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Topic: How to tell if an FLAC file has always been lossless (Read 4121 times) previous topic - next topic
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How to tell if an FLAC file has always been lossless

Will there be a difference in sample rate/sample size ect; anything that can be checked on iTunes.
For instance, the standard sample size from a music CD is 16 bit, would this be any less?

Thanks for your time, I look forward to reading the responses.
 

How to tell if an FLAC file has always been lossless

Reply #1 –
This has been covered countless times already.  Did you search first?

EDIT: Regarding your specific question about whether you can somehow check in Tunes, the answer is no.

How to tell if an FLAC file has always been lossless

Reply #2 –
Quote from: DannyJC_93 on
Will there be a difference in sample rate/sample size ect; anything that can be checked on iTunes.
For instance, the standard sample size from a music CD is 16 bit, would this be any less?

Thanks for your time, I look forward to reading the responses.


The only way to be absolutely, positively, 100% sure, is to buy the CD and rip and encode to FLAC yourself.

Other than that, it's just levels of probability.

Even then, with a CD, if it's a custom made CD (or a bootleg), the ultimate source can still be lossy.

For example, I can ahem, "download" a 320kbps MP3 rip of an album, burn it to CD, and then rip it to FLAC.

Doesn't automatically mean that the FLACs have a lossless source, since their ultimate source was the 320kbps MP3s.  You'd have no better sound quality with these particular FLACs than you would with the 320kbps MP3s.

How to tell if an FLAC file has always been lossless

Reply #3 –
Searching the forum is always a good idea, but people's searching skills are pretty limited. I mean, look at the OP's subject line. If he types that in, even if it's just the keywords how, FLAC, always, lossless, all he's going to get is practically every thread that mentions FLAC.

The words to search for are detect transcode.

Someone needs to go through all those threads and put together a little FAQ for the wiki.

How to tell if an FLAC file has always been lossless

Reply #4 –
You're an idealist if you assume people will read the FAQ or the wiki before posting the same questions time after time.
It's only audiophile if it's inconvenient.

How to tell if an FLAC file has always been lossless

Reply #5 –
Google for aucdtect. It can tell a lossy source from a lossless one with some degree of reliability.