Yes, no problem for CD rips converted to FLAC. I haven't tried higher bitrates yet.

 

Converting to FLAC files will reproduce the source information without degradation. It will not, however, make anything sound better. Converting a poor recording to FLAC does nothing for the quality of the recording. If you purchase HD music though, it is appropriate to save it as a lossless file (FLAC or otherwise) to preserve the integrity of the recording.

 

Does it make much difference if a lossless compression method is used in car audio considering the quality of the HK system and road noise, etc. ?

 

Probably not. If you have a high quality recording, the quality of the music is limited by the weakest link .In this case it would apparently be the HK system.

 

Like everything opinions vary, here is someone who clearly thinks it won't.

https://warmleftovers.com/2012/08/05/no-flac-does-not-sound-better-and-you-are-not-an-audiophile-because-you-use-it-heres-what-it-actually-is-and-why-its-important/

 

The importance of FLAC in a car is not so much for quality in the car, but rather it allows you to keep one master FLAC collection and easily copy the tracks you want to USB stick without needing to transcode to mp3.

 

I didn't think of that!:surprise:

 

Every time you transcode a audio or video file the quality deteriorates

 

I purchase high bitrate music at HDtracks, Flac files sounds great and had no issues playing Audiophile 192kHz/24bit from the USB.

 

Good to know. Thanks

 

I haven't tried a lossless recording yet. I've been using MP3 at the highest quality. It is definitely better than AM/FM/SAT, by quite a bit.

 

The other advantage of FLAC besides being lossless and occupying about half the file size, is that it handles metadata robust and consistent manner that works in most playback systems. WAV is also lossless but doesn't have consistent metadata and doesn't compress the file size.
Does it matter to have lossless and even High Res audio in a car? Our brain is very good at filling in the missing information of a lossy compressed file like MP3 and AAC which is why it can seem like a fairly subtle difference in sound quality. The problem is that your brain is working hard and you get tired - audiophiles call it 'listener fatigue'. It is more relaxing and engaging to listen to the higher quality recordings.
There is a new format coming - called MQA - that is about the same files size as a FLAC 16/44 CD file, but it 'unfolds' up to 24/192 and includes other features like removal of time smearing caused by digital filters used in the recording process. I don't think any car systems have it yet, but high end audio products are available with the decoder. All the major music labels have signed on and all the streaming services are lined up to support it. Thankfully, it is backward compatible so it can play on any system at 16/44 CD quality. Tidal is already offering it as 'Masters' available with a Hi-Fi level subscription.

 

Huh? ��

 

MQA...
Thanks, I didn't know that. Learned something today!

I'm just now experimenting with FLAC, since my new favorite car doesn't have a CD player...

 

Sweet Christmas! I just came across this. I'm super excited now because I have a Fiio lossless player with a large portion of very high quality FLAC. I'll be very happy to stop using a USB drive with mp3s. Being able to use the same player in the gym, at work or in the car would be amazing.

 

I consider myself an audiophile of sorts I would safely say and I have placed all of my music library on 64 or 32 GB flash drives and they are mostly in FLAC or WAV format. Does anyone have any experience in the WAV format? I converted about 70% in WAV before I realized the FLAC would take up a little less space. I suppose anything that would play FLAC would play WAV but maybe not. If it plays only one or the other or neither I am going to have an issue with that.


Has anyone given this method a whirl with either or both of these file formats? The HK system is O.K. but it lacks.
Havent had the chance to try it with something other than the radio which usually doesnt impress me anyway.
Thanks,


Daniel

 

Can you hook the FIIO player into the unit to play music from it? I figured as easy to play from USB as long as head unit shows menu.

 

I can tell the difference between MP3 and FLAC on the HK system.

the manual also says that only 64 GB USB is supported - that's an issue with FLAC since the files are so large. I tried a 128 GB Kingston and it works fine. I think the magic limit is the index file (15k tracks) and not the USB size, per se.

 

I didn't do FLAC but did WMA-Lossless. Lossless does sound better than mp3.

Used Windows Media Player (set up to auto-rip, making it relatively easy to do)
Originally ripped 50 CD's, first in MP3 (max sample rate)
Re-ripped the same 50 CD's in WMA-Lossless (after I bought the car) - Size - about 20gb

Put MP3s on one USB drive, WMA-L on another USB drive
Both plugged into glove box USB slots.

Easy to compare by switching between the two.

Have the HK system.

That all said, even though the lossless format sounds better and that's my default pick, I also have older mp3 files and listen to them without disappointment, but if you have a choice, rip lossless. If you don't know what a "CD" is....never mind.