This might be interesting reading specifically on WMA:
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t31615.html
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t31615.html
Is Windows Media Lossless Lossless???
This might be interesting reading specifically on WMA: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t31615.html |
you might want to consider ripping with EAC (exact audio copy)then using J River to search your hard drive and add to J River playlist; at this point you can add tags and album covers to the wav files. This will give you the most accurate error free wav files (with EAC) and easy filing/retrieval with unlimited options with J River. I then play these wav files through a wave terminal u24 digital output to a trivista dac and the sound is very close to my cdp. good luck, it will take time but well worth it. |
Hi everyone: Just wanted to thank you for all the responses. I've been doing a lot of testing, and will get back when I have something definitive. I'm trying Apple Lossless right now (since NetRemote will run iTunes) and EAC sounds very interesting as I do like J. River the best. A really great and damning review of Lossless Compression was just published in the May 2005 (British) Hi Fi News, Page 92. Both Windows and Apple Lossless created measurable distortions and artifacts compared to the original, which I totally believe and can hear at least in Windows so far. This article also taught me how during playback, Windows KMixer can also muck things up. Perfect bit fo bit playback requires a soundcard that bypasses it. Since I can even hear differences between PC-played WAV's and CD's, I have an M-audio card on order from NewEgg to see if anything coming out of the PC can match a CD player. Everything's now going out through and being compared with a Benchmark DAC-1 D to A so jitter should be less of an issue. Anyway, I'll let you know. - Jack |
This is specifically to Riverside13: Luckily I kept my WAV file names organized, Artist-Album-Track#-Title, so just now J. River parsed them nicely into Artist, Album, Title columns, and NetRemote sees it. One problem solved, WAV's playing on J. River controlled by Pocket PC all nicely organized. Thanks for the idea! Even looks up and finds on CD database most of the time. No album covers yet, still working on it. One question: Do you think EAC makes a better file copy than ripping to WAV with MusicMatch or J. River? I used a mix of Creative and MusicMatch's rippers to build my original WAV library, a process I just assumed was a bit for bit tranfer from CD to hard disc. Now playing WAV's, I already hear a big jump in quality over the WMA's. Can I go farther? Dare I? - Jack |
What comes out of a computer can most definitely approach a CD player. I don't use a soundcard at all--I use a waveterminal U24 USB audio device that can be plugged into my outboard DAC via coax. Its dangerously close to my DV-50s. I had huge problems with MM's ripping software, but it may have gotten better. EAC does a good job and, I've heard, iTunes is fairly good. I believe J. River maintains they do a better job than EAC. Can't vouch there, I haven't used it, but I gather in secure mode it does the same thing that EAC does--rereads sectors until it gets consistent matching of data. |