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Solypsist_27 OP t1_irc7rvx wrote

Reply to comment by o7_brother in It's happened. And now I can't go back by Solypsist_27

Actually, I tried Spotify premium, as well as Tidal, I even tried to A-B test them, with scarce results (couldn't notice any differences) . Then I tried my first proper flac downloads, 16 bit 44.1khz, and NOW I can really hear a difference. Songs I've listened on all platforms imaginable now have something like 50% more information in them, and everything has this sort of holographic/real feel to it, what I notice the most is the decay of sounds being so much more correct, the way the trail is still percievable even through other sounds.

I have a feeling that Tidal "high-res" isn't really the same as downloaded flacs, I'm not sure what's the weak link in the chain here (audio processing, actual bitrate due to internet connection or whatnot) but at least to me personally they don't sound the same, and I must admit that my first experiences with high res music made me very skeptical about the whole thing, and I was sure that 320mbps mp3 were all I ever needed. But now, I downloaded some new music, and some (only some) songs actually sound so much better, other sound the same (I've noticed some songs from Billie eilish in my library sound mostly the same between Spotify free and flac, go figure, maybe it's the files though)

What I've also noticed is that the first thing that's apparent is not the difference in detail/information quantity, it's the dynamics. On my phone, I thought that flacs sounded louder, then I noticed it's not that. They sound both louder and quieter, when the music calls for it. I think that has to do with the bit depth, and from what I've heard (still personal opinion) even tidal doesn't have the same bit depth of 16bit flacs, though I still need to do more testing. For now, I feel like I'm enjoying music for the first time again, and I'm just overwhelmed lol

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Lucky-Manager-3866 t1_irc9243 wrote

How are you listening to the Flac files?

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Solypsist_27 OP t1_irc9omi wrote

I'm using my phone (poco x3 pro) with an avani dongle (alc5686 chip) and at the moment a pair of ve monk plus, that's been my most favorite combo lately, but I usually also use my Moondrop aria, with which I still have to test the high res files though. I use my phone's default music app. Occasionally I use eq through wavelet, but lately I've been listening to my monk plus just stock. I also have to newly test my ksc75, though I usually eq them to add a bit more bass, and I'm still not sure of how eq affects the sound from a non-tuning point of view, especially since wavelet is not parametric and I use autoeq presets

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ultra_prescriptivist t1_ircnnr0 wrote

The difference you are noticing is almost certainly due to a combination of differences in your audio chain, volume disparities, along with a smattering of expectation bias.

If you really want to see if the flac files you downloaded sound better than lossy:

  • Install Foobar2000 and the ABX plugin
  • Add your flac files and then right click > convert them to >256kbps AAC/MP3
  • Add the new lossy files to your playlist and select the flac version + lossy version together.
  • Run those through the ABX comparision tool, do about 10-20 tries

I was also convinced that FLAC sounded "richer" before I actually tested it out, but afterwards my illusions were shattered.

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Solypsist_27 OP t1_irdvg5m wrote

I will, but I mostly started using flacs instead of streaming to actually listen to my music even when offline, so even if I don't notice any differences I probably will still be using flacs, my music is worth sacrificing a couple gb on my phone lol

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Toronto-Will t1_irca2nw wrote

From what I understand, mainstream record label music (Billie Eilish) is mastered with compression in mind. They know people are listening over the radio and over 128kbps streaming, and so they compress it down right from the start, so that the music holds up well.

What kind of music is giving you the noticeable improvement with FLAC? Is it poppy mainstream tracks, or something like classical/jazz that’s a bit more audiophile oriented?

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Solypsist_27 OP t1_ircap5s wrote

It's actually music from an Italian indie rock band, that I previously thought to be badly mastered because it didn't sound the best compressed, now instead it sounds like a breath of fresh air hahah

I also have some classical music in my library, but I still have to properly test it lol, I also expect it to sound much better than the Spotify albums I've heard

Also if what you said about mainstream record labels is true, it's a shame since some of Billie eilish's recordings actually sound so skillfully mixed, I would love to hear more detail in them, even though I feel like they are capable of sounding pretty good even just on Spotify, so I actually agree that it may be as you say

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matthew_phoenix t1_ireoy59 wrote

enlighten me if I'm wrong but 16bit is 16bit right? there can not be more bit depth if there aren't any more bits.

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