Some people claim that 2 bit for bit identical wav files will sound different if one was ripped directly to wav and the other ripped to flac and converted to wav. Same if a wav file is converted to flac and back to wav. Makes no sense to me, but some people claim they sound different.
Comparing flac to wav, some people claim the wav sounds better because the flac has to be decompressed and the extra CPU cycles needed to do that produce electrical noise that degrades the quality of converter or DAC conntected to the USB. On my system, the cpu runs at well less than 5% while decoding flac. Hard for me to understand how that changes a galvanically isolated DAC. I can understand that they will be a difference if the computer is controlling the timing. But in most cases today the external device is controlling the timing. The computer just needs to have a full buffer.
Different file layouts should not change the sound, unless you believe that the minute differences in how the CPU processes them causes a change in the connected equipment. The bits delivered to the buffer are identical for flac versus wav. Again, I am assuming the converter or DAC is controlling the timing.
Personally, I do not hear these differences. I just wanted to help the OP understand the issue.
There are also now devices on the market that try to completely isolate the USB signal lines and the ground from the PC. They also provide a separate 5V supply, independent of the computer. These devices may help if you have a particularly noisy PC or a poorly implemented DAC or converter. Some people swear by these devices, others ignore them.
Comparing flac to wav, some people claim the wav sounds better because the flac has to be decompressed and the extra CPU cycles needed to do that produce electrical noise that degrades the quality of converter or DAC conntected to the USB. On my system, the cpu runs at well less than 5% while decoding flac. Hard for me to understand how that changes a galvanically isolated DAC. I can understand that they will be a difference if the computer is controlling the timing. But in most cases today the external device is controlling the timing. The computer just needs to have a full buffer.
Different file layouts should not change the sound, unless you believe that the minute differences in how the CPU processes them causes a change in the connected equipment. The bits delivered to the buffer are identical for flac versus wav. Again, I am assuming the converter or DAC is controlling the timing.
Personally, I do not hear these differences. I just wanted to help the OP understand the issue.
There are also now devices on the market that try to completely isolate the USB signal lines and the ground from the PC. They also provide a separate 5V supply, independent of the computer. These devices may help if you have a particularly noisy PC or a poorly implemented DAC or converter. Some people swear by these devices, others ignore them.