PCM files on HDX ??

PCM means pulse code modulation and it describes the way an analog signal can be represented digitaly. WAV or FLAC are file formates to store audio information. WAV (Windows world) is like AIFF (Apple world) an uncompressed format while FLAC or ALAC are lossless compressed. Both formates store PCM. So if your streamer is capable to play WAV or FLAC it plays PCM. Your HDX should be able to deal with both.

Ok scrub the above I'm being a numpty. Should have done my homework...PCM files are downloaded as WAV file so not problem.

Thanks Jens had just stumbled on the answer myself. Should have looked harder before I turned to the forum

I would get the flac version simply because of tagging issues with wav.

There are no tagging issues with wav.

there are  issues with playback software not reading tags in wav

Jason,

Not exactly a FAQ, but Simon did technically clarify the WAV tagging issue a number of times, as revealed when using the Search function. Here's an example with "wav list chunk" as keywords:

https://forums.naimaudio.com/ad...agination.sort=SCORE

HTH

Maurice

Dear Too Old To Rock,

....or may I call you Jethro?

This is NOT a numpty question.

Be careful when buying HiRes files. There are a series of formats, and the HDX will not play them all, at least not when I last checked.

I just looked in an online HDX manual and it states it will play up to 24 bit 96khz. Which would rule out 24/192khz, for instance.

I seem to remember issues with 24/88.2khz.

When you buy such files you can manipulate them to change the bit and sample rates, whilst you can do this simply with various bits of software the results will depend on your knowledge and use of the software.

Also:

Look for reviews of what you are thinking of buying. Some files are just poor. Others are upsampled files from standard res recordings.

Personally I m far more interested in the recording quality rather than the technical specs of the files - ideally it is nice to have both.

M

Historically, Wavs have been a pain in the arse when it comes to tags, the outcome being virtually every audio software tags as sidecars or at least differently to each other.

this is inherently because wavs are a pain in the arse to tag.

So, I stand by my original statement, get flac, because all those tagging issues go away.

I am living with a HDX since the 2x500GB came out (now updated to SSD) and it does and did always play 48kHz, 96kHz and 192 kHz. 88.2kHz works also flawlessly but when I remember right there is an issue with 176.4kHz which I never tried.

There was an update of the sound board when the 2x500GB was released which enabled 192kHz playback. That are the only limitations I am aware of.

And M is right - HiRes does not always sound better (i´ve experienced both - from far better to no difference).

This 'manipulation' is called transcoding and a very common operation. Transcoding a 192 kHz file, be it wav or flac, to 96 kHz or any other sample rate is as easy as anything and hardly anything can be messed up during the process. Just make sure to keep the original copy, just in case you do want to listen to the higher resolution at a later stage.

Yes.

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...553#4945617446571553

chesky:

I knew it was one of the more unusual sample rates that certainly used to trip the HDX - hence my less than authoritative words.

PinkHamster:

Easy to do, and easy to get wrong. If 'too old to rock' wants to look at this it is worth looking at interpolation, and the different settings that varying software will allow.

But I was trying to avoid an overly long, and didactic, response.

M

Jason

WAV as file container has according to its formal definition a reserved space for tags. Microsoft only puts in a limited number of tags, e.g. title, album, artist.

in the world of FLAC, MP3, APE etc. there are more tags in use and they have developed a coding scheme called ID3.

Already quite a few years ago, programs started to add this ID3 standard in the WAV-container inside a section of the reserved space for tags.

in the meantime most known audioplayers can recognise tags in WAV, like JRiver, foobar, MediaMonkey and more.

the most welknown and used Cd-ripper and mediaconverter, dBPoweramp, but also Foobar, and MediaMonkey (don't know about JRiver cause I never used that one) will add these ID3 tags to WAV-files when ripping CD's, so most people won't have problems with tagged WAV-files. This is all in Windows territory, I don't know about the Apple Universe, that's a separate reality.

An additional advantage is that WAV will sound better than FLAC, due to the reduced amount of CPU-processing required for decompressing and thereby less noise from that. Unless one would use uncompressed FLAC, but then there is no advantage over using WAV unless using an old, outdated audioplayer that can't handle tags in WAV. :-)

cheers

aleg

Hi Aleg,

Thanks for your time and clarification on this matter, and I am happy to accept this statement and will go with it. Now I am able to understand the 'issue' that non WAV users keep referring to.

Jason

A small correction here, Aleg, if you don't mind.

The tag format used by FLAC is not ID3 but Vorbis Comments (also used notably in the Ogg Vorbis file format, hence the name).

APE is a different tagging format -- similar to Vorbis Comments in that it is free-form, unlike ID3. It is used in less common file formats like Monkey's Audio, Musepack, Wavpack, etc. APE can be used in MP3 files by some software, but I guess it's rather unusual.

The most commonly used tagging format -- save for Vorbis Comments in FLAC files -- is indeed ID3: it's the tagging format used by the most popular audio file formats like MP3 and M4A (the file format used by Apple with its AAC (lossy; what you buy on the iTunes Music Store at the moment) and ALAC (lossless) codecs). I guess that's why it has been implemented by some software as a custom chunk in WAV.

Always fascinating the way these forums topics broaden out. A lot of good information out there.

I downloaded the PCM files from iTrax and they come in a WAV container format so no problem playing on the HDX. I almost always edit the ID tags for downloaded music in dBPoweramp. in order the change the genre which I use widely when searching for music to play. The resulting tag data is not a comprehensive as the WAV data from a ripped disc on the HDX but is sufficient for my use.

I also download FLAC albums frequently from the LINN website and have no problem with the quality, tags or anything else. I have not been in a position to directly compare FLAC and WAV of identical resolutions but to my ears the studiomaster quality FLAC albums sound pretty good.

I agree with Mr Underhill that not all Hres albums orth the expense and in some cases do not sound a s good. My biggest disappointment of late was the Stones GRRR album. So many of HRes tracks on this album to my ears sound worse than they do on earlier CD's in my collection.

Out of interest I have listened extensively to all of the 192 khz releases from Naim and compared many of them to either lower res downloads or CD rips from the HDX. I have to say that to my ears and on my equipment I could not tell the difference between the 96 Khz recordings and the 192. However there was a significant improvement for the 192 khz recordings when compared to the CD rips. They are very fine recordings indeed and highly recommended.