Does everyone serious about SQ convert FLAC files to zero compression?

[KDinsmore]

After Chris wrote how to do this I always convert my FLAC to zero compression. I have no idea but would any of this make a difference in DR?

[wgscott]

Nope.

[Boris75]

The degree of FLAC compression has no influence on the dynamic range.

[Robert Hutton]

After Chris wrote how to do this I always convert my FLAC to zero compression. I have no idea but would any of this make a difference in DR?

 

As a matter of routine I do, but if it has any audible impact (which I believe it does) it is minimal.

[Melvin]

Yup.

[Julf]

As a matter of routine I do, but if it has any audible impact (which I believe it does) it is minimal.

 

What mechanism do you think could cause any differences in DR between a compressed and uncompressed FLAC?

[firedog]

Personally, I've blind tested listening to wav vs flac and can't consistently pick out the flac. Conclusion: they sound the same (at least to me on my setup).

 

But, I've started using flac zero compression anyway. Why? It's basically like having a wav file with convenient tagging . I've got lots of HD Space anyway, and just in case...it somehow makes a difference.

[Julf]

Personally, I've blind tested listening to wav vs flac and can't consistently pick out the flac. Conclusion: they sound the same (at least to me on my setup).

 

But, I've started using flac zero compression anyway. Why? It's basically like having a wav file with convenient tagging . I've got lots of HD Space anyway, and just in case...it somehow makes a difference.

 

While I understand your "just in case" concern, I have to say that for me, personally, I just can't justify the added disk space and network traffic, knowing that if at some point I discover some reason why uncompressed sounds better to me under some circumstances I haven't yet encountered, I can always convert to uncompressed at that point in time, without any loss of data.

[Robert Hutton]

What mechanism do you think could cause any differences in DR between a compressed and uncompressed FLAC?

 

I have not found any difference in DR.

[Melvin]

I have not found any difference in DR.

 

Me either, but for the same reasons as firedog .. no compression.

[KDinsmore]

HD space is dirt cheap so I continue to run zero compression. Also just in case.

[sshd]

Using WAV/AIFF instead of FLAC is outright "dangerous".

 

FLAC has a built-in checksum. If a hardware error occurs and your file gets currupted, you will get a playback error. You can also do a complete integrity test before running a backup routine.

 

With WAV/AIFF you have no such checksum. Unless the curruption is in the tiny file header, the file will play fine. The curruption may or may not be audible, but your file is no longer bitperfect and the uncertainty is maddening... Was that click a flaw in the source or a problem in my file.

 

All hardware will fail in time.

[Julf]

Another factor to think about is that tests seem to show that on dedicated devices (network streamers, portables etc.) where the CPU is more directly involved in handling network communication (unlike a PC, where a lot of the low-level processing/buffering is done by the network card), uncompressed WAV actually causes worse performance (in terms of jitter and other parameters) compared to compressed formats. There is a trade-off between CPU power used for decoding/uncompressing on one hand and hand ling network traffic on the other hand, and that trade-off is different on a PC compared to a dedicated box with an embedded architecture. Whether the differences are actually audible in a proper double-blind ABX listening test is another matter...