[hagtech]

Don't tell me, when downloading purchased music from iTunes, can you only get the protected AAC versions?  Is it possible to buy the AIFF, WAV, or Apple Lossless format?  So far, I can't see how.

Sheesh, that renders iTunes Store absolutely useless.  The quality of the one AAC file I've bought so far was so bad I wanted to cry.  I was really looking forward to buying a whole bunch of my favorite songs.

jh

[bhobba]

Don't tell me, when downloading purchased music from iTunes, can you only get the protected AAC versions?  Is it possible to buy the AIFF, WAV, or Apple Lossless format?  So far, I can't see how.

Sheesh, that renders iTunes Store absolutely useless.  The quality of the one AAC file I've bought so far was so bad I wanted to cry.  I was really looking forward to buying a whole bunch of my favorite songs.

Check out
http://www.allofmp3.com/index2.shtml

FLAC can be directly converted to apple lossless.  If you can not download in FLAC then high bit rate MPC is 100% transparent on virtually all recordings and they can be converted to apple lossless.  Most players other than an IPOD will play FLAC and MPC directly however.

Thanks
Bill

[Jon L]

Check out
http://www.allofmp3.com/index2.shtml

FLAC can be directly converted to apple lossless.  If you can not download in FLAC then high bit rate MPC is 100% transparent on virtually all recordings and they can be converted to apple lossless.  Most players other than an IPOD will play FLAC and MPC directly however.

Thanks
Bill

Unfortunately, Flac downloads from allofmp3 don't sound as good as your own CD ripped with EAC into Flac.  When you compare the 2 methods, there are also lots of non bit-perfectivity.  Still, it's the best quality download available, not counting the "shackle-me-silly" MusicGiants.

[bhobba]

Unfortunately, Flac downloads from allofmp3 don't sound as good as your own CD ripped with EAC into Flac.  When you compare the 2 methods, there are also lots of non bit-perfectivity.  Still, it's the best quality download available, not counting the "shackle-me-silly" MusicGiants.

Thanks for the info.  I have not actually purchased anything from them yet - I need to set up my system which for various reasons I am doing in stages - one of the last being setting up a pc playback system.

At present all my CD's are at a friends place in another city.  We converted them to MP3 at 160k before flac and the other lossless codecs were widely used.  I had hoped to purchase them from allofmp3 - looks like that option may not give me what I wanted.  It may be ok though since I found even 160k MP3's difficult to tell from the original.  I suspect it may depend on how sensitive you are to such things so it may be worth a shot.

Thanks
Bill

[hagtech]

So can iTunes play FLAC?  I notice from allofmp3.com you can download FLAC or WAV.  Just wondering how I get these into my Mac.

jh

[Jon L]

So can iTunes play FLAC?  I notice from allofmp3.com you can download FLAC or WAV.  Just wondering how I get these into my Mac.

jh

It's a shame, really.  iTunes can't (won't) play Flac, but it will play .wav.  However, I strongly discourage .wav download since you will lose all tagging info with .wav.  You have no idea what a pain it will be when you later decide to encode .wav to something else.  Manually typing in tag info is NO fun.

dBpoweramp is a free-trial software that will easily convert apple lossless to Flac.  However, it won't convert Flac to apple lossless.  iTunes can't convert Flac to apple lossless, either.

iTunes, will, however let you convert WMA lossless files into apple lossless.  

Since allofmp3 also sells WMA lossless files (which preserve tags), if you are a sole Mac/iTunes user, I would download WMA lossless files, then use iTunes to convert them to apple lossless, preserving tags all the way.

EDIT.  
By the way, where about is the touring HagUSB DAC these days?  I believe I'm still on the audition list...

[bhobba]

So can iTunes play FLAC?  I notice from allofmp3.com you can download FLAC or WAV.  Just wondering how I get these into my Mac.jh

I notice Jon has given a reply so I will just add what little I know.  I believe Max - Macintosh Audio for OS X will allow conversion from quite a lot of formats to apple lossless.

Thanks
Bill

[hagtech]

touring HagUSB DAC

The CHIME is in NY.  Next to FL.  Then out to CA!

jh

[hagtech]

iTunes, will, however let you convert WMA lossless files into apple lossless

I'm doing something wrong.  I bought a trial WMA lossless download.  Moved it across my network to the Mac.  But I can't find anyway to get it into iTunes.  I tried "add to library" but it says it cannot add.  I also see the "convert selection to apple lossless" in a menu.  But I can't get the file into iTunes to convert.  It's driving me nuts.

Any suggestions?

jh

[hagtech]

Never mind.  I discovered I needed to convert the FLAC or WMA lossless files on my PC to AIFF.  Then copied them over the net to my Mac.  Then import to iTunes.  Then convert to Apple Lossless, delete original.  Not much album info getting through, maybe I am losing some tag info?

jh

[Watson]

The Mac version of iTunes does not convert WMA Lossless.  Only the PC version does.

[PatOMalley]

all this file conversion! it's a good thing you have a tube stage to round out the peanutbrittle you finally end up with!

i hadda say something, i just hadda.

[hagtech]

tube stage to round out the peanutbrittle

I hear ya!  Not too happy about all this computational stuff.  Seems like a sure way to take the finesse and transparency out of a recording.  I can only hope the software folks improve the situation and eventually make bit perfection an easy possibility.  

Nevertheless, the tube stages in CHIME are really wideband and do NOT roll off the signal or round edges like others might.  Garbage in, garbage out.

jh