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musiclover420
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FLAC's vs MP3
#22136320 - 08/24/15 04:35 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Anyone very knowledgeable? From what I understand flacs are simply less compressed or "lossless" unlike heavily compressed or "lossy" formats.
Such as MP3. I try and use flacs when I can but for instance using em on my phone is a waste. One good concert will be easily 1-2gigs in the flac format.
Same concert might be like 1/10th the size when compressed to an MP3.
I might have to finally try comparing em and start a flac collection on my computer if I feel it is worth it.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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musiclover420
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So I just downloaded a FLAC version of a song after listening to the MP3 version streamed and the FLAC is much fuller and louder.
I may have to start collecting my favorite concerts in flac format on my computer.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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Beanhead
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I'd rather DL a 1GB movie then listen to a 800mb FLAC cd.
Purists will probably come discuss this menial difference but all in all I prefer the rustic sound of vinyl anyhow 
If you have a soundsystem go FLAC if headphones/shitty speakers = care
Edited by Beanhead (08/24/15 04:46 PM)
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pfxtc
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What's the question here? They're absolutely different. Look up an audio SINE wave. A flac file rides the sine wave up and down basically - you're getting every bit of information on the file. A MP3 is a type of encoding that basically chops up the SINE wave to save space, and thus has less information. FLAC's have WAY, WAY more information (aka quality) than an MP3 - it's not really something that can be argued. FLAC will always sound better than MP3 as it is lossless (uncompressed) vs compressed.
An mp3 for example might take 320 samples per second of a sample. A flac file would look more like 1200-1600 samples a second, thus you're getting 5x or more information from the file. Often times if you listen to an album you've listened to your whole life on MP3 and listen to a FLAC recording you'll hear many instruments you never noticed.
The left image is FLAC basically, middle is a shitty mp3 file, right is a decent MP3 file. This is how digital encoding works for the most part.
If you have decent speakers and want the 'full' experience of a song go ahead and find FLAC, assuming you don't mind the storage required. If you have earbuds and an iPod MP3 will typically be just fine.
-------------------- koods said: Young male going by the name "Bassfreak" entered Worcester General complaining of a sharp pain in his buttock region after attending EDM event. Attending physician considered a possible diagnosis of acute rave anus, but upon further investigation it was determined there was nothing cute about patient's anus. Life-long trip report
Edited by pfxtc (08/24/15 04:57 PM)
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pfxtc
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Re: FLAC's vs MP3 [Re: Beanhead]
#22136391 - 08/24/15 04:49 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
Beanhead said: I'd rather DL a 1GB movie then listen to a 800mb FLAC cd.
Purists will probably come discuss this menial difference but all in all I prefer the rustic sound of vinyl anyhow 
If you have a soundsystem go FLAC if headphones/shitty speakers = care
It is not a menial difference. Just about anyone whose paying attention will notice a difference between 320kb and a flac file, assuming the set-up doesn't completely blow. In my car you can CLEARLY tell a difference between a 256kb song and a flac file - it's night and day. Not so much on stock iPod earbuds though, you won't notice a difference really besides maybe less overall noise in the recording. A vinyl is basically FLAC in a way as it's a pure and full analog form thus basically lossless - most vinyl rips are ripped in flac to preserve the original sound quality. A vinyl ripped in 320kbps will sound shitty compared to FLAC ripped form vinyl. I usually only listen to vinyl myself because I don't like using computers (besides bullshitting on forums)
-------------------- koods said: Young male going by the name "Bassfreak" entered Worcester General complaining of a sharp pain in his buttock region after attending EDM event. Attending physician considered a possible diagnosis of acute rave anus, but upon further investigation it was determined there was nothing cute about patient's anus. Life-long trip report
Edited by pfxtc (08/24/15 04:53 PM)
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musiclover420
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Re: FLAC's vs MP3 [Re: pfxtc]
#22136413 - 08/24/15 04:53 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Yeah I just noticed a pretty huge difference. I have used some FLAC's for awhile now but usually stuck with MP3's or other compressed formats to save space.
I would still always have one or two FLAC shows on my phone usually, but now I will start a collection on my computer.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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pfxtc
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Quote:
musiclover420 said: Yeah I just noticed a pretty huge difference. I have used some FLAC's for awhile now but usually stuck with MP3's or other compressed formats to save space.
I would still always have one or two FLAC shows on my phone usually, but now I will start a collection on my computer.
I used to listen to lots of crappy mp3's and eventually got a real nice set-up at home and listened to vinyl and songs I've heard 1000's of times completely came to life since they weren't so compressed.
It has a lot to do with mastering as well - I have some albums I prefer the MP3 version of because most FLAC's I find are weird remastered versions that sounds stupid compared to the original mastering on the MP3. Dark Side of the Moon is a good example, most FLAC's Ive heard sound like crap compared to an older MP3 file I have of it - though if I listen I just listen on my turntable!
-------------------- koods said: Young male going by the name "Bassfreak" entered Worcester General complaining of a sharp pain in his buttock region after attending EDM event. Attending physician considered a possible diagnosis of acute rave anus, but upon further investigation it was determined there was nothing cute about patient's anus. Life-long trip report
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Acaterpillar
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Re: FLAC's vs MP3 [Re: pfxtc]
#22136440 - 08/24/15 04:58 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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As a producer, I prefer uncompressed formats. FLAC is preferable over .wav as well because of the reduced size of the file.
-------------------- Aaa...E I O Uuu...A E I O Uuu..A E I O uh Uuu.. *Cough* *Cough* Ooo...U E I O Aaa...U E I Aaa..A E I O Uuuuu... At first sight, The Perfection of Wisdom is bewildering, full of paradox and apparent irrationality.
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pfxtc
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Re: FLAC's vs MP3 [Re: pfxtc]
#22136444 - 08/24/15 04:59 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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It should be noted that FLAC stores better than MP3, and MP3 files can literally degrade over time in storage on a computer. If you have any 10 year old MP3's you will notice this effect. A lot of 'collectors' store everything in FLAC and rip to MP3 for use on an iPod or whatever - just for preservation's sake.
-------------------- koods said: Young male going by the name "Bassfreak" entered Worcester General complaining of a sharp pain in his buttock region after attending EDM event. Attending physician considered a possible diagnosis of acute rave anus, but upon further investigation it was determined there was nothing cute about patient's anus. Life-long trip report
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pfxtc
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Quote:
Acaterpillar said: As a producer, I prefer uncompressed formats. FLAC is preferable over .wav as well because of the reduced size of the file.
Exactly, same goes for imaging, .raw is like a FLAC, and .jpg is like an MP3 - you need to decide on quantity/storage capability/and convenience.
-------------------- koods said: Young male going by the name "Bassfreak" entered Worcester General complaining of a sharp pain in his buttock region after attending EDM event. Attending physician considered a possible diagnosis of acute rave anus, but upon further investigation it was determined there was nothing cute about patient's anus. Life-long trip report
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musiclover420
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Re: FLAC's vs MP3 [Re: pfxtc]
#22136456 - 08/24/15 04:59 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Well I am mostly talking FLAC's of live concerts, from the Archive.org's LMA. Or just random live FLAC's I find googling torrents for bands I love.
Like the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, they have several sites that sell their flacs as well as several where you can freely torrent em.
The LMA has some amazing flacs from some amazing recorders.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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pfxtc
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Quote:
musiclover420 said: Well I am mostly talking FLAC's of live concerts, from the Archive.org's LMA. Or just random live FLAC's I find googling torrents for bands I love.
Like the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, they have several sites that sell their flacs as well as several where you can freely torrent em.
The LMA has some amazing flacs from some amazing recorders.
Yeah if you have the space I'd go FLAC
-------------------- koods said: Young male going by the name "Bassfreak" entered Worcester General complaining of a sharp pain in his buttock region after attending EDM event. Attending physician considered a possible diagnosis of acute rave anus, but upon further investigation it was determined there was nothing cute about patient's anus. Life-long trip report
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akira_akuma
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Re: FLAC's vs MP3 [Re: pfxtc]
#22136472 - 08/24/15 05:03 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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fuller sound on FLAC. not even a debate.
great for classical music. pump that shit to max volume and actually HEAR the production of the piece! whoa!
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pfxtc
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Quote:
akira_akuma said: fuller sound on FLAC. not even a debate.
great for classical music. pump that shit to max volume and actually HEAR the production of the piece! whoa!
Yeah anyone who says they don't notice a difference has really shitty ears or is just being stubborn.
-------------------- koods said: Young male going by the name "Bassfreak" entered Worcester General complaining of a sharp pain in his buttock region after attending EDM event. Attending physician considered a possible diagnosis of acute rave anus, but upon further investigation it was determined there was nothing cute about patient's anus. Life-long trip report
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musiclover420
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Re: FLAC's vs MP3 [Re: pfxtc]
#22136485 - 08/24/15 05:05 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I just cleaned out 300 gigs on my computer yesterday so I have a bit of space to fill 
My phone which is my main portable music device is only 32 gigs though and a lot of that is pre filled. Hence why I try to just have 1 or 2 flac shows on it.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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pfxtc
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Quote:
musiclover420 said: I just cleaned out 300 gigs on my computer yesterday so I have a bit of space to fill 
My phone which is my main portable music device is only 32 gigs though and a lot of that is pre filled. Hence why I try to just have 1 or 2 flac shows on it.
Gotcha. If you're really concerned about listening to good music (on the go) you might want to invest in a cheap portable headphone amp and some decent headphones/earbuds. I typically only listen to full albums so if I were you I'd download a shit load of shit and just get a good 10-30 album rotation going and change it when you get bored.
If you have this plugged into your phone/PMP and some decent headphones listening to FLAC it'll blow you away.
http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E6-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B005HJWWW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440457570&sr=8-1&keywords=headphone+amp&pebp=1440457572345&perid=0QM68E1TP8NJQ6MVKRTK
I use these headphones, though you can find kick-ass earbuds for probably $30-50.
http://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-80-Studio-Headphones-Black/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1440457613&sr=8-3&keywords=beyer+dynamic+80ohm
-------------------- koods said: Young male going by the name "Bassfreak" entered Worcester General complaining of a sharp pain in his buttock region after attending EDM event. Attending physician considered a possible diagnosis of acute rave anus, but upon further investigation it was determined there was nothing cute about patient's anus. Life-long trip report
Edited by pfxtc (08/24/15 05:08 PM)
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akira_akuma
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Re: FLAC's vs MP3 [Re: pfxtc]
#22136521 - 08/24/15 05:12 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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Quote:
pfxtc said:
Quote:
akira_akuma said: fuller sound on FLAC. not even a debate.
great for classical music. pump that shit to max volume and actually HEAR the production of the piece! whoa!
Yeah anyone who says they don't notice a difference has really shitty ears or is just being stubborn.
the way i put it is there is less gaps in the waveforms (producing better sound AND...) and more space between these sounds (via more waveform of silence) providing a larger backdrop for the sounds of whatever you're listening to.
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musiclover420
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Re: FLAC's vs MP3 [Re: pfxtc]
#22136527 - 08/24/15 05:13 PM (8 years, 5 months ago) |
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I have a nice pair of headphones I have had for a couple years now, I feel like they have gotten a bit quieter over the years but they still sound great.
I almost got a headphone amp awhile back but decided I don't need it. My phone does a pretty good job actually compared to my old ipod anyways.
I actually almost got those headphones but went with a different pair that was a bit louder and had a more solid build.
At times I regretted not getting the Beyers as they were really comfy and the main downside of the set I got is it gets uncomfortable after awhile.
-------------------- Don't worry about me, I've got all that I need. And I'm singing my song to the sky You know how it feels, With the breeze of the sun in your eyes. Not minding that time's passing by I've got all and more, My smile, just as before. Is all that I carry with me I talk to myself, I need nobody else. I'm lost and I'm mine, yes I'm free
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pfxtc
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Quote:
akira_akuma said:
Quote:
pfxtc said:
Quote:
akira_akuma said: fuller sound on FLAC. not even a debate.
great for classical music. pump that shit to max volume and actually HEAR the production of the piece! whoa!
Yeah anyone who says they don't notice a difference has really shitty ears or is just being stubborn.
the way i put it is there is less gaps in the waveforms (producing better sound AND...) and more space between these sounds (via more waveform of silence) providing a larger backdrop for the sounds of whatever you're listening to.
I have a degree in the field so I'm pretty well versed
Quote:
musiclover420 said: I have a nice pair of headphones I have had for a couple years now, I feel like they have gotten a bit quieter over the years but they still sound great.
I almost got a headphone amp awhile back but decided I don't need it. My phone does a pretty good job actually compared to my old ipod anyways.
I actually almost got those headphones but went with a different pair that was a bit louder and had a more solid build.
At times I regretted not getting the Beyers as they were really comfy and the main downside of the set I got is it gets uncomfortable after awhile.
The beyer's are like having an angel's puffy vagina sitting on your ears all day. So comfortable, though in the heat they can be a little much. I also got them for like $99 with a 3-year replacement plan - some insane unlisted deal at Guitar Center that I think was an error It depends on what PMP/phone you have but typically an amp will almost always be beneficial - depends on the resistance in the headphones. 80ohm's can be powered for the most part by a PMP but will benefit volume-wise from an amp, 250ohm headphones on the other hand would really struggle without an amp.
What media player do you use?
-------------------- koods said: Young male going by the name "Bassfreak" entered Worcester General complaining of a sharp pain in his buttock region after attending EDM event. Attending physician considered a possible diagnosis of acute rave anus, but upon further investigation it was determined there was nothing cute about patient's anus. Life-long trip report
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badchad
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See if you can tell the difference.
In the audio world "FLAC vs. mp3" is like wine debate. Everyone claims one format is WAY better, but under blinded conditions, people get it wrong all the time. I don't think there are a whole lot of data to suggest people can actually tell the difference between something like kbps and FLAC.
-------------------- ...the whole experience is (and is as) a profound piece of knowledge. It is an indellible experience; it is forever known. I have known myself in a way I doubt I would have ever occurred except as it did. Smith, P. Bull. Menninger Clinic (1959) 23:20-27; p. 27. ...most subjects find the experience valuable, some find it frightening, and many say that is it uniquely lovely. Osmond, H. Annals, NY Acad Science (1957) 66:418-434; p.436
Edited by badchad (08/24/15 05:25 PM)
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