[RASeymour]

I've been enjoying my new Amp3 Pro.2 the last few days.

I loaded a mix of FLAC and MP3 file on it. I haven't put in a card yet, so they're all on the main memory.

Some FLAC files have clicks and ticks. Sounds like slightly used vinyl.

My question: Why isn't it consistent for all FLAC files? Some have ticks and some don't. I'm certain it is not the source file.

At first I thought the display may have something to do with this, but that didn't turn out to be always true. It does seem to cause clicks but the clicks also occur when the screen is off.

Then I thought about file folders. They are separate from the system file. I just created a couple of folders and dumped songs into the player.

This isn't a deal breaker. I have most of my songs in both formats but if there's a trick I'd like to know. I'm really enjoying this player. Especially if I chew a bit of Aspirin before listening.

 

[tstarn06]

I abandoned FLAC on my Pro1, but no need for it, really, in my view.

 

[Inks]

Maybe those few FLAC files that are having problems are lv8s which will make the whole encoding process for the player a lot harder.

 

[tstarn06]

Not sure, but I haven't tried any flac files on my Amp3, but since I only use onboard memory for the most part, don't ant to take up too much space. I may try it out with a card now that I have upgraded the firmware.

 

[Philski]

I have noticed the same thing, and I'm almost certain that it's due to the source file. I listened to several tracks yesterday with clicks on them, and they all occurred at the same places; the original file does not have any ticks at all.

The only guess I can make is that there was some corruption during the file transfer...

 

[RASeymour]

Premature post. It seems that the problem has disappeared. Two possible explanations.

One, I reloaded a random list of files, mostly FLAC, and from many different sources and types of music. This time I only loaded about 2.5 gb. Before I loaded over 3 gb. Maybe maxing out the machine too much? I've read elsewhere it didn't operate as well fully loaded. Also, Philski, I made sure that nothing else was going on during the transfer, because I too suspected corruption while transfering.

Two, just burn and use. The ticks came while using right out of the box. After about 15 hours of use/burn in the ticks went away. This seems to be the more likely explanation.

Also, I did some A/B testing between various flac/mp3 files. Many of the MP3 sounded great (most are ripped at high bit rates using Lame at VBR 0). However, I did notice differences doing the A/B.

For example, Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone on FLAC sounded much less harsh and just smoother that the mp3 version. Yo La Tengo had a somewhat stronger bass and richer sound. Guy Clark (acoustic guitar/vocal) sounded about the same either way.

Finally, I'm really liking the RE0 with this player. On other posts I said that the RE0 didn't sound compatible. That was with my first AMP3 Pro.2. I had to exchange that because of button problems (Thanks Craig for the great service!) Also, that player, even after some burn in also had the tick problem.