Are imported MP3s converted if FLAC compression is enabled?

[Nick Knoll]

Hi There,

I’m almost done ripping all my CDs onto my B2, so I’m now thinking about all those old mp3s I have on my laptop for which I have no disk. If I have my B2’s compression enabled for FLAC compression, will those newly imported mp3s be converted to FLAC or does the Brennan know not to do that?

Thanks.

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Nick,

I've been down this path myself!  The short answer is that if you copy your mp3 files across (say from a PC or other device), the B2 just accepts the mp3 files as they are and does not convert them to FLAC.

So, in my collection, I have approximately 5500 FLAC files (from newly ripped CDs) and 13500 MP3 files (from files copied from my old music system).

Regards,

Peter.

[Nick Knoll]

Thanks for the info, Peter. Would you happen to know if the same holds true for AAC files?

[PMB]

Hi Nick,

The B2 (and BB1) will only compress WAV files (the original format of a CD). It will not attempt to compress FLAC, MP3 or AAC/ALAC files so will they remain in whatever format they were loaded in.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Daniel Taylor]

One added point of information:

There is no reason to convert MP3 files to FLAC.  Doing so cannot improve the resolution (or quality), but it would make the file bigger.

When a WAV or FLAC file is converted to MP3, data is thrown out.  Once discarded, that data cannot be recovered, it's gone.

[BoarGules]

I'm sure the B2 does not do this because there would be no good reason for it. MP3 is a lossy compression; it leaves stuff out that you can never get back, and hopefully you won't notice. FLAC is a lossless compression; it compresses without loss of fidelity, so you can always convert it back to the original WAV if you want. To convert an MP3 to FLAC would simply result in a bigger file and wouldn't provide any improvement. It would simply be a lossless rendering of an already lossy file. Whatever is missing in the MP3 conversion won't magically come back if you turn it into a FLAC. It is lost forever. And if your MP3 has birdie artefacts (those R2D2 noises breaking through silences and dancing over harpsichord solos) converting it to FLAC won't, alas, make them go away.