FLAC (for a newbie)

Whickwithy

Goldfrapp recordings are very clean.

Whickwithy · Post edited by Whickwithy at 2021-07-25 15:37:04

You see? I'm like a dog with a bone. Give me something to chew on and I don't stop until the last of it is gone. At least, if I'm interested at all.

Anyways, CDs are a better reproduction than mp3's if you have the right decoder, like M4A or (I guess) FLAC.

I'd like to say a better recording but what makes it frustrating is that it is the recording equipment and skill used to record that makes all the difference in the world.

I think it's easier to think in terms of video to explain. If you display a 200 x 400 pixel picture on a 4k display, it doesn't make the picture any better than a 200 x 400 pixel display.

Another example. Have you ever watched a movie lately on TV from DVD (heck, it's probably the same for streaming, I would guess)? Have you noticed that black stripe on the top and the bottom of the screens? That's one reason I like tv series rather than movies, I think.

Anyways, it doesn't need to be that way. The movie by Tim Burton, " Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." fills a tv screen ... and, of course, a movie screen. And, yet, most movies can't go to the trouble.

In the matter of music, I wonder how many sound engineers get their hearing checked. If it's R&R, they may need it.

Or, maybe it's like this nephew of mine that explained how he became a systems analyst. He went to his first job and told them he was a system analyst. He's been winging it ever since.

As far as people selling FLAC or high def or whatever they call it, I doubt their recording is any better than that which was recorded for the CD. It's probably where the FLAC file was recorded from (unless specified differently).

Whickwithy

I decided to take a critical listen to a few of the songs I had recorded from CD to M4A.

No surprise that Goldfrapp was about as crystal clear as one can hope. I mean, it is no surprise from a band whose concerts sound like they were studio recording.

London Grammar is outstanding recordings, also.

cookiee_munster

Whickwithy said:
I decided to take a critical listen to a few of the songs I had recorded from CD to M4A.

No surprise that Goldfrapp was about as crystal clear as one can hope. I mean, it is no surprise from a band whose concerts sound like they were studio recording.

London Grammar is outstanding recordings, also.

Thats good to know! :D

Whickwithy

I am shocked to find that the MP4A files also improved the sound over earbuds on a cell phone a lot. I mean, these were cheap knockoff earbuds too. O f course, first I had to find a cell phone that would play MP4A files without having to download a new player. I had to go to an old phone to find that.

Best amp I have ever found, by the way, is the Yamaha AS801. It has a USB DAC input and just an incredible ability to adjust the sound beautifully with a version of 'loudness' that actually works. I also bought a ridiculously expensive Cambridge Audio amp. Big mistake. Zero controls.

Whickwithy

I ran across this site that I thought might be of interest for purchasing FLAC/M4A/MP3 files. I haven't tried it yet.

https://us.7digital.com

I'm guessing they have a site for those of you in England as well.

I'm hesitating because I'm still trying to determine if FLAC would be better than M4A. As far as I can guess, as one person put it, "They're both lossless". Duh. I'll probably settle for M4A because it's cheaper and, the more important reason, I don't have to go find a player tha plays FLAC. M4A files sound awful good to me. But, it could be like 640 x 480 compared to 1280x1024. I kinda like the 4k resolution.

Very frustrating. To even find out the diff, I would have to go find a player. Aaarrrggghhh.

cookiee_munster

Thanks! :)

cookiee_munster · Post edited by cookiee_munster at 2021-08-18 19:01:38

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7Jwj9fkrf1adN4fMmTkpug

this guys youtube channel has some really interesting views on headphones. he's a musician himself so headphones and sound quality is really important. Most of the videos are of him looking at absolute crap items that should never have been made, but there's a few gems in there :)

EDIT - im still on the lookout for some kind of player that i can play all my high quality tunes on :)

Whickwithy

You have that many types? I went through the arduous task of taking all 4,000 or so songs I had on mp3 and retapped the cd to make m4a. It's annoying but now I think I have to get FLAC files and then convert them to ALAC (e.g. m4a). THEN, if I ever move off of Apple (ain't gonna happen, all OS's suck, so why change?), I would have to convert them all to FLAC. What really pisses me off is that all of this is necessary because the Apple dicks decided to make their own format that no one else uses.

Whoever thinks that Apple is "for the people" never understood the strategy of barriers to entry. Steve Jobs was, overall, a dickhead.

Yeah, been in that kind of mood all day.

I was toying around with the idea of getting headphones but for 40 Hz. There's this buzz going around (scientifically ... MIT I think it was) was testing 40 Hz for avoiding Alzheimer's or something. As you can tell, I didn't take it too seriously. DHA seems to be doing fine.

Whickwithy

Isn't that perfect. I was just about to move to purchasing music online rather than buying CDs, but now I've converted all of my music to M4A format (which is Apple's ALAC version of FLAC which ONLY plays on Apple music. Sigh. So, now, not only would I need to purchase FLAC but I would have to convert them all to ALAC. Well, back to the CD store. I need more Chris Isaak & Pink Floyd.

Whickwithy · Post edited by Whickwithy at 2021-09-25 12:07:52

Mmmm, one more. Apple has all of these 'hidden' adjustments to the audio. I finally found them all and turned them all off. It made the most amazing difference. The high had been almost excruciatingly distorted at, ahem, rather high volumes.

Now, it is damn near perfect. I expect a lot of players have those 'sound enhancers' (yeah, right) and other tweaks that just brutalize the sound. I also wonder if this might be why people like albums so much. Turntables just can't handle the highs, so it sounds 'softer'? Maybe it's because my high range is really high but I miss those highs. Oh, so many entendres...

That's what's really nice about those Yamaha amps. They have adjustments to let the audio suit the room without messing it all up. Without those controls, one would be required to adjust the room to the audio. That's just not right.

TinSoldier

I don't aim quite as high as I once did (Beyer Dynamic this, and Etymotic that, etc), but do use a DAC with my phone on the go. With it, I get an improved experience, even if not an ideal one. I have two from FiiO that drive my IEMs far better than my Galaxy Note ever could. One is connected via USB-C, and the other the same or via Bluetooth. I have a pair of Westone B series IEMs 'supposedly' customized for electronic music, and can't complain listening to Supernature. :)

Whickwithy

Have you ever tried looking up the acronyms for IEM?

I don't understand the DAC & Phone. Is it something you attach to your phone? That may sound dumb, but I don't quite understand.

Do you use MP3 or ?

cookiee_munster

Just treated myself to a pair of these.

Not as incredible as some of the stuff out there. But certainly an improvement from the cheap-ass ones I have.

Whickwithy · Post edited by Whickwithy at 2022-05-23 16:46:12

I just finally got a turntable after decades. I had bought a London Grammar LP set a long time ago to which I had never listened (Cailfornia Soil).

I was blown away. They had this 10" LP that had three songs not released in the CD. They are such fine tracks! Yet, they are not available anywhere else! All three of the tracks seem so essential London Grarmmar and pure Ministry Of Sound. Maybe more than any other tracks. Two are Bangles covers but, still, fine, fine music. The original is ... Wow!

I guess it made purchasing the turntable worthwhile. There is something about the analog sound of an LP. I can't put a finger on it but it is nice.

I just thought you might be interested in finding the LP, cookiee_munster.

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