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Connections & formats

FLAC

Also called Free Lossless Audio Codec, FLAC file

FLAC, the Free Lossless Audio Codec, compresses PCM audio to roughly half its size without losing anything: decoded, it is bit-for-bit the original. It is the standard format for lossless downloads, CD rips and most lossless streaming.

05001,0001,500kbpsSBC328AAC256aptX352aptX Adaptive280–420aptX HD576LDAC330 / 660 / 990aptX Lossless~1,100FLAC (CD)~700–1,000CD PCM1,411
FLAC of CD-quality audio typically runs at about 700 to 1,000 kbps depending on the music, roughly half to 70 percent of the 1,411 kbps uncompressed PCM it decodes back to bit for bit. Bluetooth codecs are shown for comparison.

Unlike MP3 or AAC, which throw away what they judge inaudible, FLAC works like a zip file for audio. A CD-quality album takes about 300 MB, a hi-res one three to six times that, depending on the rate. The format is open, supports tags and album art, and plays on almost everything; Apple’s Music app still prefers ALAC for the same job.

Qobuz, TIDAL and Amazon Music stream in FLAC. Because the decoded audio is identical to the source, there is no "FLAC sound"; two FLAC files of different masters can sound very different, and the master is what matters.

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