I am going to buy the audio recording of a live concert (Mark Knopfler) on a USB stick, and they offer it in either FLAC or MP3 format. I know that FLAC is superior, but is there any way of playing FLAC files thru the ML system without splashing out on new hardware (like a FLAC player)?

I have an iPhone but there isn't enough room left on it to store all the FLAC files.

 

Buy the FLAC version because of the higher audio quality; save the files to your computer and butn them to a CD for safe keeping. For any device or vehicle or phone or iPod that will not play the FLAC file directly, just get an audio converter program and convert the FLAC files to MP3 or whatever format is convenient. Audio converters are are available in lots of places, and many basic ones are free. (Many audio/video burning "suites" like Roxio have a conversion module that you might not know about.) FLAC to MP3 is a pretty basic conversion and you should not have a problem finding a converter. Finally, I think iTunes will do this also, but I'm not sure, although I'm sure that Google knows.

 

You can always burn the FLAC files to a CD.

 

retracted.

 

I think the actual question posed, directed to owners of an RC with ML, is whether the ML system will play FLAC files from a USB memory device.

 

does not play FLAC, one option is is buy a FLAC media player and use the aux in

 

Buying a media player is a lot to spend to hear a song, when an audio converter can be found for free.

 

Are you saying the CD player in the ML will play FLAC files?

 

No. I think Nick is saying that the Flac files can be burned to create an audio CD. The audio CD burning software will convert an MP3 or flac file to the audio CD format. The limitation is that the size limit of an audio CD is about an hour. Just copying the mp3 or flac files to a CD or DVD creates a data disc as opposed to an audio disc; only newer players will play mp3 files from a data disc. The standard RC audio system will do this, and you can put many, many hours of mp3 files onto a data disc.

 

It's simple really. The mp3 format is a compressed music format that is also known as "lossy" because the file size is shortened at the expense of quality to take up less storage. FLAC is a non-compressed "lossless" format similar to the traditional WAV (CD quality) format and encompasses a rather large file size. This why a typical CD can hold a lot more songs that are mp3 rather than FLAC or WAV.

Truth is, that an FLAC or WAV converted to at least a 192-bitrate mp3 file will sound just as good as its lossless relative but with the benefit of compressed size.

Consider downloading your FLAC songs to your PC and convert them to mp3 via a free audio converter that you can download on the net. Then upload the songs back to your portable device - or even a USB stick - to play them in the car. Just do not convert to less than 192 bitrate. I personally like 256-bit rate.

The irony is that the higher quality sound systems are more discerning when playing is lossless compared to lossy and "artifacts' can be more noticeable depending on the quality of the mp3 file.

It's probably certain that the mp3s provided to you from the manufacturer will be at least 320-bit and sound every bit as good as the FLAC. You can always verify by opening the stick in a computer and viewing the file details. If you want to preserve the FLAC "quality" all you need to do is use an audio converter utility to convert the FLAC to WAV (CD format) which is essentially the same thing but readable. You would just delete the FLAC after converting.

There is no reason to buy any special hardware for the ML. All you would need to do is convert FLAC to WAV is you prefer lossless over mp3. Hope this helps.



Hope this helps!

 

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll buy the FLAC versions and then I will have the best source material with which to experiment. This reminded me that the ML system in the RC utilizes a new technology called Clari-fi (http://www.clarifisound.com) which aims to restore the digital information lost thru compression. I mostly listen to MP3 files from a stick (hardly ever listen to CDs), so it will be interesting to see if the converted FLAC files sound any better.

 

I often come across such discussions and always recommend this article, it describes in detail the pros and cons of formats and current solutions: https://mac.eltima.com/flac-vs-mp3/

 

So weird looking at an 8 year old thread regarding Mark Knopfler. I enjoy listening to him and Dire Straits on vinyl, on the vintage Onkyo direct-drive turntable that I inherited from my father. It's fun hearing the FLAC word come about in this time of everything streaming.