How good of an audio setup do you need to be able to hear a difference between FLAC and MP3 320kbps?

[mono-bloc]

You've offered unsolicited free medical advice over the internet.

Incorrect all I've done is offer some advice on a subject I have first hand experience with. And you rattle on about the why's and where'for's of a subject you have not encountered. Lucky you. People like you tend to over blow the problem to epic proportions, turning a simple opinion into a capital crime. Everyone entitled to an opinion and state it on the Internet, Sunshine. If you don't like it simply block me, It really is that simple. And quite marching down the road waving a sign saying I'm an A***hole. Everyone already knows that. Did you know that people have key-hole surgery on one of the most complex joints in the human body. Many people mostly in the sports world have two or three attempts to correct the problem. The medical profession love it, put simply it's "money in the bank". I know of active sportsman who went in for a standard knee procedure and came out on a wheelchair..

 

[Auditor55]

I hear it in the bass and I don't think you need a super expensive sub to hear it. If you compare a good quality CD to 320k rip, bass will often be less pronounced on the rip. That is my experience.

OK, have you compared them blind or double-blind?

 

[mono-bloc]

"Off cause if your only running an AVR base system, Then you can forget all about, any difference. It's going to sound crap which ever MP3 or FLAC your using"

Sounds like your in agreement I really did expect a better response from you. Just think you could go into great detail about just how incorrect I am. Not to comment on my bad grammar Then go into ASF, join the rest of the nut cases and proclaim how wrong I am. Before you take a multitude of useless measurements. Did you know that any half descent audio forum [ AS, WBF etc ] never comment on AVR's Simply because there not worth talking about, There simply a HDMI switch box, with a low end power supply, and are cheap to buy. Which are up'dated by the manufacturers every 8 months or so. That may or may not do a good job with home theatre. Where a large speaker array are used. But any sort of sound quality simply goes out the window.. And before you inquire, No I don't own an AVR, Many years ago I had a loan of a Yamaha Z11, which was quickly returned.

 

[Auditor55]

I don’t notice much of a difference so I’m wondering whether it’s worth it to re-download my 320kbps MP3s as FLAC. I don’t have the greatest audio equipment (above average) but someday I’d like to upgrade if I got the money https://9apps.ooo/. Keep in mind I’m not doing this for archival purposes or anything, I just like listening to my music in the best quality I can get with the equipment I have.

Some audiophiles make the claim, that if you don't hear a difference, your equipment must be the problem.

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like your in agreement I really did expect a better response from you. Just think you could go into great detail about just how incorrect I am. Not to comment on my bad grammar Then go into ASF, join the rest of the nut cases and proclaim how wrong I am. Before you take a multitude of useless measurements. Did you know that any half descent audio forum [ AS, WBF etc ] never comment on AVR's Simply because there not worth talking about, There simply a HDMI switch box, with a low end power supply, and are cheap to buy. Which are up'dated by the manufacturers every 8 months or so. That may or may not do a good job with home theatre. Where a large speaker array are used. But any sort of sound quality simply goes out the window.. And before you inquire, No I don't own an AVR, Many years ago I had a loan of a Yamaha Z11, which was quickly returned.

Where do you come up with this comedy gold? AS and WBF would possibly make it to half decent (let alone descending from there) but still mostly just half crocked. What's your screen name on ASR? (assuming thats what you meant by ASF).

 

[mono-bloc]

What's your screen name on ASR?

I'm not a member / contributor, or anything else. I looked at the site once really out of morbid curiosity, completely unimpressed, I simply clicked delete on the link, never to return.. Do I miss it, NO. I once just missed the Ebola virus , the feeling was about the same AS and WBF would possibly make it to half decent So could you please recommend a better audio forum, then AS or WBF. Then you could lead the ungodly into the promised land

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm not a member / contributor, or anything else. I looked at the site once really out of morbid curiosity, completely unimpressed, I simply clicked delete on the link, never to return.. Do I miss it, NO. I once just missed the Ebola virus , the feeling was about the same So could you please recommend a better audio forum, then AS or WBF. Then you could lead the ungodly into the promised land

The best fora these days are here at AH, ASR and places like Erin's Audio Corner and data-bass.com and a few others. Most of the audiophile nonsense, meh.

 

[mono-bloc]

The best forams these days are here at AH, ASR

You have to be joking, your suffering some sort of delusion, This forum while good , and does serve a purpose, it's more of a home theater board, and on a par with Whirlpool. But it's a long way from being a Hi Fi forum. I've yet to see a discussion on any serious products. Of cause you will bring in the old argument about high overpriced costs and audiophoolery.
So lets get into a in-depth discussion on some american brands A Boulder 3060, or a Luxman, or may-be some Pass-Labs. Or a good start would be the introduction of "The Gryphon" and it's effect on the American market.

 

[MrBoat]

You have to be joking, your suffering some sort of delusion, This forum while good , and does serve a purpose, it's more of a home theater board, and on a par with Whirlpool. But it's a long way from being a Hi Fi forum. I've yet to see a discussion on any serious products. Of cause you will bring in the old argument about high overpriced costs and audiophoolery.
So lets get into a in-depth discussion on some american brands A Boulder 3060, or a Luxman, or may-be some Pass-Labs. Or a good start would be the introduction of "The Gryphon" and it's effect on the American market.

You must be sort of a cub. Many of us have been where your talking and back again. I have amps by Pass, Carver, Pioneer, Adcom, B&O, Fisher, HK, Dynaco and Denon and 3 or 4 I haven't built yet. I listen to all of them still, yet my main 2-channel kit is an old beast of an AVR. Class A thru Class D and I can usually make any of them work provided the speakers are not some fickle boutique eccentricity that need special everything.

If you can't get audibly flawless 2-channel music out of any of the capable AVRs, you simply don't know what you're doing, and that is nobody here's fault. Honestly, you come across as one of those internet trained trendaudiophiles that just showed up on the scene sometime after the millennium, or someone who bought their way in without paying much in the way of historical dues. Your shtick is old and worn out, yet you seem kind of green. Everyone here has heard this same spiel, ad nauseam.

Luxman is an American company? The Luxman Audio I know of, started in Japan.

Finally, all of the regulars here are aware of all the different ways to listen to music and all of the available products to do it with. I can't even believe you're trying it with this old internet news.

 

[Trell]

I was waiting for someone else to take a shot He has some strange audiophile type beliefs.

The dude even write his comments using a table markup.

 

[lovinthehd]

You have to be joking, your suffering some sort of delusion, This forum while good , and does serve a purpose, it's more of a home theater board, and on a par with Whirlpool. But it's a long way from being a Hi Fi forum. I've yet to see a discussion on any serious products. Of cause you will bring in the old argument about high overpriced costs and audiophoolery.
So lets get into a in-depth discussion on some american brands A Boulder 3060, or a Luxman, or may-be some Pass-Labs. Or a good start would be the introduction of "The Gryphon" and it's effect on the American market.

We don't probably consider what you consider as "serious" products to be so serious. You want silly hifi fantasy type discussions, no this isn't the right place. I know of some extremely foolish ones on FB, tho....as well as several fora. Why discuss those amps particularly? What would you discuss about them?

 

[Bucknekked]

I'm sorry to read about your knee problems. Long lasting pain is always very tough to endure.

But your words, "Whatever you do, DON'T go for a knee reconstruction, they never work" seems extreme. Do you mean to say that knee reconstruction surgery has never worked for 30 years, and despite that, this surgery is still being done now? Making conclusions requires at least some data to back it up. Making an extraordinary conclusion like yours requires some extraordinary data to back it up. Are you serious? Or are you grouchy because of your chronic knee pain?

Let's take this further. You've offered unsolicited free medical advice over the internet. Again, are you serious?!? Never offer medical advice over the internet, solicited or not. Are you a licensed physician? Or are you an unhappy patient? If you are a licensed physician, I wouldn't need to explain why you should never offer unsolicited free medical advice over the internet. That leaves the unhappy patient explanation.

To make matters worse, your advice seems to be based on your own experience nearly 30 years ago. Can you say anything useful about knee replacement or reconstruction surgery as it's presently done in Australia or the USA?

I am not an orthopedic surgeon, nor even a physician. Most readers here are not. I also think most readers here know enough to ignore advice like yours. But I am worried that just one reader, who might already be hesitating about needed knee surgery, might read your post and decide to avoid the surgery based on your outcome.

@Swerd
It's one of my most basic policies: don't take or give medical advice in public forums. For all the reasons you elucidated, it's just a bad idea. Back in the day, knee surgery was pretty medieval and brutal. In today's world, orthopedic guys/gals have advanced the techniques and procedures by a huge factor. A friend of mine falls in to the category of never passing up an opportunity to tell anyone who mentions back surgery that it's an absolutely horrible idea and he hates his outcome and blahblahblah it's all a terrible idea. Anyone around at the time of his surgery could have predicted the outcome since he is unhappy with just about everything from AtoZ.

Back to the thread topic:
for the OP that said this : if your only running an AVR base system, Then you can forget all about, any difference. It's going to sound crap which ever MP3 or FLAC your using

Geez Louiz, that's an opinion right out of "the only good audio systems are separates" playbook. I haven't heard that opinion in a while.

 

[Bucknekked]

You must be sort of a cub. Many of us have been where your talking and back again. I have amps by Pass, Carver, Pioneer, Adcom, B&O, Fisher, HK, Dynaco and Denon and 3 or 4 I haven't built yet. I listen to all of them still, yet my main 2-channel kit is an old beast of an AVR. Class A thru Class D and I can usually make any of them work provided the speakers are not some fickle boutique eccentricity that need special everything.

If you can't get audibly flawless 2-channel music out of any of the capable AVRs, you simply don't know what you're doing, and that is nobody here's fault. Honestly, you come across as one of those internet trained trendaudiophiles that just showed up on the scene sometime after the millennium, or someone who bought their way in without paying much in the way of historical dues. Your shtick is old and worn out, yet you seem kind of green. Everyone here has heard this same spiel, ad nauseam.

Luxman is an American company? The Luxman Audio I know of, started in Japan.

Finally, all of the regulars here are aware of all the different ways to listen to music and all of the available products to do it with. I can't even believe you're trying it with this old internet news.

@MrBoat
I was going to type one sentence (in my last post) about this fellow and his rant on the AVR being nothing but a switch board for HDMI, but having read his posts since then I can't seem to pass up the opportunity. As usual, @MrBoat said it pretty cleanly and directly: the @mono-bloc poster is a poser not a genuine article.

Having been in this hobby for more than 50 years now, I have to agree there's so many ways and products that can produce a great sound that to say one of the most popular, the AVR, is junk is simply and willfully ignorant. There are other forums where the audiophoolery is celebrated and taken to stratospheric heights. The AH takes a different approach. Here information is either based in something that is testable and verifiable, like real audio tests on a bench or performed by fellows that try very hard not to carry a debilitating bias or it gets pilloried.

Making claims that are simply untrue and are based on absolutely nothing but hot air won't cut the mustard here.
I welcome different opinions on equipment and capabilities. I really do But, just tossing out dead fish isn't a way to proeceed.

 

[3db]

Some audiophiles make the claim, that if you don't hear a difference, your equipment must be the problem.

And these same audiophiles run away like scared rabbits when you mention these few words... "ABX Blind Listening Tests"

 

[3db]

Sounds like your in agreement I really did expect a better response from you. Just think you could go into great detail about just how incorrect I am. Not to comment on my bad grammar Then go into ASF, join the rest of the nut cases and proclaim how wrong I am. Before you take a multitude of useless measurements. Did you know that any half descent audio forum [ AS, WBF etc ] never comment on AVR's Simply because there not worth talking about, There simply a HDMI switch box, with a low end power supply, and are cheap to buy. Which are up'dated by the manufacturers every 8 months or so. That may or may not do a good job with home theatre. Where a large speaker array are used. But any sort of sound quality simply goes out the window.. And before you inquire, No I don't own an AVR, Many years ago I had a loan of a Yamaha Z11, which was quickly returned.

Off course you have done comprehensive controlled ABX listening tests to back up your claim? What do you mean you haven't ??? Oh I see.. Just blowing smoke out between your ears and butt AGAIN.

 

[VoidX]

But could those 10% pass 1000 times?

I didn't stress test them, 30 tests were required for a pass, 24 of them being lesser bitrates, 6 was 320. Only perfect 30/30 was considered successful.

 

[highfigh]

Sounds like your in agreement I really did expect a better response from you. Just think you could go into great detail about just how incorrect I am. Not to comment on my bad grammar Then go into ASF, join the rest of the nut cases and proclaim how wrong I am. Before you take a multitude of useless measurements. Did you know that any half descent audio forum [ AS, WBF etc ] never comment on AVR's Simply because there not worth talking about, There simply a HDMI switch box, with a low end power supply, and are cheap to buy. Which are up'dated by the manufacturers every 8 months or so. That may or may not do a good job with home theatre. Where a large speaker array are used. But any sort of sound quality simply goes out the window.. And before you inquire, No I don't own an AVR, Many years ago I had a loan of a Yamaha Z11, which was quickly returned.

Cheap to buy? How is a mid-to top of the line AVR cheap to buy?

 

[mono-bloc]

Cheap to buy? How is a mid-to top of the line AVR cheap to buy?

I'm comparing it to a the cost of mid range Integrated amp, for example Primare [ all pricing in aus dollars ] $7000,. Hegel $9000, Pas-Labs 150 $10600. These are considered entry level. If you go to the European models / manufacturers it's a hole new ball game

 

[lovinthehd]

I'm comparing it to a the cost of mid range Integrated amp, for example Primare [ all pricing in aus dollars ] $7000,. Hegel $9000, Pas-Labs 150 $10600. These are considered entry level. If you go to the European models / manufacturers it's a hole new ball game

LOL good grief entry level to what...idiotic audiophilia nonsense?

 

[Kvn_Walker]

This is SO subjective as to be insane.

Some people can hear the difference between a MP3 320 and a CD, but many cannot. That's under CONTROLLED listening environments. This is important as how you listen is as important as to the format itself. Listening to a quality CD, on cheapish headphones while walking through the city is not going to actually give better results than listening to a 128kbs MP3 in the same situation. While a 320kbs is really quite good and may even be indistinguishable on a lot of gear out there, as you get into better gear, a good CD quality track in WAV or FLAC format or a high res. version may be a good way to go if you aren't conserving file space. Frankly, I can't tell the difference in most of my listening, so I don't sweat the details.

I once ripped a song from CD as a .wav, 320K .mp3, and .flac and listened to all 3 in succession. Could tell no difference at all.

The main thing that sucks about MP3 is that most players can't do gapless transition between songs (especially annoying when listening to classical). I feel like an older version of Windows Media Player could do it but that's been so long ago now.

Of course "audiophiles" claim they can hear the difference. They also claim they can hear the difference between fuses, power cords, bags of magic rocks, etc.