Converting my CD Collection from .FLAC to .WAV

Another factor may be CD burn speed. Since music Cd's have traditionally been burned at low speeds to preserve data integrity, I reset the burn speed in Windows Media Player to "slow," and this has resulted in yet another layer of glare disappearing from CD playback. It is possible that the "fast" and even "medium" burn speeds that Windows is factory set to are too fast to guarantee absolute data integrity for music files. Of course, this also presumes that the flac files I am downloading were also recorded at a speed slow enough to preserve data integrity.

@bolong 

Have you checked any of the downloaded files with software like “Audiochecker” to determine the file provenance? Just a thought as some files are manipulated from lower resolution prior to being available for download or streaming. 
I’ve never experienced sound quality issues as a product of copy speed but then again its been almost 15 years since I used a computer to copy and store (used DB  Poweramp). I’ve been using a Naim Uniti Core for ripping/storage the last 5 years or so and have had no issues. Once in a great while a disk might produce ripping errors but the Naim will make multiple passes until it is overcome. I’ve never heard as much as a click during playback.

Here’s a link to the “Audiochecker” site if you’re interested-

Audiochecker

On the topic of metadata - having invested tons of time to rip my files to WAV, I wished I had started with FLAC instead. Transferring any WAV files to another device, I invariably lose album and track data and have to rip again, or worse, I end up with incorrect data when I try to synch with Gracenote. I too chose WAV files based on listening tests, but in hindsight - hard drives fail, you will need to copy onto new devices, and FLAC keeps the meta data intact.

I am burning CD's only. That's my storage.

I continue to be impressed with .wav files on my Cd transport to dac to amplifiers system, and further impressed by Cd's that have been burned from my digital files at slow speeds. My theory is becoming that slower speed burns create less "flutter" on the spinning disc. There sounds to be more data on these slower burned CD's. I am hearing more, and what's more a layer of grain or fuzz is gone. I am wondering now if the graininess or glare of some cd playback might just be smears in the data from a too fast burn.

I am also finding the music to be zero fatiguing.