[xenithon]

So if one wants to be really pedantic, and rip using EAC but compress with ALAC, how would you about it? Ripping with EAC is easy enough; but which tool or encoder could you use with EAC to encode the files to ALAC (which can then be used with iTunes, be it Mac or PC)?


EDIT: just to add another question - that Benchmark article says that the iTunes volume control is of extremely high quality, and users should have no hesitation making use of it. If that is the case, why is it always recommended to NEVER touch the volume control (set it to 100% permanently) because any change to that makes the audio not bit-perfect?

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hempcamp /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, that depends. Assuming you believe you can hear picoseconds worth of jitter, if you feed the iMac's optical out to an external DAC that re-clocks or otherwise reduces jitter, there can be no difference between that and the digital output of a Juli@ fed to the same DAC.

I agree with you 100%. IF your digital output gets reclocked, (with a device like the Pace Car Reclocker) if the noise is inaudible and proper voltage is being applied, then you should have no audible difference.

Then there is the whole addition of high-end digital cables to this conversation. Or we can just not talk about it.

 

[hempcamp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by number1sixerfan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm using itunes with both. The only difference is that itunes does not natively support flac so I have to use a xiph quicktime component to "set" the flac files.

It seems to me that there is a mismatch between how iTunes is handling decompressed data from XiphQT and from native formats. You may want to ask the XiphQT development community or some of the folks at hydrogenaudio.org for assistance.

Either way, it's not the ALAC format itself that is causing the problem.

--Chris

 

[number1sixerfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hempcamp /img/forum/go_quote.gif It seems to me that there is a mismatch between how iTunes is handling decompressed data from XiphQT and from native formats. You may want to ask the XiphQT development community or some of the folks at hydrogenaudio.org for assistance. Either way, it's not the ALAC format itself that is causing the problem. --Chris

Yea, I don't think it's the format. I think it's the way it's being handled as well. I just can't figure it out. Thanks for the references, I'll check them out.

 

[Febs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPodPJ /img/forum/go_quote.gif Then there is the whole addition of high-end digital cables to this conversation. Or we can just not talk about it.

Let's not. Please.

Instead, why don't you (1) run the test that HempCamp asked you to run, and (2) find somewhere to host sample files which exhibit the issues that you've described here, so that we can address the subject of this thread rather than going off on another tangeant?

 

[dkjohnso]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Febs /img/forum/go_quote.gif Let's not. Please. Instead, why don't you (1) run the test that HempCamp asked you to run, and (2) find somewhere to host sample files which exhibit the issues that you've described here, so that we can address the subject of this thread rather than going off on another tangeant?

If IPodPJ wants to email me the files, I can host them. Send me a PM.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I have figured out a temporary fix to my problem. In itunes, I selected all songs and right clicked for the option "get info". I then went to the tab "options" and raised the volume adjustment one increment. Hopefully I can find out what is going on, but for now this will work.

 

[xenithon]

Has anyone ripped with EAC and encoded to ALAC (and which ALAC encoder did you use)?

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pangaea /img/forum/go_quote.gif iTunes on Windows must just suck. I can never understand why people hate iTunes. I absolutely love it- its one of the few applications that actually continues to grow on me. Part of my confusion on its reputation must come from the fact that I use it on a Mac.

Same here!
I actually did not understand why people absolutely hated iTunes. Until I tried the MS Windows version myself, and found it to be a sluggish (to say the least) compared to the Mac OS X version.

Nice to see that the tread title have been changed.
Cause the old one was plain wrong!

 

[variable114]

I've always liked itunes even on windows. it's the easiest mass music organizer. I use it for mp3s and am about 3/4 the way through ripping my collection in apple lossless (already done in flac, but I just got a new hdd

). I use Foobar as well, and while I love it for some things, I don't believe I'd use it if it wasn't for flac and the plugins.

 

[Febs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by variable114 /img/forum/go_quote.gif am about 3/4 the way through ripping my collection in apple lossless (already done in flac, but I just got a new hdd ).

Um, if you're collection is already in FLAC, why not just transcode it to ALAC rather than re-ripping? One of the advantages in using a lossless format is that there is no quality loss when switching from one to another.

 

[manaox2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Febs /img/forum/go_quote.gif Um, if you're collection is already in FLAC, why not just transcode it to ALAC rather than re-ripping? One of the advantages in using a lossless format is that there is no quality loss when switching from one to another.

no kidding. You even said before that at least one of your cds are now scratched (pink floyd).

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkjohnso /img/forum/go_quote.gif If IPodPJ wants to email me the files, I can host them. Send me a PM.

They are way too big to e-mail. If you can just give me the link to a free site that hosts, I will put them up. No one seems to know of any?

Edit: Ok, I think I found one that is really free and doesn't require a credit card or a huge sign-up process. Savefile.com allows you to host free files up to 60MB. I think the WAV file is only about 30MB so that should work fine. When I get home later I will do that and post the links.

 

[n4k33n]

If it doesn't work, I can host the files myself, I have an actual server at a datacenter

If that doesn't work with the free site youre trying, I'll give you an ftp account to upload them.

 

[Zunefan1]

Currently Windows lossless at 924kbps and FLAC at 1024kbps are the best options. Apple lossless craps out around 900kbps.