Hi Everybody!

[Larrycleve]

Hi, I'm Larry. I just switched my playlist of 375 songs from mp3 to flac.

 

What I did was rerecord them as wav files from Google Play Music using Streaming Audio recorder. I used Platinum Notes to convert them to flac.

 

I listen to them with a Samsung Galaxy Tab E tablet connected to a Micca Origen+ DAC connected by RCA cables to the home stereo system. I use the N7 Music Player. I also listen on 2 Sandisk players. One is connected to the aux on my car and one to headphones for when I'm at the gym.

 

The sound compared to mp3 is not just a 100% better but in a whole new dimension. It's like going from seeing a painting on a computer screen compressed between two horizontal lines to seeing it on full canvas. I'm hearing sounds and highs and lows I never heard before.

 

I listen predominantly to jazz and soul with a few country and hard rock songs thrown in to keep things interesting.

[mansr]

I'm sorry, but you've accomplished nothing. A recording of Google Music mp3s can never recover what was lost in the compression.

 

What you've done is equivalent to an offline decoding of mp3 to wav.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Larry you've essentially taken a mobile phone picture of the Mona Lisa and printed it on a framed canvas. The end result can never be better than the mobile phone image.

 

 

Sent from my telephone

[jiminlogansquare]

I get the responses, but it would be helpful if we took Larry's impressions and observations of the sound of his new music files seriously instead of being so dismissive. Larry says the new files sound much better. Rather than offering facile explanations of why that is impossible, we could be more productive (and more polite and more friendly) to cogitate a little about why Larry hears what he tells us he hears. I am incapable of adding more than that, but others with more technical expertise than I might want to address the question I have raised; again, in short, Why is Larry hearing the improvements to sound quality he reports hearing?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

[kumakuma]

I get the responses, but it would be helpful if we took Larry's impressions and observations of the sound of his new music files seriously instead of being so dismissive. Larry says the new files sound much better. Rather than offering facile explanations of why that is impossible, we could be more productive (and more polite and more friendly) to cogitate a little about why Larry hears what he tells us he hears. I am incapable of adding more than that, but others with more technical expertise than I might want to address the question I have raised; again, in short, Why is Larry hearing the improvements to sound quality he reports hearing?

 

I think the answer lies in the software (Platinum Notes) that he used to convert his mp3 files to FLAC format.

 

According to the website:

 

"Platinum Notes uses studio filters to process your files. It corrects pitch, improves volume and makes every file ready to play anywhere - from your iTunes to a festival sound system."

 

In other words, it does more than just a simple transcode from mp3 to FLAC format.

[Larrycleve]

from lower kbs to 320. What about recording from Tidal HiFi? Would that be higher quality?

[kumakuma]

from lower kbs to 320. What about recording from Tidal HiFi? Would that be higher quality?

 

Simply converting a lossy mp3 files from a lower bitrate to the maximum (320) or putting it into a lossless container such as FLAC should have little impact on the sound. Once a file has been compressed to a lossy format such as mp3, the original information is gone and there is no way to restore it.

 

Tidal HiFi is CD quality so it should sound better than your mp3 files, all things being equal.

[LCC0256]

I think the answer lies in the software (Platinum Notes) that he used to convert his mp3 files to FLAC format.

 

According to the website:

 

"Platinum Notes uses studio filters to process your files. It corrects pitch, improves volume and makes every file ready to play anywhere - from your iTunes to a festival sound system."

 

In other words, it does more than just a simple transcode from mp3 to FLAC format.

 

Tom i have heard that AAC files (from iTunes download) along with MP3's can sound considerably better if sent through a DAC (new dragonfly's specifically) by reducing the distortion. This sounds reasonable to me. No pun intended! Of course it seems to be common knowledge that to start with a lossless file (or as many on here would insist an HD file) is imperative. However IF the AAC or MP3 file can be "upgraded" in SQ via a DAC - does "software" play a part or is it something in the "hardware" of the DAC that does make these music files sound "better"? I do get it that many on here will scoff at the idea of AAC or MP3 being even worth their time - however i also know many people who have begin to use external DAC's (albeit portable) and hear an appreciable sound quality difference. I believe that they do. Just like i believe others on here who hear differences with power conditioners and high dollar cables. My hearing has been compromised over the years so the finer points of SQ is lost on me. However due to the fact i believe there is a steep upward SQ curve early on with marginally low investment - this seems to be an area where a little information could go a long way. The OP heard an appreciable difference in SQ and you suggested it most likely was the software used. This is why i ask for your comment on my question. Thank you sir. Larry

[kumakuma]

Tom i have heard that AAC files (from iTunes download) along with MP3's can sound considerably better if sent through a DAC (new dragonfly's specifically) by reducing the distortion. This sounds reasonable to me. No pun intended! Of course it seems to be common knowledge that to start with a lossless file (or as many on here would insist an HD file) is imperative. However IF the AAC or MP3 file can be "upgraded" in SQ via a DAC - does "software" play a part or is it something in the "hardware" of the DAC that does make these music files sound "better"? I do get it that many on here will scoff at the idea of AAC or MP3 being even worth their time - however i also know many people who have begin to use external DAC's (albeit portable) and hear an appreciable sound quality difference. I believe that they do. Just like i believe others on here who hear differences with power conditioners and high dollar cables. My hearing has been compromised over the years so the finer points of SQ is lost on me. However due to the fact i believe there is a steep upward SQ curve early on with marginally low investment - this seems to be an area where a little information could go a long way. The OP heard an appreciable difference in SQ and you suggested it most likely was the software used. This is why i ask for your comment on my question. Thank you sir. Larry

 

Larry,

 

An external DAC is usually going to provide an improvement in SQ as it will do a better job of converting the digital data to an analog signal than the circuitry that's in the computer. In other words, it's going to provide a more accurate reproduction of the information that's in the file.

 

The DJ software that the OP used appears to alter the music to make it more pleasing to the ear.

[LCC0256]

Thank you so much Tom

[Larrycleve]

I rerecorded all songs from Tidal HiFi at 1411 kbps then converted to flac with Platinum Notes. Much better than Google Play Music with greater depth and more sounds heard. Thanks everyone for your insights.