Theoretical question:

Two users have identical computer hardware (including identical audio cards), identical software audio players, and identical receiver and speakers. (Let's assume an infinite cpu processing power and infinite computer memory.)

The only difference is that one user has his music stored as .flac lossless files and the other user has his music stored as .wma lossless (or any other lossless) files. Both users ripped their music using the same settings with the same software.


Would there be any sound quality differences (perceived or not) when comparing playback between the two users?





Thank you in advance for your input.

The actual audio data will be identical, but it can sound different because of different speaker positioning, or because of the room itself.

Ok let's say the speaker positioning and rooms are identical as well.

If the only difference is the file format, there will be no quality difference in the playback. Lossless means exactly what it says - exactly the same as the original. Under the above conditions, all lossless files sound exactly the same.

This is equivalent to asking: If a game was compressed in one case with ZIP and another case with RAR, would one play better than the other?

This question needs to be added to the FAQ. It comes up often, and the answer is the same every time.

The software audio player doesn't really "play" a compressed FLAC or WMA lossless file, it first decodes (uncompresses) the data back to it's original state. Therefore, the data that is being played (sent to the soundcard) is (sans any bugs/errors) 100% identical.

Lossy formats (exa. mp3) also get decoded during playback, but data that was discarded during compression cannot be restored.

People who ask such questions never read any FAQ

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses (well, except Sunhillow). I figured as much but just wanted some confirmation.