WAV has no better sound quality than FLAC.
The switch to file playback invites unnecessary discussion.
In recent years, audio equipment has expanded into the field of file playback, which has been handled by personal computers, and most of the players currently on the market are equipped with a USB terminal and a LAN terminal, and they are compatible with various audio formats. .
Network audio PC audio file format Sound quality difference FLAC WAV JPLAY
It can be roughly divided into four formats.
Lossy compressed audio formats, such as mp3 and AAC
Lossless compressed audio formats such as FLAC and ALAC
High quality WAV format equal to or better than a CD sound source
Audio formats other than CD (such as DSD)
If you enjoy music with PC audio or network audio, it is a common understanding that the sound of lossy compressed audio format is worse than that of a CD.
In theory, lossy compressed audio formats lose information during the compression process and cannot be restored to the original WAV file, so if you want to make up for the difference, you can increase or interpolate the information. There is no choice but to “fill in”. Even so, the amount of information is not the same, and since we are interpolating what is not there, although it sounds good, it is only an imitation.
I think the argument that there is a difference in sound quality when there is a difference in the amount of information theoretically was also at the time of the transition from pre-records to CDs and the emergence of SACD and DVD-Audio. The difference in the amount of information is the difference in sound quality, which can be said to be the same when comparing high-resolution and CD-equivalent sound sources. It is true in a sense, although it is conditional on the material at the time of production being good.
Discussion of lossless compression formats
On the other hand, as a story to debate among people who enjoy PC audio and network audio, there is a similar story between WAV files equivalent to CD sound sources and FLAC files in lossless compression audio format.
WAV sounds better than FLAC.
Sound is better without tag information.
So make all sound sources WAV and remove all tags.
No, it’s inconvenient without a label, so commit to FLAC
Certainly, the sound output between FLAC files and WAV files may sound different if you play it back on a PC or network audio player. Even at home, when I play it on the Marantz NA-11S1, I feel a slight difference.
Network audio PC audio file format Sound quality difference FLAC WAV JPLAY
However, WAV files, FLAC files, and the CD sound source used as the extraction source are originally sound sources with the same amount of information, unlike the lossy compressed audio format. Which is better, when playing on a CD or when playing a WAV file, or when the sound source is the same?
The answer is fixed.
It depends on the quality of the player.
If you are good at playing CDs, you will hear them better. If you’re good at playing WAV files, WAV files should sound better. Since it is related to the creator’s commitment, I think the sound quality may not be exactly the same depending on the playback path and the processing method.
Similarly, FLAC has the same amount of information, so there should be no difference in sound quality. But it certainly sounds different. I think it should be the same.
Let’s change our perspective and look at the lossless compressed file format, which is not an audio file.
