The ALC files were ripped with iTunes using its default settings for Apple Lossless. Over time, various CDs, (old and newly procured) were ripped using the current version of iTunes (most recently, version 9).
The FLAC files converted from ALC were converted by MediaMonkey using the default setting (compression level 6). The FLAC files ripped from a CD were ripped by MediaMonkey using the default setting (compression level 6). Because AAC and ALC files share the same .m4a file extension, care was taken to not confuse the two: AAC files were converted to MP3; ALC files were converted to FLAC. MP3 files, even those at high bit rates (192 and above) sound less full than FLAC files, which is expected. I'm not contending that ALC files inherently sound inferior to FLAC, so I don't see the point of playing them on a different player. The point of my post is that the loss apparently occurs when Squeezebox Server translates ALC files on the fly. I'm sure this was not by design. I had no suspicion that it might occur. It was the fact that it did occur that shocked me. I anticipated hearing NO DIFFERENCE between ALC files and FLAC files when I played them via the same Squeeze Box Server to the same audio system. My post was to document for the community, for whatever purpose it may serve, that I (and others) do in fact hear such a difference. What difference would it make if the computer were particularly low spec??? It's the same computer and the same sound system. The only variable is the type of file being played. FLAC files sound better than ALC files WHEN PLAYED under the same conditions, i.e., via the same Squeeze Box Server streaming to the same audio system. We're not hearing a volume difference. It's very difficult to provide good qualitative descriptions of what we hear. I can only repeat: the difference is dramatic and the difference is in detail and clarity and fullness, whether played a low volume or played at booming volume. -- macsband ------------------------------------------------------------------------ macsband's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8488 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=75064 _______________________________________________ discuss mailing list discuss@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/discuss
