Download: FLAC, WAV ?

There are plenty of format converters out there, many of them free, that will convert FLAC to WAV etc. although I don't know what happens when you use MQA files with them? A popular alternative to storing in WAV is to store FLAC, and use a server that will convert to WAV on playback, so that your streamer still gets WAVs, but you have the advantages of smaller file size and easier metadata handling using FLAC for storage.

Hi Chrissu: Thank you. If we for the moment forget the MQA component, will i still have the original WAV-file sound quality (after conversion from FLAC to WAV) ?

I remain impressed that I consistently (and often times easily) chose the WAV file as clearly better sounding ! And that's listening through out-board (although genuine 3-way's remain inexpensive ) computer speakers !

peter

I use dBpoweramp to convert any FLAC, or other format files, to WAV.   Its essentially a bit-for-bit format conversion & also carries over the metadata.    You do not lose anything - SQ or bits - in the conversion process.   

You can store albums as FLAC,  saving storage space, & transcode FLAC (or any other lossless format)  to WAV that feeds the Naim streamer/player.  This is done in your NAS wit its media server software,  but it depends on your NAS & its UPnP media server software capabilities,  some are better than others.   So what is your NAS & its media server software ???   Personally I prefer to convert & store as WAV (per 1st paragraph) rather than transcode.

The streamer will see WAV, just the same as if you were storing files as WAV. Worth trying this with one or two albums to test it for yourself, though, just to make sure it all works before you convert your entire library. You need to be using a server that is capable of doing this, such as Minimserver, Asset, or Unitiserve.

Hi PJ,

Naim streamers work best with WAV. I don't remember anymore the real reason, but I think it was about the fact that FLAC requires more processing power for unpacking. For LINN I belief it doesn't matter so much. Most people however store the files on the NAS in Flac because of storage reasons and because it's a bit more easy to handle with tagging. So it's advised to let your Naim streamer play on WAV as it's noticeable better sounding. Conversion from Flac to Wav can happen on the fly on your NAS with mimeserver or asset or any other capable software.

allhifi posted:

Good day, Hi-Fi faithful !

Question: I was about to do my first (ever!) music-file download; MQA (Onkyo Music) - 24/96 (FLAC) file. No other file options were avaialble.

Recent comparisons of file formats clearly revealed (to me) WAV the superior format.

Onkyo Music rep. suggested I find/ use a program to convert the FLAC (using format of choice) to WAV ? Knowing nothing about how this works, or more importantly if going from FLAC 'container' to WAV can even be faithfully (bit-for-bit) accomplished, I know not.

Anyone out there with answers ?

Thanks,

pj 

http://archive.oreilly.com/pub...etween_mp3_flac.html. Best, nbpf

ChrisSU posted:

The streamer will see WAV, just the same as if you were storing files as WAV. Worth trying this with one or two albums to test it for yourself, though, just to make sure it all works before you convert your entire library. You need to be using a server that is capable of doing this, such as Minimserver, Asset, or Unitiserve.

Excellent. Thanks for the info.

pj

Bert Schurink posted:

Hi PJ,

 

Naim streamers work best with WAV. I don't remember anymore the real reason, but I think it was about the fact that FLAC requires more processing power for unpacking. For LINN I belief it doesn't matter so much. Most people however store the files on the NAS in Flac because of storage reasons and because it's a bit more easy to handle with tagging. So it's advised to let your Naim streamer play on WAV as it's noticeable better sounding. Conversion from Flac to Wav can happen on the fly on your NAS with mimeserver or asset or any other capable software.

I'm guessing because WAV is clearly superior ! lol

pj

Well, I can't say I can tell any difference between flac and wav - may be my ears, may be the fact that my renderer is not Naim and is on a computer with plenty of processing power (and sounds better than did renderer stage of ND5XS).

Another vote for the  dBpoweramp Music Converter which I find easy to use when a WAV download is not available.

A vote of confidence for dB poweramp -reassuring .

Do you feel, believe, know (lol) if a FLAC file can be 'un-packed' to a precise, bit-for-bit accurate WAV file ?

pj

Mike-B posted:

I use dBpoweramp to convert any FLAC, or other format files, to WAV.   Its essentially a bit-for-bit format conversion & also carries over the metadata.    You do not lose anything - SQ or bits - in the conversion process.   

You can store albums as FLAC,  saving storage space, & transcode FLAC (or any other lossless format)  to WAV that feeds the Naim streamer/player.  This is done in your NAS wit its media server software,  but it depends on your NAS & its UPnP media server software capabilities,  some are better than others.   So what is your NAS & its media server software ???   Personally I prefer to convert & store as WAV (per 1st paragraph) rather than transcode.

Hi Mike-B: I am not only a complete (Streaming) newbie -but just a few weeks back purchased a (don't laugh) Pi-3B (moode/MPD). That's the extent of my 'streaming/streamer knowledge and sophistication. 

Since I'm really, really enjoying what I'm experiencing/hearing, the next step is to a more sophisticated set-up, and it is here where I can use user recommendations and/or expertise.

Thank you,

 peter 

Innocent Bystander posted:

Well, I can't say I can tell any difference between flac and wav - may be my ears, may be the fact that my renderer is not Naim and is on a computer with plenty of processing power (and sounds better than did renderer stage of ND5XS).

IB, you may be surprised to know that the output of Audirvana to a DAC is always in WAV.

@Allhifi: if you are on a Linux machine, just install the flac package, read the manual (man flac) and try it out. This will show you that .flac files can be converted to .wav files (and vice versa) without loss of information. For simple conversion commands between different file formats, please google "oreilly convert audio between mp3, flac, wav". Best, nbpf

Just to be sure its all understood - I have a hint of slight misunderstanding in some posts.

dBpoweramp is a software package (www purchase) loaded onto your laptop/PC/Mac,  that amongst many things like ripping CD's,   is used to convert music file formats e.g. FLAC to WAV (it will convert any lossless file type to any other - it can also convert lossless to lossy e.g. MP3)      The converted file is bit-for-bit & nothing is lost.     The file - in your case WAV - is stored as a WAV on your NAS & your streamer plays that as & when you choose.   dBpoweramp has no more involvement.  

The other suggestion is to store the FLAC or other lossless format on your NAS & set the NAS media software to "transcode" to WAV,  this feeds a WAV stream to the player each & every time its played, or as long as the NAS transcode setting is retained.   The stored file remains FLAC & dBpoweramp is not involved. 

I always use method one

I use dBpoweramp also. Life would be easier if I couldn't hear a difference between FLAC and WAV. But I do.  So I convert when I can't obtain a WAV file, which is rare.

allhifi posted:

Do you feel, believe, know (lol) if a FLAC file can be 'un-packed' to a precise, bit-for-bit accurate WAV file ?

When I have done technical analysis of transcoded FLAC and Wav using WireShark and using Asset or MinimStreamer the PCM rendered has been bit for bit identical over gigabits of material. The technology used is prevalent in the IT world and digital communications - and if it didn't work much of our use of IT services would collapse into a big messy puddle.

Now here is the interesting bit - if there was some future encoding format or transmission format that didn't quite do bit by bit identical and added continuous low level digital errors, as opposed to analogue audio errors, then the resultant audio would sound a mess....

S

I use dbpoweramp to rip CDs and manage metadata. Everything is ripped to flac. All my downloads are in flac as well. I then use Asset to transcode to WAV when music is played. WAV sounds better to me, and I can’t tell the difference between a flac played as WAV, and a WAV played in its native format. To me this gives the best of both worlds - smaller files with easy to manage metadata, and best sound. 

Too bad the Uniti Core can't transcode FLAC to WAV on the fly ...

That’s one of the great things about the Core; you pay more and get less. As upnp software, Asset and MinimServer are hard to beat. 

Yes HH, I've should have listened to you ...

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

allhifi posted:

Do you feel, believe, know (lol) if a FLAC file can be 'un-packed' to a precise, bit-for-bit accurate WAV file ?

When I have done technical analysis of transcoded FLAC and Wav using WireShark and using Asset or MinimStreamer the PCM rendered has been bit for bit identical over gigabits of material. The technology used is prevalent in the IT world and digital communications - and if it didn't work much of our use of IT services would collapse into a big messy puddle.

Now here is the interesting bit - if there was some future encoding format or transmission format that didn't quite do bit by bit identical and added continuous low level digital errors, as opposed to analogue audio errors, then the resultant audio would sound a mess....

S

Or indeed present (MQA).

imperialline posted:

Innocent Bystander posted:

Well, I can't say I can tell any difference between flac and wav - may be my ears, may be the fact that my renderer is not Naim and is on a computer with plenty of processing power (and sounds better than did renderer stage of ND5XS).

IB, you may be surprised to know that the output of Audirvana to a DAC is always in WAV.

Indeed I was unaware. May be why I could't hear a difference when I compared...

Hungryhalibut posted:

I use dbpoweramp to rip CDs and manage metadata. Everything is ripped to flac. All my downloads are in flac as well. I then use Asset to transcode to WAV when music is played. WAV sounds better to me, and I can’t tell the difference between a flac played as WAV, and a WAV played in its native format. To me this gives the best of both worlds - smaller files with easy to manage metadata, and best sound. 

+1

I also use Tagscanner for editing tags later (where, for example, I forgot to sort out the tags properly when I ripped them, or just got them a bit wrong). I recently downloaded 9 symphonies in WAV from Primephonic (FLAC download not available). My goodness - no ID tags at all! Fortunately Tagscanner auto-filled most of them and I tinkered with the rest.

Hungryhalibut posted:

....................     with easy to manage metadata   ............  

Managing (editing) metadata in purchased and/or converted WAV is just the same as editing metadata in FLAC.   Its only the different way that Naim have for formatting rips to WAV that is the problem .............  but we've been down that goat trail before I believe.