Audiophile input needed

[GorillaBiscuit]

Hey guys, I have an audiophile question about any noticeable differences in audio quality between a CD and a digital file.

I know that the answer is not in any way an easy one because so much depends on how much the individual person can actually hear, the quality of the audio system, the speakers, the type of file, etc.
I guess my purpose for posting this to get some ideas and just see what the general consensus is. Lol

Anyway, on with my reason for asking.
I'm wanting to install a complete audio system in one of my other vehicles and I'm having a really hard time deciding on buying a head unit that plays CDs or one that is just a digital media receiver.
Now keep in mind, that whenever I do something like this, I go full Griswold on it. Just wayy over the top. Lol


I am looking at an Alpine digital media receiver, or a Pioneer CD / DVD player. I am honestly leaning towards the Pioneer CD player simply because I'm old and I despise anything new. The thought of not being able to put a physical disc into the unit is very unsettling to me, but if I can play WAV or some type of lossless audio files through the USB port, then I think I could learn to live with it. Especially if there is a chance that the audio file that is equal to or greater than the physical disc. I really don't use digital audio files that much, so I'm wanting to know what you guys think.

Anyway, hope this is some food for thought, and hopefully you guys can ease my mind from all the over thinking.

 

[WallyWest]

Depends on the file.

CD's are 16 bit, 44.1khz. You'll see some digital files referred to as lossless, that means they're also 16bit 44.1khz. As opposed to MP3 files which are compressed down to lower quality.

But these days if you're looking for good quality digital audio you want something like 16bit 96khz, or even 24bit 192khz. Much higher resolution than CD. That can be hard to find, although there are a few websites that sell such things.

Personally I don't think there's a huge difference between CD quality and the hi rez digital stuff. If you've got a bunch of CD's and want the convenience of carrying your whole collection around in your phone, I'd suggest reading up on Exact Audio Copy. It's free software that very accurately rips CD's to your computer, where you can save them in whatever format you like. FLAC is one of the most popular, and supported by pretty much everything these days. That stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec. You don't give up any quality.

 

[GorillaBiscuit]

Hey @WallyWest ,
Thank you for the info! I was really wanting to use FLAC files, but I don't have any experience with FLAC, mostly just WAV and MP3s. If I get a unit that supports the FLAC files, I might give that a shot.

 

[voodooridr]

I have all my CD's (8000 songs) loaded onto my Sony NWZX100 walkman that I bluetooth through my Alpine head unit
It's nice being able to hit shuffle all tracks and drive from Commiefornia to northwest Washington without ever hearing a commercial

 

[GorillaBiscuit]

Hey @voodooridr ,
Yes, that's one reason I'm really considering the digital media receiver is because I do like the idea of having tons of music on a thumb drive and not having to mess with the CDs, but I really didn't want to sacrifice any music quality if the media files weren't on the same level as the physical discs.
But I have to admit, it is a little nostalgic to have my case logic book full of discs on the passenger seat. It just reminds me of better times. Lol!

 

[voodooridr]

I've never had a vehicle that didn't beat the holy hell out of CD's so I really have no interest in carrying around scratched up CD'S
I really do like this little jewel
https://www.sony.com/electronics/walkman/nw-zx100-series

 

[GorillaBiscuit]

I've never had a vehicle that didn't beat the holy hell out of CD's so I really have no interest in carrying around scratched up CD'S
I really do like this little jewel
https://www.sony.com/electronics/walkman/nw-zx100-series

Ohhh Damm! I didn't know this was a thing! When I hear someone say Sony Walkman the image I get in my head is the old yellow cassette player that I had clipped to my belt in the 80's!
I'm definitely going to be falling down the rabbit hole now! Thank you for sharing this, I'm kind of excited about it!

 

[voodooridr]

Three letters D.A.P.