Audiophile Question - FLAC 24/96 Playback

[TheLex]

Vinyl puts 20hz about 40db down from 20khz. Then it drags down the 20khz and drags up the 20hz, which is a fine workaround for old equipment but a mess for actual music playback. Dragging that weakened bass up also means dragging the noise floor up. Plus the mastering has all sorts of limits, like centering the bass below 100hz. Since bass is still directional at 100hz, that's a bad thing. Clubs in the old days used to add circuitry to extend frequency response down, down, down. 40-80hz for perceiving? I know I can't hear much above 15khz, but I can definitely hear below 40. I know this because I played with the sub, cutting off with -24db at various frequencies, and the fun kept going down to 20hz with some deep bass tracks. I'm not saying vinyl is crap. I'm just saying it's inferior. Some people do prefer how music is mastered for vinyl, and that's fine, but that's not necessarily how the music is meant to be produced by the artist.


A lot of so-called really good DACs are actually crap, sad to say. Tubes just add distortion at the best of times, and a lot of distortion at the worst. Doesn't a good streamer include the DAC?

Here's an older but interesting article on the subject. Dynamic Comparison of LPs vs CDs - Part 4

I think as discussed above, the real bottom line is how well something is recorded. While there is controversy over the original red book standard of CD's, newer digital formats such as MQA have far surpassed the original format. Nevertheless, a good pressing of vinyl played back on a really good system, remains very euphonic with amazing resolution. I think we'll have to just disagree on tubes as I've head many an audio system with tubed equipment (some that was tubed amplification playing back digital tracks even), that was amazingly euphonic, resolving, and life-like.

Regardless, it's the recording itself that matters above all. Certainly dynamic compression is to be avoided. Having heard actual master tape recordings played by by David Manley on an original Ampex reel to reel machine, and played through Infinity IRS Beta speakers, I can tell you that a good recording rules above everything else.

 

[Bobg5124]

Why would it transcode them? Pointless and uses up power and bandwidth (especially encoding MP3).

And, to be a bit mean. Manually transcode a file yourself, then listen to both in the car. If you can’t hear a difference, then either (a) the car is transcoding them or (b) it isn’t and you can’t hear a difference. If you can hear a different (doing blind testing with someone helping), then you are in the

The most important determinant on whether you can hear the difference, whether it’s MP3 Flac or Hi-Rez flac, is how The music was processed post production. Most main stream music after 2005 was compressed and brickwalled in the studio, which removed most of the detail in the music. So MP3 will sound the same as 24/96.

Really well recorded music, that was not compressed and brickwalled in post production sounds amazing.

I believe that model three and Y decode these directly to a PCM audio stream. 3 and y will also support uncompressed wave files, in case you want to rip your CD collection. Lots of space required, but you can hear the difference on really well recorded material.

 

[Slim Nebuloid]

I have been using FLAC 24/96 up to 24/192 in my Tesla, however it is important to note that just because the car can decode those files, it does not mean the DAC is preserving the sample rates. The vast majority of hardware will simply take the hi-res files and down sample them to a max of 24/48 at the most. I would be very surprised if Tesla included a hi-res DAC in their systems. I have a 2019 model S. Not sure if any newer cars have a better DAC.

 

[drtimhill]

I have been using FLAC 24/96 up to 24/192 in my Tesla, however it is important to note that just because the car can decode those files, it does not mean the DAC is preserving the sample rates. The vast majority of hardware will simply take the hi-res files and down sample them to a max of 24/48 at the most. I would be very surprised if Tesla included a hi-res DAC in their systems. I have a 2019 model S. Not sure if any newer cars have a better DAC.

TBH I doubt that matters much. Given the overall quality of the audio chain (DAC, amp, speakers, car ambient environment) there is zero chance (imho) that you could hear the difference anyway. And yes, I'm aware others will scream that they can, but seriously guys?

 

[Slim Nebuloid]

TBH I doubt that matters much. Given the overall quality of the audio chain (DAC, amp, speakers, car ambient environment) there is zero chance (imho) that you could hear the difference anyway. And yes, I'm aware others will scream that they can, but seriously guys?

Yes, I’m not saying definitively that there is an audible difference given the quality of the rest of the system, I’m only saying it is most likely downsampling the files.

I don’t have a newer Tesla yet but with my 2019 I’ve found the biggest thing you can do to improve the sound is dampening the mid woofers in the front doors. There is so much rattling and distortion inside the door panels, but that’s classic Tesla isn’t it.

 

[Vicj]

Lol. High quality DAC's in a Tesla. Too funny. Their player can't even play back gaplessly. It's just so 90's

 

[Slim Nebuloid]

Lol. High quality DAC's in a Tesla. Too funny. Their player can't even play back gaplessly. It's just so 90's

Yes that’s exactly my point. Virtually no product uses a high quality DAC by default. If you want one, you are buying something that is designed for audiophiles.

This is exactly the reason I think it’s so stupid that Tesla won’t allow an analog input, but it wouldn’t be pure anyway. The DSP would still take over the signal but it would still be nicer.

 

[sleepydoc]

TBH I doubt that matters much. Given the overall quality of the audio chain (DAC, amp, speakers, car ambient environment) there is zero chance (imho) that you could hear the difference anyway. And yes, I'm aware others will scream that they can, but seriously guys?

precious few can hear the difference even if they have equipment capable of playing it. Add a touch of road noise and no one will be able to tell the difference. It's all about people convincing themselves that they're sophisticated enough to need the very best codec available.