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CD vs FLAC

Hi Folks,

I am currently investigating a new home system and some of the questions I have are with respect to digital audio. My questions are:

1. All other components remaining equal (speakers, amps, preamp, etc.) is there any loss of audio quality in playing a FLAC file vs the track from a CD?

2. If there is a noticeable loss then what CD player would you recommend for a $1000 budget.

3. If there is no noticeable loss and I were to convert all my CD library to FLAC files and store them on a network accessible media server what source component would I use to stream this through my system - again keeping the budget to $1000?

4. Are there quality sounding CD players (first and foremost for CDs) that would allow the FLAC files to be processed through it and output to the preamp?

The system I am looking at would be comprised of the following:

Odyssey Stratos HT-3 Extreme
Odyssey Khartago 2-channel Basic
Odyssey Lorelei front speakers
Outlaw 975 AV Processor

If you require any additional information to respond then please let me know.

Thanks for your assistance!
remedy451
realremo
460 posts
 
FLAC is a lossless format, the digital track on your CD is also a lossless format. FLAC can be compressed, but similar to the Apple Lossless format, the track uncompresses at playback time.
The difference in audio quality is in the head unit that plays the track. There are crappy CD players and there are crappy computer-based audio solutions.
I have a laptop->USB converter->DAC front end that prices around $1400, including all the software, and I have never compared it to a similarly priced CD player in my system/room, but the convenience of accessing my entire music library from my iPad trounces any thought of going back to a disc spinner. It is a lot more up-front work tho, that's for sure; you have to be a tinkerer, and that can be frustrating for some people.
rlwainwright
1,904 posts
 
I would recommend you look into getting an Oppo BDP-105. This gives you a superb CD/DVD/Bluray player, the ability to connect a USB drive and playback FLACs as well as many other formats, in addition to network streaming capability AND a top-notch DAC. This one-box solution would seem to suit you quite well...

-RW-
levy03
442 posts
 
depends on your cd player or transport/dac combo imho. i have noticed very slight differences between FLAC/CD using PSA's pwt/pwd vs the pwd/bridge (pwt sounds a tiny bit better to my ears using I2S). these "differences" (improvements) are only noticeable during critical listening.

have auditioned several other cd players in my set-up (sony, oppo and rotel) and could not tell a difference (Flac sounded the same as CD). thinking a higher end CD player would resolve the difference better but am yet to have an opportunity to try.

a $1000-ish msrp cd player compared to FLAC will sound the same imho.
m_snow
57 posts
 
Remedy - I have done extensive comparisons between flac & wav formats and the wav format has won hands down.

Something to think about.

(You look back at my prior threads & find the one where we've discussed it pretty in depth, if you're interested).

mike
remedy451 OP
2 posts
 
I was going to be getting the Oppo BDP-103 as my dedicated Blu Ray/DVD player. What about the Audiolab 8200CD? I hear that its an excellent CD player and DAC.
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