[immersifi]

I think you may have misread that; he said AAC, and not ALAC. You're right though in that ALAC is lossless while AAC, like mp3, is lossy.

 

[Hapster]

Oh my mistake. I do see that now. Saw ALAC in the posts above

 

[immersifi]

Oh my mistake. I do see that now. Saw ALAC in the posts above

No problem.
 
For the geeks out there (that's not a slam, it's a compliment), you might want to check out this paper about mp3 and AAC encoding. Frankly, the block diagrams (figures 1 - 3) in this paper are alone reasons enough to peruse this paper.
 
http://graphics.ethz.ch/teaching/mmcom12/slides/mp3_and_aac_brandenburg.pdf
 
and for comparison purposes, here's a link to flac (I believe that flac and ALAC are similar in terms of the schemes, but certainly not likely to be the same) protocol:
 
https://xiph.org/flac/
 
Happy Reading.

 

[mikemike99]

A little bit offtopic:
 
I encoded (ALAC or FLAC) to HE-AAC (256 kbit. via Itunes).
 
Comparing it ot MP3 at 320 kbit (HD800 or MA900 or Stage 3, all connected to an LPA-2 and leveld out, different DA-Converters) I can not hear a difference. 
 
My usual equipment for listening to AAC is an iphone or a rockboxed clip+ (which has crossfeed too) with the ma900 and I'm shure that (for me) both will be good enough (AAC and MP3).
 
Regards Michael

 

[Malfunkt]

To devkerr,

I have really been enjoying CanOpener, not just for the crossfeed function but also for the little touches like the very precise volume control and the dosimeter. I would like to add one suggestion. On my computer I use a crossfeed app/room simulator called TB Isone and it does a great job of applying crossfeed, with the added advantage of a crossfeed compensation circuit that automatically balances the frequency response when crossfeed is applied. The bass boost when applying crossfeed in CanOpener is very noticeable, and I have been trying to EQ it out using the Equalizer and the Pencil EQ. Is it possible to add a crossfeed compensation circuit to CanOpener? If not, do you have any advice to balance the sound using the EQ?

Thanks.

I second this. It is noticeable. Enjoy CanOpener and have started using it with my hd650s.

 

[devkerr]

I second this. It is noticeable. Enjoy CanOpener and have started using it with my hd650s.

The CanOpener frequency response is compensated to an extent. It was designed to be consistent with the natural warmth that loudspeakers exhibit in a real room, but it definitely can be more noticeable on already warm headphones like the HD650's. Something like -1.5 dB on the Bass EQ @ 800 Hz would be a good starting point to compensate for any added low end, though it depends highly on the program material so it would require tweaking by ear. Otherwise, I'll look at providing a true compensation option — thanks!
 
In other news, we're making good on one of our most frequent user requests: CanOpener will be available as a Mac audio plug-in soon: http://blog.goodhertz.com/post/91889772186/canopener-studio

 

[A5ianInva5ion12]

How do you guys import your CD rips on to this app?

 

[MikeyFresh]

.

 

[KraftD1]

What about ripping CDs to ALAC (or covert to it) and drag them onto your device/sync normally?

 

[MikeyFresh]

.

 

[KraftD1]

Interesting. I know I could just drag them onto my old iPod Classic in iTunes, had assumed it would be the same, with the tracks appearing in the music library and playing in the app. Away from my computer for a few days, so can't check anything.

 

[A5ianInva5ion12]

Apple forces these music player apps to use a clunky file transfer interface within iTunes, under apps once you've connected an iOS device.

You connect the iOS device to the computer, go to the device's apps tab, and scroll down to where they have a list of apps that can accept "documents", but in this case they aren't document files you will transfer, they are music files.

Not the most elegant way of syncing music, and I'm pretty sure I've yet to figure out how to designate multiple files at one time, it only reliably works for me one track at a time which is tedious. However none of this is the fault of CanOpener, nor Onkyo HF Player, Neutron, etc... this is all a stupid Apple imposed restriction on how the file transfer is allowed to occur.

Rumor has it iOS8 theoretically allows for improvement of this process, however no one knows for sure until Apple actually approves an app for iOS8 that allows for a smoother better way of transferring files.

Don't let the above stop you however, CanOpener is a great app and worth the time and trouble regarding the tedious file transfer process, which again, is not their fault nor their likely choice for how it should work. Blame that on Apple.

Thanks, and I've had this app for awhile now (130 hours), I just wanted to start using lossless music in case I ever upgrade to a dedicated DAP like the new fiio X5 and I figured I might as well put them on my phone in the meantime. I'll try adding them in tomorrow when my CD (Cancer 4 Cure by El-P) comes in the mail.

 

[GrindingThud]

Alac seems to work fine for me within the normal itunes infrastructure. Other formats need to use the file transfer.

What about ripping CDs to ALAC (or covert to it) and drag them onto your device/sync normally?

 

[MikeyFresh]

Alac seems to work fine for me within the normal itunes infrastructure. Other formats need to use the file transfer.

So you are adding 16/44.1 ALAC files to the stock iOS Music player app through a standard iTunes sync, and then you can see/access/play those files in CanOpener?

Edit thanks for the tip, I had wiped the stock Music player app of all tracks to make room for 24/96 and 24/192 hi-rez tracks, which are also ALAC encoded but won't sync via iTunes, so you have to use the "document" file transfer method for those. I had not added back any 16/44.1 tracks via regular iTunes sync until just now, and I see and can play them in CanOpener.

 

[GrindingThud]

24/48 syncs also