I barely knew what a FLAC file was - not switching

 

Agree plus .wav takes up a lot of storage. I am sure the program you used to convert will also do .wav if you wanted to try. Just remember if you convert from low quality like mp3 it can't make quality any better than the source so best to do it from original like a cd.

 

Exactly and too bad because I have a huge library of MP3s. I used Windows Media to rip the FLAC files and it worked well. So now I'll begin rebuilding a library of FLAC files from tons of CDs I still have!

 

What took you so long?

With Mp3tag, you can enter the tags manually and/or do mass edits. It's tedious, but it can be done.

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What’s your music? Mine are R & B from 1950’s. Very obscure but all organized and playing beautifully via Apple iPhone and Apple Car Play with wireless adapter.

After using a flash drive for 2 or 3 months, I bought an iPhone for my 2019 ES and use it wired with CarPlay for Apple HD Music and Google Maps.. Never looked back. Very happy with it all.

FLAC files and WAV files sound exactly the same. Size is the only advantage of FLAC files. With today's massive flash drives, space is much less of an issue than it used to be.

 

Technology is advancing at a fast pace. I read this morning that Samsung has a micro sd card that is faster than ssd drives. Amazing

 

Agreed!

I own more than my share of high-end audio components. For example, I have two home theater systems – a 7.1 one and an 11.2.4 one. More to the point however, my critical audio listening is done in my 2-channel audio room – never in either of my home theater rooms and most definitely not in my Lexus.

Speaking as a high-end audio enthusiast and having owned several dozen new vehicles over the years, I’ve never been concerned about audio quality in one. Sure, a so-called premium system will sound a bit better than the standard one. But the differences are ridiculously subtle and upgrades are a questionable expense, when compared to a highly resolved in-home play back system.

For serious listening, I use only FLAC files in the 2-channel audio room (no WAV’s). Verses WAV files, FLAC files or ALAC (Apple lossless files) are just fine! And FLAC files (vs WAV's) are definitely not a concern in any automobile system!!

In fact, MP3's created with the highest settings using for example, dBpoweramp’s converter (e.g. @ 320 kbps), would be impossible to tell from FLAC or WAV files, in an automobile system. The same unequivocally applies to HD (High-Definition) vs SD (Standard-Definition) audio files greater than: 16bit/44.1kHz. While the differences in my 100's of HD tracks can be heard on a very high-end in-home audio system, the differences are generally very subtle; perhaps providing a wider/deeper soundstage and a bit better imaging and a tad bit more resolution/reality. Audio file size differences are never as noticeable as video files -- i.e., SD (720 x 480) to HD (1280 x 720) to full-HD (1920 x 1080) to 4K (3480 x 2160). In fact, the original audio mastering engineer and the recording quality they capture, is more important than SD vs HD bitrates (e.g. Recording Engineer Steve Hoffman Info & Steve Hoffman Forums.) This ancient recording (by today's standards), is a testament to the prudent use of 1959's hardware and the recording engineer's prowess: Antal Dorati Conducting Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture

Although Lexus are well insulated, when driving, road noise abounds and one would be even more hard pressed to tell a MP3 from a WAV, from a FLAC/ALAC, file etc.

Compared to file types, audio music players (software) and especially DAC’s (hardware) "What is a DAC & do you need one?" will make much more of a difference in what is considered a low-level audio venue such as any automotive system (albeit a so called premium one, or otherwise). The same could be said for in-home low-level speakers, such as Amazon Echo’s. So, don’t sweat the small stuff as in file types or certainly not in SD vs HD digital files!

 

Nice write & on point! After more than 3yr appreciating 2 channel hi-res audio I still consider myself an Audiophile rookie; but I'll agree 100% with this! ^^^^

I envy you! I'm still at 5.2.4 and will probably be at 7.2.4 by year end. Just got a X6800H. Still I can't imagine the space needed for 11 ch bed layer.

 

Agree with your writeup as the only difference I can tell between flac and wav files is on my oscilloscope. As I had the space I used wav but I think going forward I will use flac. As for quality for one vs the other including mp3 it is all gone over 55 mph because of road noise. I have sirius xm and sometimes use hotspot on phone to app because can choose much higher quality over internet vs satellite. Don't use that feature at all on trips as the difference in quality is gone.

 

Speaking of the "bed layer", we opted for an adjustable queen bed as one of the seating positions in the 7.2.4 HT (home theater). Not only are the back and feet portions of the bed adjustable, but the head/pillow area also is. Being essentially the cost of 2-leather recliners, the queen bed made economic sense as well as comfort sense. I was happy that a friend happened to alert me to the adjustable bed idea.

As with any subjective endeavor/hobby (wine, food, autos etc.), highly-resolved and accurate, in-home audio reproduction isn't for everyone and it takes lots of experimentation and testing to understand and learn the subtleties of what's good and to establish one's sonic preferences. Many years ago, I was fortunate to find a local audio store owner who was more a hobbyist, than a salesman. He and the folks that frequented the store, provided a great learning experience regrading hardware differences and especially the introduction of (new-to-me) music and performers. An immersive way to get ones feet wet, or enhance one's listening experiences are by attending an audio show(s). There are several that are held throughout the U.S. per year. For instance, I just received an email advising of this one: Southwest Audio Fest.

Enjoy your surround sound room and when you get them, the (5.2.4 to 7.2.4) additional speakers. Atmos speaker positions definitely add to the effect, as do the rear speakers, but they're not nearly important as the 1st. 5 positional speakers (especially the left, center & right).

 

Nice idea! Will definitely look into...

Tell me about it! Once I learned REW it was a rabbit hole from there on.... Still learning....

The ML audio sounds really, really good. But even my $225 Audio Engine Computer Desktop Speakers paired with my PB1000 SUB blows my ML system out of the water. IMHO there's no way to get the sound stage and imaging in a car.

 

We too have M/L audio in our 2020 RX400. I agree M/L is good, but if it wasn't included on the RX we wanted, I wouldn't have ordered it. Like the whole-house music we enjoy from our several Amazon Echo speakers, it's fun to listen to, but I consider it to be background music, as I do music in the car.

FWIW, our adjustable bed is similar to this one: Leggett & Platt Simplicity 2.0., but ours was a Prodigy 2.0. We've had it for a couple of years and it has worked out well. Leggett & Platt makes most of the reclining mechanisms, used by good recliner manufacturers.

Audio Engine speakers are good ones. I have a similar pair of speakers I use in my bathroom (Vanatoo Transparent Zero One). They and the Audio Engine's do a good job of getting the mid-range fairly accurate, which is the lion's share of achieving realistic audio reproduction and the hallmark of a good speaker. Michael Lavorgna, a reviewer whom I respect, provides a great review of the upgrade to the Transparent Zero One's (The Transparent One Encore's).

I've never owned them, but I have a fondness for Magnepan (Maggie) planar speakers. I mention them because while Magnepan makes several large panels, they also have a mini speaker system (Maggie Mini's), that I've read good things about. Being a fan of panels, my 7.1 HT uses Martin Logan electrostatic speakers (Martin Logan). My two channel room also utilizes electrostatic speakers, but full-range ones; whereas, my Martin Logan speakers are hybrids -- i.e, they're a combination of electrostatic panels and the more usual cone drivers for the bass. I opted for Klipsch (horn) speakers in the larger HT area.

The bottom line goal for those of us seeking highly-resolved audio reproduction in our homes, is to create a 3-D illusion of being there -- at a performance, or in the studio. While it's impossible to recreate a symphonic performance in one's house, really good systems can create an illusion that is quite believable -- the more believable the better!!

 

Here's some food for thought to contribute to the already extensive conversation.😃https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...l#post11382724

 

It would be nice to find an easy solution to this. It's annoying that my '22 ES350 ML system ignores the numbered track order of the files in an album or folder, and plays the songs in alphabetical order instead. Seems like there should just be a setting to change. My Harley doesn't have this problem.

By the way, these files were written to the USB drive in track order, so that's not the problem, at least in my car.

 

How did you determine the order in which the files were written to the drive?

 

Don't make the mistake of assuming that your RX ML system sounds the same as the ES ML system. Every serious audiophile knows that the room is every much a component as any other component in your system. In fact, a bad sounding room can make a great sounding system sound very bad,

That being said, the ES ML system is amazing sounding. They did a great job of matching the ML system to the ES environment, I suggest that you listen to it with a high quality music source. I think you will be impressed.

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Speaking as a high-end audio enthusiast and having owned several dozen new vehicles over the years, I’ve never been concerned about audio quality in one. Sure, a so-called premium system will sound a bit better than the standard one. But the differences are ridiculously subtle and upgrades are a questionable expense, when compared to a highly resolved in-home play back system....

What equipment are you using in your "2-channel audio room?"