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AIFF, WAV, and CDDA

Posted by Tony Lauck (A) on May 20, 2008 at 14:14:27

In Reply to: RE: What about simply doing a file copy? posted by Quiet Earth on May 20, 2008 at 13:17:11:

Actually AIFF is a file format defined by Apple. Similarly, WAV is a file format defined by Microsoft. Although some of the control formats are different, the actual audio data in AIFF and WAV files is similiar, just raw PCM samples. (The difference is the order of bytes in the 16 bit words, which differ because Motorola processors and Intel processors store arithmetic in a different order in memory.) Store bought CDs have data in a different format as defined by the Philips/Sony Red Book, although they too have the same PCM data.

If you hear differences between Apple Lossless and AIFF you might try converting the lossless back to AIFF. You should end up with the same audio data. However, while playing a Lossless file your processor has extra work to do, and it is possible for this to cause audible effects. I don't hear differences on my system when playing FLAC compared to WAVs, but both sound better than playing CDs directly. The best results come when I use cics' cPlay application, because the audio data for a complete play list has been copied into RAM memory before the music starts.








Tony Lauck

"Perception, inference and authority are the valid sources of knowledge" - P.R. Sarkar

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