[jrthate]

So, Ive got some FLAC files that I would like to play on my Ipod. However it doesnt natively play.
 
I read some threads elsewhere that discuss converting to mp3 but doesn't this defeat the purpose im trying to achieve? 
 

 

[El_Doug]

You can possibly rockbox your ipod, depending on the model, which would allow for FLAC playback.  Or you can possibly convert it into ALAC. 
 
In general though, if you compress it to a high bitrate mp3, you won't hear a difference - especially on-the-go.  FLAC is useful for archiving at home, so that subsequent compression won't continually degrade the file. 

 

[proton007]

I use my Classic for home use and more intense/serious listening, when I'm actually paying attention to music. All in ALAC.
For daily outdoor use I have my nano, and I just fill it with 320kpbs MP3. If you just want some music to listen to when working/commuting, MP3 is good enough.

 

[JonnyRocket]

If you have an ipodtouch, I believe their are a couple of FLAC player apps that you can download from the app store.

 

[bigshot]

No one has mentioned the most obvious problem with lossless on the iPod.... It isn't designed to cache huge files properly. The hard drive is going to be running all the time, causing occasional skips in playback, wearing out your hard drive prematurely, and totally destroying your battery life.

Encode AAC 192 or 256. You will never hear a difference.

 

[AKG240mkII]

Quote:

The hard drive is going to be running all the time

No it isn't .
 
Quote:

causing occasional skips in playback

Never happens to me .
 
 
Quote:

wearing out your hard drive prematurely

Hasn't happened to anyone I know . If it does : Great excuse to get a SSD or CF-mod ..
 
 
Quote:

and totally destroying your battery life

Agreed, 26-28 hours FLAC playback for a 120GB Classic is horrible !
 
 
Quote:

Encode AAC 192 or 256. You will never hear a difference.

Yes I will .
If you listen to good recordings of real instruments you can hear a difference .

 

[bigshot]

I love it when people do line by line quotes. It's always the sign that someone knows what they're talking about (28 hours of playback playing lossless, yeah right.)

The ipod classic's cache size is 64 mb. Every time the cache runs down, it has to spin up the drive to reload it. If the entire file fits in the cache, everything is fine, but if the file size of a song is over 64 meg, it will skip briefly as it reloads. Every 64 megs, the drive spins up. Lossless requires MANY more spinups than AAC does. (Wear and tear. Battery use.) AAC at 256 is totally transparent on any kind of music and on the best stereos.

 

[IEATTIGER]

AAC at 256 is totally transparent on any kind of music and on the best stereos.

I agree with everything prior to this.

 

[proton007]

The battery issue with lossless, AFAIK, affects your battery life by varying degrees. If you listen to the whole album in sequence, then it works best because subsequent songs are cached when one is playing. If you choose randomly, it'll run the hard-drive more. In any case the hdd will run more if you choose random songs, without creating a playlist for those songs.

 

[bigshot]

And the HD will run at least ten times more than playing AAC files that sound exactly the same.

If you think you can hear the difference between lossless and AAC 256 VBR, take your favorite song, encode it both ways and do a line level matched A/B comparison. You'll be surprised.

 

[schuh]

I have 160GB of Apple lossless on my iPod and it works perfectly with long battery life. I listen to mostly jazz and never have any skipping.. You can hear the difference. XLD is a simple, fast program for converting.

 

[kryten123]

This FLAC player works well with Apple players  http://hammockdistrict.com/flacplayer/

 

[proton007]

Quote:

And the HD will run at least ten times more than playing AAC files that sound exactly the same.
If you think you can hear the difference between lossless and AAC 256 VBR, take your favorite song, encode it both ways and do a line level matched A/B comparison. You'll be surprised.

 
I do use 320kbps MP3 for my nano, and I tried to do an ABX using foobar, I got 8/10 matches, but had to listen very carefully. So for regular outdoor use I just use MP3. For the Classic which I use at home or during long journeys the storage space is plenty, so why not use it with lossless. Thats one of the reasons I got it in the first place.

 

[bigshot]

Try AAC at 256 and above. MP4 is better than MP3. I have a year and a half of music on my media server, all AAC 256 VBR. Totally transparent.

 

[Mauricio]

Quote:

I have 160GB of Apple lossless on my iPod and it works perfectly with long battery life. I listen to mostly jazz and never have any skipping.. You can hear the difference. XLD is a simple, fast program for converting.

 
Same here.  Apple iPod Classic Classic 160GB with nothing but ALAC.  Great battery life and never any skipping or stuttering on music playback.  And no, JPEG is still not the equal of RAW or TIFF.