[mwhals]

I have all ALAC files in my iTunes directory for loading onto my iPhone and I have all FLAC files in another directory for my Questyle QP1R and Sony HAP-1ZES in my stereo rack.

Does it make sense to keep both formats? The hard drive space is not an issue.

I burn my CDs to all locations all at one time with DbPoweramp, so time isn’t even an issue since all 12 cores (half virtual) of my CPU are coding.

 

[Roseval]

The "problem" is if you have to correct the tags, you have to do so on both collections.
As you are using iTunes, you can't use FLAC as iTunes don's support this format
But both the Questyle and the Sony do support ALAC
You might as well use ALAC on all devices.

 

[mwhals]

The "problem" is if you have to correct the tags, you have to do so on both collections.
As you are using iTunes, you can't use FLAC as iTunes don's support this format
But both the Questyle and the Sony do support ALAC
You might as well use ALAC on all devices.

True as I had thought about that. I set the tags at the time of burning with DBPoweramp, so I have never had to correct them. If I did, I would have to do it on all my devices too, so one more is not a pain. I might just go to all ALAC.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I have all ALAC files in my iTunes directory for loading onto my iPhone and I have all FLAC files in another directory for my Questyle QP1R and Sony HAP-1ZES in my stereo rack.
Does it make sense to keep both formats? The hard drive space is not an issue.
I burn my CDs to all locations all at one time with DbPoweramp, so time isn’t even an issue since all 12 cores (half virtual) of my CPU are coding.

I would say to keep both, you never know for sure what you might buy, in the future, Apple products or none Apple products.

 

[castleofargh]

I don't like how the logical choice comes from how Apple is a closed system on purpose, that really doesn't sit right with me. but at the same time, most other system will make the effort to be compatible with alac while apple may never bother with flac because that's how they've always worked. impose their will on the consumer and then push the giant marketing machine to convince people that they were the ones asking for those limitations all along.
so picking ALAC still remains the probably most versatile option...

but in any case, converting a library if one day there's a need for it, that's probably a matter of a few hours, maybe a night or 2 with the computer ON while asleep in the worst case scenario for a typical music owner. not the end of the world and both are lossless so any decision is ultimately reversible. IMO no risk getting rid of either one versions. better use that space one some external drive to make a copy as backup if the hard drive ever dies in an unrecoverable way.

 

[mwhals]

I use Flac for everything, except iTunes. If I want to reduce space, I would give iTunes 256k files. Space is not a problem as the ALACs only consume 250GB. AAC would be less, but not 256GB less. I do have the Flac files in the following places:

1. On my PC with a copy of ALAC in iTunes
2. On an external desktop drive that does a nightly incremental backup with a full every 6th incremental. This backups all documents and music.
3. On a portable drive disconnected from the PC and dedicated to FLAC files. This is my master.
4. On a portable drive disconnected from the PC used to backup all documents and music occasionally.
5. On a Sony HAP-1ZES
6. On the microSD in my QP1R
7, Lastly, all ALAC files are on my iPhone XS Max 512GB. Always with me,

Only other thing I may do is put them on a 512GB thumb drive and keep it with my key ring so it is always with me.

I could put them on one of my Microsoft OneDrives for an off site cloud storage instead of a thumb drive.

Worst case is that all the CDs are archived in boxes if needed.

 

[castleofargh]

oh a fellow paranoid Headfier ^_^. I keep at all time 3 copies of my library(SD cards and DAPs not included), one of which is at my mother's(in case of a fire or whatever). some previous drama in the early 2000 vaccinated me for a lifetime on the matter of music backup. at the time I ended up ripping again "only" about 200CDs. it took me almost an entire summer. never again!!!!!!

 

[mwhals]

oh a fellow paranoid Headfier ^_^. I keep at all time 3 copies of my library(SD cards and DAPs not included), one of which is at my mother's(in case of a fire or whatever). some previous drama in the early 2000 vaccinated me for a lifetime on the matter of music backup. at the time I ended up ripping again "only" about 200CDs. it took me almost an entire summer. never again!!!!!!

750 CDs for me and I vowed never again.

 

[bfreedma]

oh a fellow paranoid Headfier ^_^. I keep at all time 3 copies of my library(SD cards and DAPs not included), one of which is at my mother's(in case of a fire or whatever). some previous drama in the early 2000 vaccinated me for a lifetime on the matter of music backup. at the time I ended up ripping again "only" about 200CDs. it took me almost an entire summer. never again!!!!!!

Cloud backup simplifies the off site DR scenario. And it’s dirt cheap if you back up to Amazon Glacier.

 

[castleofargh]

Cloud backup simplifies the off site DR scenario. And it’s dirt cheap if you back up to Amazon Glacier.

sorry for the off topic ^_^.
right now my upload peaks at about 0.7mbps when the stars are aligned and the wind blows in the right direction(go live in the countryside they said, life is good there they said). so I only sync small vital stuff on FTPs and other "cloud" solutions. if someday I go back to an actual city with actual internet, then I'll consider cloud storage. but most likely I'll go back to being a nolife gamer the second I get a decent internet connection and would refuse to allocate any bandwidth for something that isn't gaming ^_^.