Well the test for lossless is: Can the compressed file be converted back to the original (the exact original). In the case of flac, supposedly it can. I don't assert this, but then I don't assert anything except perhaps that something = itself.

-Chris

Yup, yessir, you do know by now.

I did change the priority to not "Nothing" a few days back after reading someone's comment about something or other in another thread. Thank-you whomever, even though it wasn't your intention to solve my flacus interruptus.

-Chris

Actually I didn't miss it, (I don't miss nothin') which is why I wrote the following in my post:
 Quote "which I think you implied/said in your post."

I said what I said just to make sure other readers wouldn't confuse what you said with the subject at hand.

And by the way I do think it's a good thing to compare flac files (and others) to see if they're identical. If they do measure as identical but sound different than I can see only the following scenarios as possibilities.

1. That they measure as identical but are not. How could this happen? An incomplete measuring device. For instance 3+4+3=10, 4+3+3=10 if you measure just for result they're identical, but as a whole they're not. Also, and this doesn't seem possible re measuring files of just bits, but that somehow we don't know how to measure for something that's there.

2. As mentioned in an earlier post of mine, they sound different because they're played at different times and therefore in a different environment (slightly) and the listener too has changed (slightly). One might say those changes are extremely minor. Well consider this, one minute it's raining the next it's not. Or as that grating message (because I see it way too often) says "everything matters."

3. Voodoo. Black magic. White magic. Gray area magic.

4. Bias, prejudice, your ears. That sort of thing.

5. Because of where the files are in your system, and what has happened to your system before you played one that's different from what happened before you played the other, even if it is only playing 1 before 2 as opposed to the other way around.

Any other ideas?

-Chris

This is a very nice comedy act.    Perhaps you two could play some nice audiophile night clubs?   

-Chris

Well just to add to the confusion, or lack there of, my interrupt error has miraculously corrected itself. In other words, it don't happen no more. Don't ask. Alright go ahead. I don't know.

Really! I can't think of anything I've changed, certainly nothing that should effect such a change. I run pretty standard settings.

-Chris

Peter, I just took a quick look at the thread, my eyes are too tired for more at the moment. Anyway, it doesn't seem so strange to me (if I got the gist of it in my quick overview). After all a ripper just rips what comes through as an electrical signal (right?). So if the signal is effected by something, it just records to file whatever comes it's way. But all this has nothing to do with the ripper, just the signal, which I think you implied/said in your post.

Of course I may have missed something in my quick perusal of the other thread.

-Chris

What makes you think they haven't?

I haven't, but that's because no matter how hard I try to justify it, it still comes out totally beyond even my excellent justification ability. And I'm afraid it always will. 

But I bet every believer in NOS dacs that knows of the NOS1 and can easily afford it has ordered one (or more:).

-Chris

The difference between rippers is not in the quality of sound of the ripped file. The differences are convenience, speed, and percent of time they make an accurate rip and that sort of thing. If the cds are ripped correctly, all ripped files will be identical (assuming of course that the compression settings were identical). So if you can check your files for accuracy after they've been ripped and they are, that's all that matters.

As to play back, that's another issue. Some say certain compressed lossless formats sound better than others. If that is so, that would have to do with the decoders and playback software etc., not the files themselves, which after all are bit perfect, proof being that they can all be converted back to their original form.

-Chris

Hi Bigear,

If you don't have access to a Plextor it still needn't take a half hour per cd. For instance I use dbpoweramp without a Plextor. My cds are in good shape and just take a few minutes on average to rip to flac.

You're probably using the ultra secure mode or some such, I am not. But Dbpoweramp has Accurip (or something like that) which checks your rip against others rips online of the same cd, so I've had no trouble with any of my rips, at least that I know of--it will let you know if a track needs to be ripped securely, at which point you can do so. So, as long as you keep your cds, in case you do find some problems later on, or you're a total perfectionist,  the time savings (3 minutes vs. 30 minutes per) is worth the slight chance of a problem, IMO.

-Chris

You are too weird, so l'll just say good night and put a bit of music on my XX pseudo turntable, for to lullaby me to sleep.

Ah... That sounds pretty gruesome.    I don't think you have it down quite yet though. But keep working on it, it'll be a real first, not like one of those boring dacs that everybody's coming out with.   

No chipmunks, but the other thought of how to describe it I had was the same as Boleary's skipping needle on disk.

Jackhammer might be a bit strong, unless you really had the sound blasting I suppose.

-Chris

Hi Peter, An odd intermittent problem. Suddenly out of seemingly nowhere a track will skip and stutter fairly loudly for a second or three and then go back to normal. It might continue on normally for the rest of the session, or it might do it again in 15 minutes or 30 and then continue on nicely, with no ill effects (except on my nerves if the music had put me in a nice reverie).

-Chris

I'll send the logs eventually. It's a bit of a pain to do anything other than listen to music with that computer.

-Chris