USB flash drives vs SSDs and HDDs

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As USB flash drives with capacities of up to 1TB start to become available, I would like to know if there are any advantages (or disadvantages) in using flash drives instead of solid state and hard disk drives for music replay from locally attached USB storage.  

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8 minutes ago, mansr said:

If you mean stick form factor devices, I'd expect them to be slower and less reliable than a proper SSD. HDDs are obviously much cheaper per storage capacity and probably still the most reliable.

I was more thinking of advantages and disadvantages in terms of sound quality, but I have failed to make this clear in my post! 

 

The differences in price are, as you point out, quite obvious. Reliability is not really an issue, these are non meant to be long term storage solutions! I have come across a few posts, in these forums, in which it was argued that SSDs can have a negative impact on sound quality as compared to HDDs.

 

I was wandering whether flash drives could have advantages (or perhaps disadvantages) over SSDs and HDDs from this perspective!    

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1 minute ago, mansr said:

... Regarding sound quality differences related to the storage medium itself, there are so many conflicting reports and theories that any effect has to be quite small. If there was a profound difference, people shouldn't have such a hard time agreeing on the best choices. ...

Good point!

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30 minutes ago, Doak said:

... While much of this is about system matching there does appear to be some things that can carry their strengths from one system to another. 

... and these are?

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27 minutes ago, Doak said:

At this point I'd include the PS and the drive itself.

Decent to high quality linear PS.

For drive, I really like what I'm getting from the hefty server grade 3.5" WD Black. 

Thanks, an hefty drive indeed! 

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@rickca, @mansr, @sandyk, @zoom25: thanks for the feedback! As I mentioned, reliability is not an issue in this context: these drives are not meant to be used for long term storage. What matters is sound quality and if flash memory has no obvious advantages over SSDs and HDDs from this point of view, then the better. HDDs are so much cheaper!

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1 hour ago, mansr said:

HDDs obviously cause some mechanical noise. Depending on the model and how close you are to the drive, this can be distracting.

Good point!

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1 hour ago, sandyk said:

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FWIW,  USB memory also have internal 3.3Volt regulators .

 Yes, there is a possibility of them sounding a little better, (although not surprisingly, mansr will never agree about this) as they plug directly into a USB port without the need for an external USB cable. Many members spend almost obscene amounts of cash buying upmarket USB cables, as they find that generic USB cables usually give lacklustre results.

 

Alex

 

I see, thanks. In this case a silent HDD (or a SSD) in an enclosure that can be powered by an external power supply is perhaps the most flexible solution. 

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and ... it seems to have a very good balance too!