FLAC files and iTunes | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

curtisngl · Feb 26, 2014 at 9:31 PM

I know FLAC files are the best for sound quality, but I can't get iTunes to open any as FLACs. For the time being I converted them to 320kbps mp3s. I have the default open with iTunes set and I can't drag the files into iTunes either. Help!

Byrnie · Feb 26, 2014 at 9:34 PM

That's because they don't support FLAC, they have their own format for lossless called ALAC

curtisngl · Feb 26, 2014 at 9:38 PM

byrnie said:
Thats becuase support don't FLAC they have their own format for lossless called ALAC

Ok yeah. Luckily I have this nice converter that. Supports it. Sweet

curtisngl · Feb 26, 2014 at 9:40 PM

They still won't open in iTunes as an ALAC

Snips · Feb 26, 2014 at 10:13 PM

curtisngl said:
They still won't open in iTunes as an ALAC

Are you sure you have them converted properly? My own ALAC files are playing just fine on iTunes.

Right click the file in iTunes and click on Get Info. Does it say Apple Lossless under the file format?

Byrnie · Feb 26, 2014 at 10:26 PM

snips said:
Are you sure you have them converted properly? My own ALAC files are playing just fine on iTunes.

Right click the file in iTunes and click on Get Info. Does it say Apple Lossless under the file format?

On a side note, can iTunes convert from FLAC to ALAC?

Snips · Feb 26, 2014 at 10:32 PM

I don't really use iTunes much since I prefer Foobar, but I don't think I've come across a FLAC > ALAC converter in iTunes before.

curtisngl · Feb 26, 2014 at 10:34 PM

snips said:
Are you sure you have them converted properly? My own ALAC files are playing just fine on iTunes.

Right click the file in iTunes and click on Get Info. Does it say Apple Lossless under the file format?

It won't even go into iTunes. It says I properties though that it is an ALAC file and is a .alac that opens with iTunes.

Snips · Feb 26, 2014 at 10:43 PM

curtisngl said:
It won't even go into iTunes. It says I properties though that it is an ALAC file and is a .alac that opens with iTunes.

So the file extension is .alac? If so, try changing them to .m4a and see if you can drag them into iTunes.

curtisngl · Feb 26, 2014 at 10:52 PM

snips said:
So the file extension is .alac? If so, try changing them to .m4a and see if you can drag them into iTunes.

Is m4a lossless as well?

Byrnie · Feb 26, 2014 at 10:55 PM

snips said:
So the file extension is .alac? If so, try changing them to .m4a and see if you can drag them into iTunes.

I don't think that will work as iTunes won't know how to decode the file given it's still encoded as a FLAC file but labeled as an .m4a.

curtisngl · Feb 26, 2014 at 11:04 PM

byrnie said:
I don't think that will work as iTunes won't know how to decode the file given it's still encoded as a FLAC file but labeled as an .m4a.

The label isn't changed. They're actually convert them. To the point where my computer doesn't know what they open with and I have to tell it to open with iTunes

Snips · Feb 26, 2014 at 11:07 PM

curtisngl said:
Is m4a lossless as well?

My own ALAC files are all .m4a. According to the wiki page and several other sites ALAC files should be .m4a

I tried renaming several of my ALAC files to .alac and I can't drag them into iTunes as well. .m4a worked fine though.

curtisngl · Feb 26, 2014 at 11:11 PM

M4a worked for me too. Are they still as good as lossless FLAC or ALAC?

Snips · Feb 26, 2014 at 11:13 PM

curtisngl said:
M4a worked for me too. Are they still as good as lossless FLAC or ALAC?

There's no difference. M4a is supposed to be the container for ALAC.

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