Do FLAC Files Actually Sound Better?
Most of us are busy and don’t necessarily have the time to experiment with different file types for every song to test whether the audio quality is improving or worsening. For that reason, you may wonder whether FLAC sounds better than others.
FLAC files provide superior sound quality due to their efficient sample rate decoding, allowing for the highest audio fidelity while minimizing storage requirements. As a lossless compressed format, they replicate the source quality, meaning that it sounds as good as the quality it came from.
Whether you plan to archive some golden oldies on CD, send demos to friends and producers, or share your music to a streaming platform doesn’t matter. It’s important to understand different audio formats. We’ll take you through the basics of one of the most versatile file types: FLAC.
Why Is FLAC Often Considered Better Than Other Formats?
FLAC is a relatively new audio format that continues to benefit from technological innovations. Furthermore, recent advancements allowed FLAC to surpass alternative audio formats due to its lossless compression capabilities. The resulting audio file sounds as good as the source while saving space by eliminating the data that stores useless sounds such as silences.
Because FLAC is lossless, it is often considered to be better than its peers, e.g., MP-3, but what about something like WAV, which is known to have incredible audio quality? Is there any distinct difference between the two formats of files?
FLAC Quality Compared To Alternatives
One can roughly discern which would have the highest audio quality by examining how various formats – from Ultra HD to Standard Quality – are encoded, decoded, structured, and compressed. Other factors, i.e., file size, the inclusion of metadata, and other properties like visuals (album covers), also matter when deciding on the perfect audio format.
A final consideration should be the sample rate and bit depth with which the audio is recorded or converted into any format. These two factors will impact your audio quality the most, given that you are working with a lossless audio format. Let’s look at FLAC compared to the most popular and widely accessible alternatives.
FLAC Quality Versus WAV
Usually, when the recording and mastering process is finished, and the song is ready to be exported, saved, uploaded, and distributed, it is saved as a .wav file. WAV is considered the highest possible quality file format, but it suffers from an extremely large file size as it is a wholly uncompressed PCM audio file.
Because musicians, producers, and frankly anyone that works with high-quality audio files (e.g., ASMR podcasts and the like) need to store a large quantity of these files, WAV may not be a sustainable format for archiving. It is too hefty for uploading and downloading from most websites and is not suited for archiving on your hard drive, SSD, or cloud.
In comes FLAC, which stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. FLAC compresses the file size to around half the original size or less, and due to its lossless nature, there is no deterioration in the audio quality. Hence, comparing FLAC to WAV, the two will have the same quality, given that your audio converter is decent enough to encode and decode the audio formats appropriately.
FLAC Quality Versus MP3
MP3 is considered the most common audio format, given the number of consumer audio devices specifically dedicated to MP3; after all, everyone has owned an MP3 player – whether in the handheld Walkman style or built into their car’s audio system. MP3 is likewise the most popular format in which audio files are downloaded from the internet and for a good reason.
MP3 files are smaller than WAV and other formats. However, it is lossy and much lower quality than the files from which it originated. MP3 isn’t always bad, however. It may be a more appropriate file type for sending audio files over the internet via email or Dropbox. It is suitable for listening to music over Bluetooth and allows for cheap and easy streaming.
FLAC quality depends highly on the original audio format. If your FLAC file is converted from WAV, it will have a much higher audio quality than MP3. However, if you convert from MP3 to FLAC, your FLAC and MP3 audio files will have the same sound quality – the difference being that FLAC will be even smaller than the MP3 file.
FLAC Quality Versus ALAC
ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) is Apple’s version of FLAC specifically intended for Apple products and services. It is, therefore, not available on Windows, Linux, Android, etc., unless you are streaming via Apple Music or iTunes. ALAC and FLAC are similar in that they are converted from an original file format – most likely WAV – and therefore have the same audio quality as their origin.
Factors That Affect FLAC Sound Quality
Now, you’re probably wondering when the difference in sound quality between FLAC and its alternatives becomes great enough to matter. Is there a point at which this difference becomes perceivable? Though the numbers don’t lie, many professionals and audiophiles believe that the difference in quality between FLAC and, let’s say, MP3 often falls below our audio perception’s just-noticeable difference threshold.
Some may think converting anything to FLAC is unnecessary, but we disagree. FLAC still has many benefits regarding archiving and cross-converting, and often the reason people cannot perceive the difference in quality is due to several controllable factors.
Audio output device: If you’re using low-quality headphones, FLAC and any other audio format may sound the same. Often you will need high-quality headphones, studio monitors, or a beast of a home audio setup to hear the difference in sound quality. Once you invest in these, you will pick up the difference, and your ears will thank you.
Bluetooth: Bluetooth outputs have a very limited bandwidth due to the infrared technology it employs. Therefore, you may find that FLAC, WAV, MP3, and all other formats start sounding the same on Bluetooth speakers. Even if you have high-quality Bluetooth audio, it will still sound worse than a cabled output device.
Sample rate and bit depth: These factors directly impact the audio resolution of any format, and FLAC is no exception. Sample rate determines how many discrete sample points are taken to recreate the original sound wave, while bit depth determines the amplitude these discrete values gain. Producers are recommended to gain a sample rate of 44,100hz with a 24-bit depth.
Audio converter: While all audio converters do the same job and use the same encoding scripts, some do faster while others do better. Look for an audio converter website or application that seems to fit your needs, and remember that it may affect your FLAC’s quality.
Benefits of using FLAC:
- FLAC is great for archiving CDs.
- FLAC provides fast and high-quality streaming and is used by Tidal and Amazon Music HD.
- It is lossless, and cross-encoding is possible.
- You can embed data like album covers into FLAC data.
- It is available on almost any device and operating system.
Downsides to using FLAC:
- Some devices may still be incompatible.
- You can only capture the source quality, despite being lossless.
- Often, the quality difference is imperceptible.
Conclusion:
Audiophiles, digital music collectors, musicians, and producers alike should understand the power of FLAC to achieve their desired audio outcomes. As it is a relatively new format, it is still expected to receive further innovation or could inspire innovation for new formats.