The flac vs the wav files... 🫣🔥🧐

[DaveStarWalker]

The flac vs the wav files...

I use a musician Mdp2, sd and usb key drive.

And I use a system at home "not too bad", I guess :

Holo "Spring 3 KTE - PLL off", Nuprime "Cdt9 + Lps212”, Musician ”MDP-2”, McIntosh "Mc501" (x2), Focal "Micro Utopia Be", REL ”T/7x” (x2), DSW "REL True Link" (x2), Murmure Audio "Ultimate" (XLR, HP, AES, Power Cables and Distribution), Klinger "Floating Board", Synergistic Research "Master and Purple fuses", Ingress Audio "Rollerblocks", Marigo "Virtuoso Black CD Mat", Schumann resonator "Chartres Mk II", dedicated room.

In one word: REALISTIC.

OK...

And...

100% of the cases :

1/ usb keys sound better than SD cards... Every prices or brands. Complete surprise, but I do have a theory. I plan to check it out one of these days.

2/ in all the cases (16, 24, 32 bits and 44.1, 48, 96, 192 khz, etc.), all things being equal, the wav files sound better.

Better ? Realistic, natural, dimensionality, density, palpability... It sounds REAL.

With the flac files, every qualities, it seems to miss something. Like something fake, like a counterfeit : every thing seems to be correct... but like a luxury bag or a watch, since you observe certain details, it's wrong or bad executed.

It's very disturbing...

 

[arielext]

So the exact same file (either lossless compressed to FLAC or direct played as WAV) or played from a different carrier (SD vs USB) sound different? start 2nd guessing the quality of that musician Mdp2.

 

[DaveStarWalker]

So the exact same file (either lossless compressed to FLAC or direct played as WAV) or played from a different carrier (SD vs USB) sound different? start 2nd guessing the quality of that musician Mdp2.

All things being equal...

... And different permutations... Of course

I have tested all the possibilities.

And...

In 100% of the cases, cd's sound better... Than files. .......... Wav or flac. All things being equal too, but also 16/44.1 vs same, 24/96, 24/192... Etc.

This is an observation that I have made in others for years, but now that I am equipped, I have dug and I am digging the subject.

It's true.

 

[castleofargh]

Possibilities:
1/ the data is different.
Use stuff you compressed yourself so it's the same master and file reference. Maybe make absolutely sure with a checksum.
2/ the device decoding the FLAC is somehow creating differences that aren't causing the playback to skip or stop, but are still enough to be audible. So either there's an extra DSP involved, or whatever happens is not about the digital file at all. You could try to loop the signal, record it, and use something like DeltaWave to check for difference. Or if you decide to loop further down the chain and record analog signal, you can then ABX to verify that there indeed is an audible difference(some work is needed to cut the recorded files so they are as time aligned as possible).
3/ The guy doing the listening is wrong(bad testing, "listening" with your eyes). From researchers to insurance companies, everybody knows and has the data to back it up, that 3/ tends to be the simple conclusion to a significant amount of situations. I only put it in third because that's the last piece in the playback chain, not because it's the least likely answer.

End of list. The file, the gear, the guy, that's all there is. Anything else(weather, electrical grid, solar flair, passing UFO, gremlins) would not create a consistent result.

 

[DaveStarWalker]

Possibilities:
1/ the data is different.
Use stuff you compressed yourself so it's the same master and file reference. Maybe make absolutely sure with a checksum.
2/ the device decoding the FLAC is somehow creating differences that aren't causing the playback to skip or stop, but are still enough to be audible. So either there's an extra DSP involved, or whatever happens is not about the digital file at all. You could try to loop the signal, record it, and use something like DeltaWave to check for difference. Or if you decide to loop further down the chain and record analog signal, you can then ABX to verify that there indeed is an audible difference(some work is needed to cut the recorded files so they are as time aligned as possible).
3/ The guy doing the listening is wrong(bad testing, "listening" with your eyes). From researchers to insurance companies, everybody knows and has the data to back it up, that 3/ tends to be the simple conclusion to a significant amount of situations. I only put it in third because that's the last piece in the playback chain, not because it's the least likely answer.

End of list. The file, the gear, the guy, that's all there is. Anything else(weather, electrical grid, solar flair, passing UFO, gremlins) would not result in a consistent result.

1/Data is strictly the same.
2/ I don't know.
3/ Always a possibility. But I don't think so*.

So as you are a Frenchman, like me, you are free to come to my house and listen.

Pm ?

* I am absolutely no interest to prefere the biggest files... I am not stupid... At the contrary , it pisses me off...