He says that no one who's not be pro trained in sound engineering can hear the difference between a recent 320 MP3 file and a FLAC/CD file if both are being read on the same device with the same quality. I told him that so many people are like "How can u listen to MP3, the sound quality is terrible, I only listen to FLAC", and he said that this was pure snobism because no one could hear any bloody difference

So what the fuck???

databank said:

He says that no one who's not be pro trained in sound engineering can hear the difference between a recent 320 MP3 file and a FLAC/CD file if both are being read on the same device with the same quality. I told him that so many people are like "How can u listen to MP3, the sound quality is terrible, I only listen to FLAC", and he said that this was pure snobism because no one could hear any bloody difference

So what the fuck???

I've heard the same thing from a sound engineer.

He said that the basic reason why FLAC is superior is that there is no data loss, so that when you move between formats you retain an identical version of the orginal wave file or some crazy thing like that.

He basically said that if you rip to mp3, then burn to cd and then rip to mp3 again, then you start to hear the degraded sound through that process due to data loss. But, a rip from CD or another format to 320 mp3 will render sound quality that isn't discernable from ripping from CD to flac.


Of course, I can't hear the difference either.

But, what I noticed does make a big difference to me is the quality of the headphones that I am listening to. Those expensive shures really do make a difference from just a casual pair of Sony headphones.

databank said:

He says that no one who's not be pro trained in sound engineering can hear the difference between a recent 320 MP3 file and a FLAC/CD file if both are being read on the same device with the same quality. I told him that so many people are like "How can u listen to MP3, the sound quality is terrible, I only listen to FLAC", and he said that this was pure snobism because no one could hear any bloody difference

So what the fuck???

Lucky 4 me......I am.

I don't think people realise how much of their hearing they've lost by the time they're 25. It's quite alot.

They used to have deterrant alarms (called mosquitos) outside some UK shops that only under-25s fresh ears could hear. They got banned i think. Obviously it was an irritating annoying noise, but i never heard it, but i'm well past it.

So i guess it's debatable. File size issues mean i convert FLAC anyway to 320 mp3. Can't say it bothers me.

Saw a kid with some Roland headphones pugged into an iPhone... I tought it was funny.

Sacrificing sound quality over the convenience of having practically my entire music collection in the palm of my hand, is a practice I've learned to live with and love.

Ripping all my CD's, Vinyl and some mixtapes at 320kps is certainly okay with me, to the point that I have started to sell off most of my collection, having several back-up drives of course.

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Juggling a demanding job, a long commute, two kids and a very active lifestyle, the MP3 player is the best invention for any music junkie!

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If I can't have a system like this in my house....what's the point?? Not that I have time to sit and listen to Side A and Side B. Beside, with headphones, I no longer have to defend my music choices nor be judged by them.

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[Edited 8/2/13 15:12pm]