[MatsudaMan]

Has anyone heard this new sony "lossless" format. Is it truely lossless or a just a gimick? Since I have a new NW-HD5 coming in the mail, I'll be able to try it soon. But until then, I"m itching to know what people think about it.

 

[zip22]

http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProdu...etwork+Walkman

are you sure you can use the lossless format on the nw-hd5?

 

[grenert]

ATRAC lossless is a little weird in that I think it keeps both a lossless and a compressed copy of the file in one. You select the bitrate of the compressed version when you do the rip. I don't think you can actually play the lossless file on any portable device. Really kinda pointless... Maybe it could be good if you did a lot of transcoding to different bitrates (presumably the transcode would be done from the lossless file, rather than from an already-compressed file). Might as well just rip to the highest ATRAC you can; or else to MP3 if you don't need gapless or care to max out battery life. I have to say that for classical music, ATRAC3+ at 256kbps is completely transparent to me.

-J. P.

 

[Sparky191]

AFAIK its not supported on ANY portable unit. CD, MD or MP3. You can listen to it in SonicStage on the PC only. When you create it, it includes a lower bitrate file, like 256kps (you choose which one) to speed up recoding to that lossless format. However theres a bug that if you want a different lossless file say 352kps from your ATRAC Lossless it rips it from the lower bit rate part not the Lossless. The 256kps in this case. Basically as a format in SS its useless till they fix that bug.

 

[MatsudaMan]

You can't pay it on the nw-hd? That kind of sucks. So atrac3+ at 256 is good enough? I listen mostly to well recorded classical and Jazz.

 

[Sparky191]

I use 256 myself. I think its a good. However you can also use 352kps, which does sound a tiny tiny bit better. Never did any serious ABX testing to see could I tell the difference in a blind test. You probbaly would notice it more with better earphones than I have. I've only cheap earphones, and like using buds on the move.

 

[Teflon]

Sony previously released new firmware that allowed the NW-A series to play (nonprotected) AAC files, so they might yet provide lossless support through another update of the player's software.

Don't know about the NW-HD5 though, I'd never even seen one before.

 

[Paul L]

Guys,

forgive me for asking a Sony related question off at a tangent. As an NW-A3000 (& Senn PX-100) user who is very happy in general and burning at 352KB, I have been able to set things up fairly easily.

However, either my pc or I'm assuming the Connect software do not always detect the loading of a CD when I load one to rip it. This is separate from protected discs which are recognised but don't rip.

Is there something obvious that perhaps you or others do to recognise the disc?

Re-loading doesn't work if it's in that mood and it takes a re-boot. My assumption is that there's a menu option somewhere if not automatically detected.

Back on topic, loss-less would be interesting although as a discerning listener who usually ditches any personal audio quickly my expectations have been met with overall sound quality at 352kb. Caveated though to say that only with the PX-100. I have a few personal audio earphones including Sony in-ear lying around from various things and having tried the lot, I was amazed how much better the PX100 are. If there are better out there without breaking the bank I will be itnerested to hear them at some time.

 

[Sparky191]

AFAIK the connect software is now replaced/superseeded by SonicStage 4.0. Maybe that will fix your problem.

 

[Teflon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul L Guys, forgive me for asking a Sony related question off at a tangent. As an NW-A3000 (& Senn PX-100) user who is very happy in general and burning at 352KB, I have been able to set things up fairly easily. However, either my pc or I'm assuming the Connect software do not always detect the loading of a CD when I load one to rip it. This is separate from protected discs which are recognised but don't rip. Is there something obvious that perhaps you or others do to recognise the disc?

What happens to me is it will recognize and rip the first disc just fine, but then when it's done and I swap in another it doesn't do anything. But the CDDB lookup still works. So it'll pull up the info and everything but the Rip button won't respond. Annoying...
However, after restarting Connect with the Walkman disconnected it usually works fine again.


Sonicstage seems to be even worse. It'll only get halfway through importing my library and corrupts the Walkman's database whenever I'm brave/foolish enough to connect it.

Aaargh, Sony why do you insist on tying your hardware to such trash software!?

 

[dura]

Quote:

What happens to me is it will recognize and rip the first disc just fine, but then when it's done and I swap in another it doesn't do anything.

On my system this happens if I swap discs too fast.
Now I have auto-eject on, and as soon as it asks for a new disk, its ok to load another one.

 

[twc5964]

I downloaded ss 4...in the atrac3 plus section picking the bitrates,the highest for me is 256....this is from a pcdp I just bought.Where is this 352 bitrate located ?

 

[Chef Medeski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grenert ATRAC lossless is a little weird in that I think it keeps both a lossless and a compressed copy of the file in one. You select the bitrate of the compressed version when you do the rip. I don't think you can actually play the lossless file on any portable device. Really kinda pointless...

Well... thats exactly what I need. I rip everything in Lossless and then also in AAC 320, so if a new format comes out, I rip from a pure source... well fairly pure.... instead of from AAC.

 

[Sparky191]

Does wavpack also contain a lossy version?

 

[Oga]

This is utterly pointless. Sony should support FLAC and stop wasting people's time.