What Are Lossless Audio Files and Do They Make an Audible Difference?

If you want to convert your precious music CD collection to a digital format, you should know all about the types of compression that are possible. This way, you will be able to find out exactly how choosing one compression method over the other can affect your listening experience.

The quality of sound changes with lossy compression or irreversible compression. The changes can be very subtle, and at low volume, you might not even find them to be audible, but the fact remains that the sound has changed nonetheless. In comparison, lossless compression is useful for recording all of the music data in a more efficient way, maintaining the sound quality. 

Lossy compression formats are not always the preferred choice for serious music enthusiasts. What might have been initially inaudible (static, for instance) may end up becoming distinctly audible. This usually happens after successive saves. Moreover, lossy compression can also change certain parts of the music in case the compression algorithm is incorrect.

Lossless Compression and Its Importance for Audiophiles

Lossless compression basically means that the original or true sound can be reproduced very precisely.  It can be done in such a manner that it maintains bit perfect accuracy well above the human audio range of roughly 20Hz to 20kHz.  This makes lossless audio files a popular choice for professionals and music lovers alike.

If you own a medium-range set up, you will easily be able to differentiate between your original CD and the compressed file even on 320 kbps AAC tracks. However, once you go below the 320 kbps range, the degradation will be problematic.  In this case, by the time you get down to around 128kbps, you will feel that you are actually listening to a version of your favorite CD that is barely a shadow of the original.

If you want the very best digital audio library that has the same quality as your original CDs, just give us a call and we will do the job for you! 

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