Best way to enjoy 96/24 flac files

[Jimbo976]

Hi folks,

I'm sure I have read it in one of the threads here but after spending a lot of time looking I cannot find it.

I'm looking for the best way to enjoy 96/24 or 192/24 music on my system. I have bought some 96/24 downloads and want advice on the best way to play these. For most of my older CD's I have them all encoded in FLAC on my PC and use PS3 Media Server to stream them on my PS3. I have a PS3 and Oppo BDP-83 as well. I could author/burn DVD's, DVD-A or Blu-rays - whatever will work best.

I think I read a post here before where someone mentioned creating DVD-A discs using these files but I can't find it now. I guess I could decode the flac to WAV files but do WAV files support 96/24 or 192/24? I just want to be able to enjoy this music on my system without loss of quality.

[trentv85050]

Info: http://flac.sourceforge.net/

[Jimbo976]

Yes I know what FLAC is and have been using it for years at lower resolutions but is there something I have not found yet on that site that describes how to play/burn 96/24 or 192/24 files without a loss in quality?

[blu2]

Originally Posted by Jimbo976

Yes I know what FLAC is and have been using it for years at lower resolutions but is there something I have not found yet on that site that describes how to play/burn 96/24 or 192/24 files without a loss in quality?

I've successfully used this for 96/24 files, which creates an iso image that you can burn to a dvd-v with your favorite burning program.

http://audioplex.sourceforge.net/

[Jimbo976]

Originally Posted by blu2

I've successfully used this for 96/24 files, which creates an iso image that you can burn to a dvd-v with your favorite burning program.

http://audioplex.sourceforge.net/

Ok I'll give it a shot - thanks.

I also found a program called HD Audio Solo from circlina.com in the last few minutes. I'm going to try that too. It seems it will author DVD-A, DVD-V or Blu-ray. Anyone tried that before?

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Jimbo976

Ok I'll give it a shot - thanks.

I also found a program called HD Audio Solo from circlina.com in the last few minutes. I'm going to try that too. It seems it will author DVD-A, DVD-V or Blu-ray. Anyone tried that before?

That's what I use, let's you burn 24/96 5.1 files by reducing the bit depth and sampling rate of the surrounds and LFE to 16/48 keeping full resolution at centre and fronts, otherwise you go over the limits of DVD spec which is just over 9 Mbps. 24/96 5.1 is 13+ Mbps.

You can also convert to individual wave files (6 mono files) for 5.1 and then convert to MLP and keep it at 24/96 using other programs, but that's a bit more complicated.

[Jimbo976]

Yeah I burned using the demo of HD Audio Solo. It seems to have a nice interface and you have lots of options. It also claims to support Blu-ray but I couldn't get it to make a Blu-ray ISO. II think I'll buy it.

I tried the DVD-A program on sourceforge but didn't have too much luck.

The DVD-A I burned with HD Audio Solo plays fine in my BDP-83 at 96/24 so I'm happy.

[Sigma6]

Originally Posted by blu2

I've successfully used this for 96/24 files, which creates an iso image that you can burn to a dvd-v with your favorite burning program.

http://audioplex.sourceforge.net/

This is what I use as well. It's great as it makes a DVD-Video as I don't have a DVD-Audio player. Sweet! Highly recommended.

[Jimbo976]

I'm a bit confused on DVD-A vs DVD-V. Can someone who understands this clarify?

If I take a 96/24 stereo flac file and build a DVD-Audio disc from it will the quality be exactly the same as building a DVD-Video disc using something like the Audioplex software mentioned below?

I think I understand that DVD-Audio discs can go up to 192/24 in stereo and 96/24 in 5.1 (while DVD-Video discs max out at 96/24 stereo) but it sounds like there is no difference at all with 96/24 stereo files. Is that true?

I found this chart somewhere earlier today that seems to sum up all the formats...

[blu2]

Originally Posted by Jimbo976

I think I understand that DVD-Audio discs can go up to 192/24 in stereo and 96/24 in 5.1 (while DVD-Video discs max out at 96/24 stereo) but it sounds like there is no difference at all with 96/24 stereo files. Is that true?

Yep, DVD-V can do 96/24 lossless stereo just fine

When I first learned this I was amazed there was a largely untapped/unknown high def music delivery format lurking all these years, playable by pretty well everyone. The good news is that's it's trivial/cheap to create a physical disc from high def lossless downloads if desired.

[erikduop]

I got around the situation by converting the file from flac to wav at 96/24 and it was OK and sounded more open than playing the SACD. I have have mozart symphony no 40 on SACD and compared between the SACD recording and the 96/24 and the sound was so much open. Both are recordings are from the same exact source recording.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by erikduop

I got around the situation by converting the file from flac to wav at 96/24 and it was OK and sounded more open than playing the SACD. I have have mozart symphony no 40 on SACD and compared between the SACD recording and the 96/24 and the sound was so much open. Both are recordings are from the same exact source recording.

Is there a PCM conversion in your SACD chain?

[solarrdadd]

i have all my high res FLAC files (as well as WMALL) on my network via a 1TB NAS and simply stream it to my 5507 pre-amp which plays it at 96/24 or 88.2/24 and it works and sounds great. i also can stream it to any pc in my house. I even have a couple of 192/24 and they stream perfectly too. Let me tell you that the uncompressed "Band on The Run" by MaCartney & Wings at 96/24 file size 1.54gb and streaming at 2880kbps with no dynamic range compression sounds incredible at my place. so for me, that's the simplest way to enjoy my FLAC files. i don't convert, burn or do anything other than download them from someplace like HDTracks directly onto the NAS and then stream them to my system.

hope that helps

[Jimbo976]

I don't know of any way I can stream 96 or 192 files in my case. I am using PS3 Media Server to stream FLAC to my PS3 but it seems to downconvert anything above 48 to 48. Also the BDP-83 cannot handle FLAC directly so I can't send anything to it. I don't think I could send anything directly to my receiver either.

I've been burning DVD-Audio discs for now which works good but of course it's less convenient than if I could stream.

[ToEhrIsHuman]

I really wish Sony would get on the ball and add FLAC support to the PS3. I have lots of 24/96 surround FLACs I'd love to listen to on my home theater.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Jimbo976

I don't know of any way I can stream 96 or 192 files in my case. I am using PS3 Media Server to stream FLAC to my PS3 but it seems to downconvert anything above 48 to 48. Also the BDP-83 cannot handle FLAC directly so I can't send anything to it. I don't think I could send anything directly to my receiver either.

I've been burning DVD-Audio discs for now which works good but of course it's less convenient than if I could stream.

Is your PC close enough to run an HDMI cable into your receiver? That's what I do, but I need to get a new card because my onboard HDMI controller is Ghandi.

[Jimbo976]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Is your PC close enough to run an HDMI cable into your receiver? That's what I do, but I need to get a new card because my onboard HDMI controller is Ghandi.

I do have an HDMI cable from my PC to my recevier that I was using for playing video before but my setup does not support HD audio over the HDMI. I have run a 2nd coax cable for audio. My sound card is just the chip built into my Asus P5K board.

[mardukes]

Originally Posted by solarrdadd

i have all my high res FLAC files (as well as WMALL) on my network via a 1TB NAS and simply stream it to my 5507 pre-amp which plays it at 96/24 or 88.2/24 and it works and sounds great. i also can stream it to any pc in my house. I even have a couple of 192/24 and they stream perfectly too. Let me tell you that the uncompressed "Band on The Run" by MaCartney & Wings at 96/24 file size 1.54gb and streaming at 2880kbps with no dynamic range compression sounds incredible at my place. so for me, that's the simplest way to enjoy my FLAC files. i don't convert, burn or do anything other than download them from someplace like HDTracks directly onto the NAS and then stream them to my system.

hope that helps

While it's hard to imagine PM & W sounding incredible at anyone's place, HOW do you stream it? And what do you mean "to" any pc in your house. There's no pc that can play in high definition. They can file serve but lossless is wasted on pc codecs. You have to convert them to WAV and settle for less than 96/24.

[GaS]

Originally Posted by Jimbo976

Hi folks,

I'm sure I have read it in one of the threads here but after spending a lot of time looking I cannot find it.

I'm looking for the best way to enjoy 96/24 or 192/24 music on my system. I have bought some 96/24 downloads and want advice on the best way to play these. For most of my older CD's I have them all encoded in FLAC on my PC and use PS3 Media Server to stream them on my PS3. I have a PS3 and Oppo BDP-83 as well. I could author/burn DVD's, DVD-A or Blu-rays - whatever will work best.

I think I read a post here before where someone mentioned creating DVD-A discs using these files but I can't find it now. I guess I could decode the flac to WAV files but do WAV files support 96/24 or 192/24? I just want to be able to enjoy this music on my system without loss of quality.

Use this:

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/speake...s/devices/5745

[desiderialouis]

It is one of the dynamic way of compression it is providing so many things which is really very cool. Here some times PS3 but it seems to downconvert anything above 48 to 48. Also the BDP-83 cannot handle FLAC directly so I can't send anything to it. It is great to know about it.