Lossless audio files and more questions...

[Sonic Atrocity]

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this but I figured I'd give it a shot! I have a few questions and am not as knowledgeable as I'd like to be but am looking to learn. I am a serious musician and am looking to better my music listening experience. I was thinking that headphones would be key even for just at home listening. But anyways! Right now I have all of my music on my girlfriends computer. She has a desktop iMac (forget what model but it was made in 2008... leopard I think?). I downloaded all of the music in FLAC format and converted it to ALAC (apple lossless). She has an Ipod which is why I decided to switch to ALAC. But, I am not necessarily going to use that as the primary digital music player (I am on the market for a new digital music player).
 
We got windows XP on her Mac along with the original Mac operating system (we achieved this through Bootcamp). To convert my FLAC's to ALAC I used Max 
http://sbooth.org/Max/. Unfortunately, a lot of my files got all screwed up. 
 
So, here are my questions. 1) What lossless format should I use? 2) As long as I use lossless files do all sound file converting programs achieve the same quality? 3) What sound file converter should I use? 4) Would it be wise to use a sound file converter on the windows side of the Mac in order to use a better converter (ie: is the best sound file converter a PC program and not a Mac program?)? 5) What digital music player do you think would be best to be compatible with this (on board equalizer would be preferred)? 6) Is there a fundamental problem with how I am approaching this (please be honest! Any suggestions and help are appreciated)? 
 
 
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I think I posted about this stuff a long time ago but can't find the thread. Thanks guys!

 

[Hybrys]

Quote:

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this but I figured I'd give it a shot! I have a few questions and am not as knowledgeable as I'd like to be but am looking to learn. I am a serious musician and am looking to better my music listening experience. I was thinking that headphones would be key even for just at home listening. But anyways! Right now I have all of my music on my girlfriends computer. She has a desktop iMac (forget what model but it was made in 2008... leopard I think?). I downloaded all of the music in FLAC format and converted it to ALAC (apple lossless). She has an Ipod which is why I decided to switch to ALAC. But, I am not necessarily going to use that as the primary digital music player (I am on the market for a new digital music player).
 
We got windows XP on her Mac along with the original Mac operating system (we achieved this through Bootcamp). To convert my FLAC's to ALAC I used Max 
http://sbooth.org/Max/. Unfortunately, a lot of my files got all screwed up. 
 
So, here are my questions. 1) What lossless format should I use? 2) As long as I use lossless files do all sound file converting programs achieve the same quality? 3) What sound file converter should I use? 4) Would it be wise to use a sound file converter on the windows side of the Mac in order to use a better converter (ie: is the best sound file converter a PC program and not a Mac program?)? 5) What digital music player do you think would be best to be compatible with this (on board equalizer would be preferred)? 6) Is there a fundamental problem with how I am approaching this (please be honest! Any suggestions and help are appreciated)? 
 
 
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I think I posted about this stuff a long time ago but can't find the thread. Thanks guys!

1)  Doesn't matter.  Use whatever makes you happy.  I use FLAC, personally.
2)  A lossless to lossless conversation shouldn't have any effect on the track itself.
3)  Doesn't matter.  I use FlacSquisher, which you can use as a batch frontend to any converter with a commandline executable.  (Windows)
4)  Doesn't matter.  Lossless to lossless has no effect.
5)  The Cowon S9 has a decent equalizer, and very good sound quality.  A Sansa Clip+ with Rockbox is more versatile, with a slightly worse EQ.  If you want to use an Apple product, I'd go with a Classic.
6)  Not really.  The 'errors' you've witnessed changing them from FLAC to ALAC might be of the files themselves.  When downloading (I'm guessing illegally...) a lot of FLAC albums are just labeled that way, and are actually MP3s in FLAC form.  Watch for an EAC log or something to confirm it is actually FLAC lossless, from the CD.

 

[khaos974]

On the Windows side, you can also use dBPowerAmp (commercial) or Xrecode (a big splash screen for the unpaid shareware version) which both support direct ALAC <-> FLAC conversion.
Both software shouldn't mess with the tags.

 

[krmathis]

1. Why not just stick with ALAC? As it is compatible with her iPod, and like all the other lossless audio codecs it is lossless.
 
2. Yes. Unless something go horribly wrong, broken encoder or such.
 
3. Max is just fine. I have been using it for years and am well pleased.
 
4. No, I do not see why. Lossless is lossless, regardless if the application run on Mac OS X or MS Windows.
 
5. iPod - any of them. I would most probably go for an iPod nano or touch though.
 
6. No, I do not see any obvious faults. Transcoding between lossless audio codecs is lossless.

 

[Sonic Atrocity]

I have just hard that some encoders are better than others and that as a result of using a poor encoder one can get poor sound quality or something like that. But hey, I'm a n00b!

 
As for digital music players... does the player that you use effect sound quality? 

 

[khaos974]

That's just for lossy codecs such as mp3, vorbis or aac, the quality is strictly the same for all lossless codecs.
Choosing a lossless codec is a matter of convenience and compatibility, not quality.

 

[ROBSCIX]

 
Quote:

I have just hard that some encoders are better than others and that as a result of using a poor encoder one can get poor sound quality or something like that. But hey, I'm a n00b!

 
As for digital music players... does the player that you use effect sound quality? 

Some encoders are preferred other others for MP3..and other lossy encoders that remove audio for sake of file size.  A lossless encoder from the point of quality is the same as the next just different routines and supports in players.
As for players, it depends on many things as to if they will change the sound or not. -I am not sure if you are speaking about players on a PC or portable players, either way they can change the sound depending on their quality and how they are set up.  What you use for playback such as your headphones or speakers also play a part in the overall sound of your system.

 

[Sonic Atrocity]

In regards to digital music players I was originally asking about portable players (ie: Ipod) but I am now curious as to what would be best as a program on my computer (what is best in windows and which is best on the mac operating system?).
 
I am doing research elsewhere. I don't expect you guys to do it for me. I am just using this as another resource!

 

[ROBSCIX]

Quote:

In regards to digital music players I was originally asking about portable players (ie: Ipod) but I am now curious as to what would be best as a program on my computer (what is best in windows and which is best on the mac operating system?).
 
I am doing research elsewhere. I don't expect you guys to do it for me. I am just using this as another resource!

What is the best player is a bit of a debate around here but the majority of people seem to be using Foobar

 

[krmathis]

 
Quote:

I have just hard that some encoders are better than others and that as a result of using a poor encoder one can get poor sound quality or something like that. But hey, I'm a n00b!

That is true for lossy audio encoders, but not for lossless ones.
 
Quote:

As for digital music players... does the player that you use effect sound quality? 

Yes. Digital music players have different qualities, like most other stuff you buy out there...
 
Quote:

In regards to digital music players I was originally asking about portable players (ie: Ipod) but I am now curious as to what would be best as a program on my computer (what is best in windows and which is best on the mac operating system?).
 
I am doing research elsewhere. I don't expect you guys to do it for me. I am just using this as another resource!

 
I would say:
MS Windows -> Foobar2000
Mac OS X -> iTunes
 
Note that this is my opinion though, and that others around here may have different opinions.

 

[Sonic Atrocity]

 

(I sent this exact text to Hybrys but decided to post it here too so I get can other answers and perhaps more information)
 
 
I read what you said about some people posting MP3's that have been converted into FLAC's. You said that I should look for an EAC log to make sure they are real FLACs. Is there any other way to tell? And, exactly what should I look for in the EAC log to make sure that I am actually downloading real FLAC files? Or, is the fact that an EAC log exists enough proof? Is there such a thing as a fake EAC log or an illegitimate one? Anyways, thanks for your time. I appreciate it!
 
​

 

[Dalamar]

EAC logs can (and often are) be faked, you have to use aucdtect task manager or look at a spectral.
 
The biggest insult is that some lossy formats are hard to distinguish from lossless.

 

[Sonic Atrocity]

Quote:

EAC logs can (and often are) be faked, you have to use aucdtect task manager or look at a spectral.
 
The biggest insult is that some lossy formats are hard to distinguish from lossless.

Hmm, what is the best aucdtect task manager in your personal opinion? Also, what is a spectral? And, I am just looking to convert my FLAC's to ALAC (this may change due to what digital music player I get). 
 
Also, lossless files sound the exact same as the CD, correct?

 

[Sonic Atrocity]

One more question: Does a portable digital music player have the same quality as a CD player? I understand that qualities may vary on brand, but I am speaking generally. All I want is the best sound quality, best music experience, good portability, and safe listening! 

 

[Dalamar]

Isn't there only one aucdtect task manager? http://y-soft.org/English/products/auCDtect-Task-Manager/
 
RMAA measurements and facts are your friend, don't take the word of audiophiles.
Any difference I've heard between DACs, sound cards, onboard were marginal. The most obvious difference is always the frequency response, portable players and cheap cdplayers etc often aren't flat.
 
Clip+ is more than adequate sound quality, but if I recall right it wasn't entirely flat response either.
Honestly - I don't see why anyone would want a cd player at all. With this age of lossless files and huge space-saving hardrives, cds should be going the way vinyl should have - into the dumpster.