Digital Music

SolidSqual

Syndil wrote: »

AIFF is essentially the same as WAV. It's an uncompressed container for the PCM stream while FLAC is a compressed container. The resulting PCM stream from either will be identical. The only thing you have to gain with AIFF is that your file sizes will be much larger!

Not true, AIFF also means less processing because the file doesn't have to be unpacked by the playback program. This means less processing, which means better sound. The difference is not massive but it doesn't mean it's not there when you have revealing gear.

That said, aiff is to wav as alac is to flac.

Syndil

SolidSqual wrote: »

Not true, AIFF also means less processing because the file doesn't have to be unpacked by the playback program. This means less processing, which means better sound.

I'll have to disagree with this. Didn't want to start an argument, but since it is relevant to the OP's question I will explain why. As I said before the PCM stream contained within a FLAC (or ALAC) file is exactly the same as the uncompressed PCM stream contained within an AIFF or WAV file. The amount of processing it goes through before the PCM stream reaches the DAC does not matter, as the DAC does not care how much work was done in getting the PCM stream to it, as all it cares about is decoding the PCM stream. And in a computer, the process of extracting the PCM stream from the container file--whether it is compressed or not--is a minimum of one step removed from the process of sending the PCM stream through the actual DAC chip, two steps if the DAC is of decent quality. As it is decoded from the file it is buffered into RAM, and then from the RAM it gets fed to the DAC controller's anti-jitter/reclocking buffer.

If you say you can hear a difference I will not argue that with you, just posting what I know for informational purposes for the OP's benefit.