possible so I was hoping you experts could educate me.

Do you need a certain music player? Recommendations?
After you buy FLAC downloads is there a way to convert them to MP3's so you can listen to them on IPODS?
Can you only listen to them through your computer or is there a way to transfer these high quality files to portable music players...if they even make FLAC players.

I am a complete and total novice, so any insight on all things FLAC would be much appreciated!

NewJPage

FLAC works in ipods. just need to convert the files with xact or similar program

KV4053

I download and rip exclusively to FLAC. I have a Cowon player which handles FLAC. For the car, I can hook up the Cowon, but I use it mostly as standalone player with headphones. Most of the new Sony players can play FLAC files. The cheapy Sansa players also play FLAC, but dont have enough storage for big collections. Unfortunately, there are ways to play FLAC via your home system, but I haven't found a great set up yet.

FLAC can be converted to other file types such as mp3 or apple types. DB PowerAmp software is among the best software apps. Google Music will automatically convert FLAC when uploading.

Once you go FLAC, you'll never go back.

buck502000

FLAC is a non-Apple file type, the files will not work on your IStuff. You can convert to apple lossless(ALAC). But if you do not want to do that, get a windows-based computer and non-Apple portable device. I use ALAC for everything I can. I buy CD's and vinyl. I keep all my physical media in case I change my mind about format later on.

kce8

I got Hartford Bootleg as FLAC but it didn´t work on my Window 7 Computer. I have no idea what´s wrong or what I have to do so I converted it to mp3 . If someone could explain it I will be very grateful.

mrussel1

kce8 said:

I got Hartford Bootleg as FLAC but it didn´t work on my Window 7 Computer. I have no idea what´s wrong or what I have to do so I converted it to mp3 . If someone could explain it I will be very grateful.

You probably don't have the correct Codec installed to run FLAC. An easy way to fix it is to download Winamp which is my player of choice. Just install free Winamp and import your media. The FLAC codec should install automatically. If it doesn't for whatever reason, you can just search for Winamp flac codec.

If you really like the media player you use, just research FLAC codec for that particular player. If you are using Itunes, then I'm not sure there is a solution for that.

FLAC is far superior especially if you are going to burn to disc or listen on decent home speakers.

The poster above is correct. DB Poweramp is an essential tool. It will use all of your cores on your PC to convert music to and from any format and it's blazing fast. If you want a copy, PM me and I can drop box it to you.

Zod

For when I'm walking or on the bus to work I use my Cowon mp3/flac player to listen to Flac. I use poweramp on my phone if I don't have the player handy. My home stereo has a media box called a popcorn hour a400 which plays all sorts of media files including FLAC.

The only place I don't use flac is the car. The car stereo only does mp3. I can plug in my phone or player through aux but the digital to analog conversion feels like something is lost. With mp3 I plug a flash drive right into the deck and play the music directly

FLAC is pretty sweet. CD quality at half the file size. With how big memory is getting I hope FLAC continues to spread.

I also believe it's opensource which is why it's supported on pretty much anything. It's another reason I don't like Apple. Instead of using a common open source format they had to invent their own for their devices.... pretty annoying.

MedozK

I convert all my Flac to ALAC (Apple Lossless) with DB Poweramp

RedMosquito02

VLC is a great FLAC player...there's an app for your iOS products, so don't listen to the misinformation.

VLC Player works on all iOS devices and Mac computers, too.

It's a good idea to start with FLAC (master) files and rip to mp3 or ALAC as @MedozK and @buck502000 said above, if you don't want to use VLC to play the files.

Here's the download for your desktop: http://download.cnet.com/VLC-Media-Player/3000-13632_4-10267151.html

Red Lukin

Easy

Flac. I always burn to cd. Then I can listen to the cd on my home stereo and car.

MP3. Once I have the flac cd I rip it to iTunes. Then iTunes has the mp3 and now I can listen anywhere (iPod, car, home stereo etc).

I've been doing this for years. I can listen to good quality flac when I want and also have access to the music via mp3.

Good luck.

Red Lukin

I also recommend VLC for the computer. It's good for flac, mp3, and video.

RedMosquito02

Red Lukin said:

I also recommend VLC for the computer. It's good for flac, mp3, and video.

:-bd

kwdaley

Foobar2000 is what I use to convert flac

jervin007

RedMosquito02 said:

VLC is a great FLAC player...there's an app for your iOS products, so don't listen to the misinformation.

VLC Player works on all iOS devices and Mac computers, too.

It's a good idea to start with FLAC (master) files and rip to mp3 or ALAC as @MedozK and @buck502000 said above, if you don't want to use VLC to play the files.

Here's the download for your desktop: http://download.cnet.com/VLC-Media-Player/3000-13632_4-10267151.html

Wow, thanks everyone. I have a feeling this will be another addiction compliments of the forum! Will be downloading the player momentarily and christening it with some 2013 shows in the near future. I have a bad feeling my wallet will once again be drained when I get a taste of FLAC.

jervin007

Zod said:

For when I'm walking or on the bus to work I use my Cowon mp3/flac player to listen to Flac. I use poweramp on my phone if I don't have the player handy. My home stereo has a media box called a popcorn hour a400 which plays all sorts of media files including FLAC.

The only place I don't use flac is the car. The car stereo only does mp3. I can plug in my phone or player through aux but the digital to analog conversion feels like something is lost. With mp3 I plug a flash drive right into the deck and play the music directly

FLAC is pretty sweet. CD quality at half the file size. With how big memory is getting I hope FLAC continues to spread.

I also believe it's opensource which is why it's supported on pretty much anything. It's another reason I don't like Apple. Instead of using a common open source format they had to invent their own for their devices.... pretty annoying.

Thanks for the info on how to optimize my home stereo. Don't know much about Cowon players (i have been a slave to IPODS for a decade) can you recommend a specific model or break down the perks of this player for me?

KV4053

jervin007 said:

RedMosquito02 said:

VLC is a great FLAC player...there's an app for your iOS products, so don't listen to the misinformation.

VLC Player works on all iOS devices and Mac computers, too.

It's a good idea to start with FLAC (master) files and rip to mp3 or ALAC as @MedozK and @buck502000 said above, if you don't want to use VLC to play the files.

Here's the download for your desktop: http://download.cnet.com/VLC-Media-Player/3000-13632_4-10267151.html

Wow, thanks everyone. I have a feeling this will be another addiction compliments of the forum! Will be downloading the player momentarily and christening it with some 2013 shows in the near future. I have a bad feeling my wallet will once again be drained when I get a taste of FLAC.

Nothing beats FLAC via a quality player and IEM's. It transports you to another place. The studio albums are best this way in my opinion. You'll hear stuff you never heard before

unforgiven

What exact portable flac players does everyone use. I use a Cowan x7, I wanted something with a lot of storage.

BN8419

You guys are missing the forest for the trees -

FLAC is is a lossless compression format. In other words, it converts raw audio by removing all of the data from what you can't hear, but keeping all of the data that you can hear. MP3 is also an audio compression format, but it is not lossless, it compresses audio data unilaterally, and squeezes everything, including what you can hear. This means that even with a high bit rate MP3 file, you still have lost some of the perceivable audio data. The more you edit or convert MP3 files into other MP3 files, the more compressed the data gets, and the more you lose. Like a copy of a copy of a tape. WIth FLAC, it always maintains the audible data, so you never get a loss of audio quality during the creation of the file from the raw audio source.

Listening to FLAC is not critical. Personally, I convert all of my FLAC to 320 kbps MP3. As long as the MP3 file is one generation away from the FLAC, it's practically impossible to hear a difference between it and the FLAC source. The key is to store your music data in FLAC format, and listen to it in high bit rate MP3 format.

Now, yes, you can listen to FLAC directly. As has been mentioned here, the are codecs and plugins that will allow you to do this with most media players. Apple is its own beast, it's ALAC format is similar, but it's all Appled-up, so screw it. But, really, focusing on how to listen to FLAC (or ALAC) is not very useful. A properly created high bit rate MP3, sourced from a lossless audio source (FLAC, SHN, there are others) is a perfectly nice way to listen to your music library. However, it's when you obtain MP3's that have been over compressed, decoded with low bit rate, or created from other MP3's, that's when you notice an audible difference. It's not just as simple as FLAC vs. MP3.

Now, consider yourselves educated.

MedozK

I have a computer that is completely dedicated to iTunes. I convert all CDs and FLAC to ALAC and store them on this computer. I then stream my iTunes library to all the rooms of my house using AppleTV. I love being able to listen to High Quality digital files at any time at any place in my house. I use my iPhone as a remote. And for portable use, I convert the original files to lower quality MP3s and put them on another computer that I connect my iPod too.

buck502000

MedozK said:

I have a computer that is completely dedicated to iTunes. I convert all CDs and FLAC to ALAC and store them on this computer. I then stream my iTunes library to all the rooms of my house using AppleTV. I love being able to listen to High Quality digital files at any time at any place in my house. I use my iPhone as a remote. And for portable use, I convert the original files to lower quality MP3s and put them on another computer that I connect my iPod too.

Very easy streamline solution, right? It just works. I use a macbook pro laptop and also do everything you mention above. (I have an airport express too.) Been doing this for about five years. And the only thing I have replaced is the battery in laptop. Someday, I want to get a dedicated mac mini just for music.

mrussel1

I use SqueezeBox by Logitech to stream my music. It streams FLAC, SHN, etc. It works great and sends a lossless signal to a router and then connects either Optical or stereo to your receiver. All the data is resided on your PC. There are nice apps for it on google play and itunes too. The new one has a tremendous DAC and is really is crisp.
I've heard Sonos is really nice too, but much more expensive.

Zod

jervin007 said:

Thanks for the info on how to optimize my home stereo. Don't know much about Cowon players (i have been a slave to IPODS for a decade) can you recommend a specific model or break down the perks of this player for me?

I know a little. My player is 4 or 5 years old now. It's a Cowon S9 (32gb version). The reason the Cowon's are awesome is because they put a high quality DAC in it. I think DAC stands for digital audio converter (or something close to it). It's the thing that's mainly responsible for converting your digital data to the analog sound that come outs of your headphones. Most devices (like an iphone or or high end android device) have a mediocre to ok DAC in their hardware. Cowon uses a high quality DAC and the sound from them is much better than an apple/android device. I only use a cheap pair of IEM's (Brainwavz M1's) and the sound out of the Cowon is so much better than my phone. It's even better when you plug in higher quality headphones/iems.

The other reason I bought the Cowon is because it supports folder view. I have all my albums ripped and stored in folder format. IE a different folder for every album. When I bought it, most mp3 devices were sorting based on tag, and it drove me nuts. It also has the option to run as a UMS device (aka like a flash drive), so you plug the cable into the unit and your pc and you can copy files over to it like you were copying files over to a flash drive. No need for any crappy 3rd party software.

My unit is pretty basic. Has a small screen, it can play videos but I don't really use it for that. It's all about the music.

I think the J3 and D3 models are the current ones. The D3 uses android instead of the proprietary OS. I think it also has wifi. Most of which I don't need so I'd probably get a J3 if I had to replace mine.

PJ-Cubs

Everyone's input has been very helpful in understanding FLAC.

So here is my question - what is the best way to start transitioning your music collection to FLAC (or a higher quality MP3)? I currently use itunes and an ipod. I can start purchasing FLAC downloads for new music and converting them to ALAC. I can also to reload all of the studio albums and boots that I have on CD in ALAC (but that seems like a lot of work). I obviously can't transition any downloads that I have purchased in the past without re-buying them.

Zod

I think it's a grey area in Canadian law but I built a lot of my mp3/flac collection by downloading the albums that I already owned from less legitimate websites.

I ripped a bunch of them from the cd's but it's a very time consuming process. Downloading FLAC rips from other sources is quicker and since I own the cd I consider it a format shift which is permissible by Canadian law

I've probably been building my flac collection about 5 years ago. I'm must be up to 400 albums or so by now.

Vedd Hedd

Just wait for Pono.

2-feign-reluctance

Convert to WAV via xACT free for Mac. Plays on all your iStuff, burn to CD.

cutz

Vedd Hedd said:

Just wait for Pono.

For how long?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-57608168-47/whats-up-with-neil-youngs-pono-high-resolution-music-system/


What's up with Neil Young's Pono high-resolution music system?
We've heard about Pono for years, and now the promised 2014 launch has been postponed.

Steve Guttenberg by Steve Guttenberg October 19, 2013 7:46 AM PDT Updated: December 23, 2013 11:35 AM PST

36 CommentsFacebook285Twitter200Linked In6More

(Credit: Steve Guttenberg/CNET)
The Gigaom Web site reported on December 20 that Pono announced it won't be showing at the CES show in Las Vegas in January.
I first heard about Neil Young's Pono music system more than a couple of years ago, and it was supposed to roll out a few months later. Rumors continued to circulate about an imminent debut, then fade away. Young showed a Pono music player prototype on the David Letterman show in September 2012, and it seemed like the launch was within reach.
Like everybody else I'm still unsure about how the Pono music service will work. Will we have to buy a Pono music player to fully enjoy the glories of Pono files? In other words, is Pono a closed system? Or can you play Pono high-resolution Master Files on your computer at home or on an iPhone or Android phone? I can't see how that would be possible in the near term, and I don't consider phones' digital converters and built-in amplifiers audiophile-grade devices. Playing a file is one thing; hearing better sound from it is something else.
The biggest stumbling block for Pono is the scarcity of high-resolution music being recorded today. According to a friend who worked at one of NYC's biggest mastering studios, only 10 or 15 percent of clients ever bother with true high-resolution masters. Most are no better than 48kHz/24-bit, very few are bona-fide high-resolution 96kHz or 192kHz masters. But even if Young can rack up enough high-resolution music albums, how Pono Master Files will differ from the high-resolution WAV, FLAC, or ALAC files that are already available from other high-resolution download sources, he isn't saying. How will the Pono player be any different than the Astell & Kern, FiiO, or Hifiman high-resolution players already on the market?
While the original high-resolution audio formats, SACD and DVD-Audio, could produce awe-inspiring sound quality back in the early 2000s, most high-resolution mixes were only slightly better-sounding than the CDs'. Young has said that Pono files will be artist-approved studio masters, and that implies different masters and possibly mixes than the CD, LP, or iTunes mixes. If they can pull that off, Master Files would really be a major sonic improvement over what we have now. It's nice in theory, but if Pono is ever going to be a high-resolution alternative to the iTunes store, Pono has to offer a vast selection of music. If Pono could somehow enforce higher quality standards on the music business, that would be a great thing, but why does the business need Pono urging them on? If they cared about sound quality in the first place, they would make all of the releases sound great in every format they sell: MP3, FLAC, CD, iTunes, or LP.
I proposed the "two-mix" solution for a couple of years ago. Mix One would be the standard heavily compressed mix that sounds fine on Bluetooth speakers, car audio systems, and cheap earbuds; that's the mix we have now. It's fine for the way most people listen to music. Mix Two would be less compressed and processed for folks who have decent stereo systems and/or high-quality headphones. The prime reason cited why the two-mix approach isn't being implemented is cost; the record companies don't want to spend extra cash to create a second mix. Why will they now for Pono? We'll find out if Pono ever gets off the ground; Young now claims it will happen early next year.
I wish Pono great success, but it hasn't clearly defined what it's trying to accomplish.
Editors' note: This story was originally published on October 19, 2013, and has since been updated with additional information

Zod

lol.. I like how all the apple users are saying convert to tapple format so you can use it on these apple devices... lol....

sort of defeats the purpose of an open source format that should be playable amongst a wide range of devices (except apple because they like to lock their shit down ).

samsonite

This is my first time converting an FLAC to an AAC or MP3, and I need help! I'm on a PC and I've downloaded foobar2000. Every time I try to convert a file I get a window asking me to "Please locate qaac.exe" or "Please locate lame.exe". I'm not sure what they're asking for or where to find it. What do I need to do?

samsonite

...

lolobugg

try an app called "trader's little helper". it can convert your FLAC files to WAV or MP3.
you just drag the FLAC files in, press decode and it converts them to the format that you want and puts them back into the same folder.
I found it much easier than foobar.