Finally some sanity! FLAC vs WAV are mathematically identical and neither the compression or decompression processes introduce "error" of any sort. If this wasn't true of any lossless compression regime, we'd all know about it - and how. LL compression is used "on the wire" to minimise bandwidth utilisation. If it wasn't really, always, lossless every networked computer in the world would be spewing out garbage all of the time (I know some might believe that the Internet is in fact doing this...).
If ZIP files didn't unzip perfectly we'd all know about it - the world would be in uproar. FLAC, ZIP etc just work in the same way that your calculator always ALWAYS says that 2+2 = 4. With server-side FLAC decompression (and accurate rips in the first place), the only things that really count towards audible reproduction quality are the DAC onwards parts of the a chain. This assumes you buy into the "SB-side FLAC decode can be heard to be worse than server-side" argument - which I most certainly don't. In fact, there are very good arguments that SB+reclocking DAC should sound better than any spinning disc transport, since there is a much greater chance of random timing and reading errors in real-time, one shot reading of small pits on a wobbly rotating disc with a wobbling laser and some dubious interpolation algorithms to cover problems. -- Phil Leigh ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=21700 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
