HiFi Subjectivist ¦ Audio Forum ¦ NVA User Group

figlet108 wrote:Hi Sov,

there's nothing wrong with downloading lossless files and playing them from iTunes.

However, people do say that the different formats sound a little different, with most preferring WAV, AIFF or FLAC. But I don't know whether that's just another tedious religious war or if there's something in it.
I use AIFF or uncompressed FLAC as they are both lossless AND uncompressed (which reduces a little load on the machine.) But really you'll need to take your favourite music and do the experiment for yourself.

On the other hand I much prefer making my own rips from CDs so I can be in complete control of the process. Just because it's a lossless format doesn't mean it's bit-perfect. Sometimes volume gain or other manipulations are applied to download files. The thing is to find the software and the process that works for you.

Similarly, different media players (and the way they are set up) do sound a little different and the word on the street is that iTunes isn't the best.

I didn't choose the Mac as my media platform of choice so I can't advise on specifics, but this page may help as a starting point:
http://www.computeraudiophile.com/conte ... ware-list/
Scroll down to 'Music Playback and Management'

I get the impression that nobody on this forum has really explored different software options for ripping or playing music on a Mac, so it would be good to share whatever you find.

Daniel Quinn wrote:I tell you what computer audio is more bloody complicated than having a turntable . :D