Native FLAC Player


Are there any receivers that can play FLAC natively? I feel that its a shame that the logitech Squeezebox Transporter is the only native (at least form what I can find) Flac player.

Am I too far ahead of the curve or does anyone else feel let down by Onkyo, Yamaha, Denon etc with the fact that none of their receivers can play FLAC naively?

Some of them will use uPNP to connect to "media servers" but the media server has to stream the FLAC so it down-converts as it transcodes (translates digital info to music) over the network for the receiver to play.

Even the highest high end Onkyo TX-NR906 does not support FLAC through its USB ports. This is particularly confusing because certain reviewers claim that it can play FLAC - well yes it "can" via the "media server" as described above.

Why haven't all the high end audio device makers not seized this opportunity? Is it because the true connoisseurs still listen to loss-less music on analog media (LP) ? What about the rest of us (ok ME) that can't afford the great analog equipment ?

Or... am I completely missing the boat on this? Are there good quality receivers in $2000 range that can play native FLAC?
anuruddhak
Kirkus,

Thanks for your response. I use my PS3 to play flac files stored on a computer (or media server) Since PS3 cannot play flac files from its own hard drive the media server has to process the flac file, down-convert and stream it to the PS3.

The flac compatible receivers, at least the one I looked at, claimed to play flac via uPnp. Wouldn't the same hold? Or should I be trying to fix the other end of the problem... i.e find a media server that can stream 192KHz/24bit to my PS3?

Thanks for your recomendation; I will check out Linn DS...

Bgee and Starcon... thanks for your comments as well...
Since PS3 cannot play flac files from its own hard drive the media server has to process the flac file, down-convert and stream it to the PS3.
I'm not really familiar with the PS3 in this application, but if it doesn't support FLACs . . . then that's the type of bottleneck that would require the music file to be transcoded or down-converted simply for it to play at all.

The idea behind uPNP is that music files can be transferred between a media server and a "media renderer", and selected by a "control point" . . . and sometimes two or all three of these things are combined in one box. In a Linn DS setup, you have a uPNP media server (usually a dedicated Network Attached Storage appliance), a control point that's used to select your music (i.e. a PDA or laptop running Linn music-browser software), and the Linn DS itself, which is the media renderer. "uPNP" is simply the protocol by which the information is transferred between these three devices, in the same way that "TCP/IP" or "Windows file sharing" is a protocol . . . and have nothing to do with the content of the file itself (as long as nothing is broken and the files arrive intact).

To play FLACs, the media server has to support them because it must be able to read the data tags from the music files and send them to the control point so you can see your collection - but when the file is played, it is transferred whole and unmolested from the media server to the media renderer, which must also support FLAC in order to play it natively. Thus, the ultimate determiner of the sound quality *should* simply be the media renderer.
If you are willing to shell out a little more, the new PS Audio Perfect Wave DAC with network bridge will do every PCM format and resolution. DAC is $2999 with the network bridge adding about $500 (available in the late fall).

As an added bonus, you don't have to have a computer to use it (like Slim Devices) - just throw your files on a NAS and your off.
Thanks everyone for your responses... Has anyone used the Escient FireBall MX-111 ? How good is the DAC on that? Does it actually decode FLAC natively?
The Escient Fireball MX-111 does natively decodes FLAC files. Additionally, it will encode your cd's to FLAC. It is a very nice media server solution. The software is easy to use and nicely catalogs and organizes your media. It also acts as a web server to any web enabled devices on your network. This is a very nice feature since you can use your touchscreen smartphone as a nifty remote.

The downside to the software is that it is a bit dated. Escient does not seem to support it with regular updates. Not that the software is buggy, but updates to support Pandora, Netflix and YouTube would be easy and welcomed additions.

As for its built in DAC, I haven't utilized it nor do I intend to do so. You must remember that this unit is nothing more than a proprietary branded pc running their software. You want to keep audio circuits as far away from this thing as possible. I use mine with a PS Audio Digital Link 3 for D/A conversion. This solution works very nicely.