I don't see why you wouldn't download something you really liked in FLAC, or rip a CD to FLAC (that's what I do, since CDs are dirt cheap since apparently they're OBSOLETE ACCORDING TO EL FUCKING NACHO THE MASTER OF ALL THAT IS RELEVANT IN THIS DAY AND AGE)

we're not really hurting for disk space these days (1 TB of external storage can be had for about $40 on average), and for certain types of music (especially classical, which I know you're totally into ) it makes a significant difference - at least between a 160 mp3, and FLAC - mp3 V0 is pretty acceptable, really

but perhaps some people don't have a discerning ear

7/21/2013 8:08:42 PM

Did you learn this when you were ruining the what.cd boards

7/22/2013 8:47:46 AM

you guys are noobs, cassettes are the cutting edge of audio precision

7/22/2013 9:38:12 AM

Just so you know people still make, buy and listen to cassettes.

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

7/22/2013 10:05:18 AM

Simply for the ease of use, and the fact that 9/10 times I am listening to music at work with mediocre headphones or in my car with a mediocre sound system, I have switched to completely digital over the past few years. I used to do the CD-buying thing and then rip them for my digital needs but I just stopped. I end up with a pile of CDs I never do anything with.

I love when bands sell their stuff on bandcamp these days though. That is my go-to since they offer lots of format options including FLAC and V0, so I can still store the high-quality files on our external hdd where I keep my music without having to keep a physical copy around. If bandcamp isn't an option I've switched to Amazon MP3 as my default backup to bandcamp, but I prefer bandcamp because of the format choices.

I actually utilize the Amazon Cloud service as well. It's nice to have my entire music library available anywhere via my phone or tablet or work computer without having to worry about taking up any of the limited hdd space. If I'm in the car or at home, I can use my ipod or my hdd so that I am not having to stream it. But if I am out somewhere, I just stream it from the Amazon Cloud via phone or tablet and don't have to carry my ipod everywhere like I used to. It's nice that I can be out of town and buy an album on Amazon or buy it from bandcamp and then import it to Amazon quickly and my wife now has that album available instantly to stream or download as she wishes on any of her devices as well.

7/22/2013 10:18:43 AM

^ Buying CDs can be just as convenient. Buy it, rip it to FLAC or ALAC, and then you're all set.

I have everything ripped to my Mac in ALAC; I can play it through my stereo via AppleTV very easily. I convert everything down to 256 to load onto my iPhone, though.

7/22/2013 10:51:15 AM

Quote :

"Did you learn this when you were ruining the what.cd boards"

this is why I always had that beef with ambrosia (that clearly never got resolved)

I invited both of you to sites

both of you were still pieces of shit to me

(example: see, the message I've just quoted of yours)

I've done more good on what.cd than you'll ever do in your entire existence

ever

7/22/2013 1:11:43 PM

Quote :

"^ Buying CDs can be just as convenient. Buy it, rip it to FLAC or ALAC, and then you're all set."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

glad someone on here still has some fucking common sense in life :3

7/22/2013 1:12:26 PM

Quote :

"^ Buying CDs can be just as convenient. Buy it, rip it to FLAC or ALAC, and then you're all set. I have everything ripped to my Mac in ALAC; I can play it through my stereo via AppleTV very easily. I convert everything down to 256 to load onto my iPhone, though."

I did that for years and years so it is definitely not a bad system. I only semi-recently switched but the reason I switched is that it is definitely more convenient with the method I do it now - I wouldn't have switched otherwise. While buying CDs and ripping them isn't a HUGE hassle, it certainly isn't as convenient as what I do now. It works out really well for me. I can be at the airport or a coffee shop or wherever and buy a few albums without getting up and immediately both my wife and I have them on our devices to stream and then I can transfer it to my dedicated music hdd for use on the computer or ipod synching at my convenience later.

I buy wayyyy more music than I should probably, and I just got tired of accumulating CDs or feeling like I needed to buy it, rip it, and then try and get rid of the CD. I still buy CDs or vinyl for specific albums for various reason, but there are lots of bands whom I'm interested in getting the $5 FLAC download from bandcamp, but I don't care to have the $9.99 CD version. Places like bandcamp are great when bands participate and offer the "lossless" options (often at a cheaper price than a physical copy) without needing the physical copy. It's not for everyone, but the system works really, really well for us and is certainly smoother and more "instant gratification" than the CD method imo.



^ Like I said, I did that for years. and years. It's not like I've never tried that. I just found a more convenient method that I like better. I listen to music nearly 24/7 and I'm still happy with my choice.


[Edited on July 22, 2013 at 1:53 PM. Reason : ]

7/22/2013 1:49:27 PM

Well, you say I'm twenty-something and I should be slacking
But I'm working harder than ever and you could call it macking
So I'm supposed to sit upon my couch just watching my TV
I'm still listening to wax, I'm not using the CD

7/22/2013 1:57:28 PM

fucking ALAC

fuck you, Apple

7/22/2013 9:37:00 PM

what's wrong with ALAC?

7/22/2013 10:15:48 PM

with the ability to get 99.9% of anything I want to listen to in FLAC, I opt for 320. Is it as high quality? of course not. but space considerations and the fact that if it's not mp3 google music is going to make it 320 mp3 anyway (and google music being my primary source of music listening) makes 320 a no-brainer for me.

7/23/2013 2:23:08 AM

Quote :

"Is it as high quality?"

did you just ask and answer your own question

I believe you did

7/23/2013 8:20:51 PM

did Google Music ever change it so that one account can stream music at the same time on two different devices? I like the idea of Google Music better and like the interface better, but my wife and I can't both utilize it which is stupid since my wife and I should be able to use the same music catalog (like we do movies, books, etc.). I understand it is probably to prevent copyright/sharing issues, but Amazon works fine for both of us simultaneously which is why we use that for our cloud music instead of Google.

7/24/2013 7:52:28 AM

Quote :

" You've either never tried or you have bad ears. I bet most people would notice if they sat down and did a comparison. The real question is, does it matter? If you are mostly listening while jogging or in your car, the answer is "no." If you are listening in a quiet room with headphones or nice speakers, then the answer might be "yes"."

I've tested this twice now, using the same album (Dire Straits' Making Movies) switched back to back between 256 and CD, with decidedly non-audiophile subjects (my mom and a friend from work). Both were easily able to discern the difference in a blind test. This was on my car stereo, too (Memphis MClass speakers, coaxial model). I'm sure it would be even more pronounced on my hifi gear at home in my living room, but it isn't as easy to switch back and forth there. Plus, I think it's better to show that it's very apparent even without megabuck stereo gear.


Long live CDs.

(Also, I want to get an SACD player and see if there's meaningful improvement there, or if going beyond CD quality yields sharply diminishing returns. Too bad there isn't much available in that format.)

8/27/2013 10:02:51 PM

Quote :

"what's wrong with ALAC?"

they could have used FLAC just as easily instead of copying the idea and marketing it for their own good

8/28/2013 1:12:49 PM

^ ALAC is just MPEG-4 lossless, Apple didn't copy it or make it, they just gave it a name and made it popular.

Plus, FLAC has licensing issues ALAC doesn't, that Apple doesn't want to have to deal with.

8/28/2013 6:15:03 PM