Hey Folks,

Before I knew anything about FLAC, I ripped my CDs to MP3 (VBR, 160kbps min). Since then, I've read on and on how much FLAC is used here and in other forums. So I thought I would give it an audition before spending all that time to re-rip everything.

I loaded dBpowerAmp (faster and easier than EAC w/FLAC) and ripped just one album: The Cars Greatest Hits.

I was just like a little kid at Christmas, all ready to experience the difference that 4.5x the bitrate (and storage) was going to yield. What a letdown. I went back and forth, back and forth, over a bunch of songs (mainly the beginning of the songs to make it easier to compare side by side), and could not hear any differences!

Maybe you can enlighten me:

-- What kinds of music will benefit most from FLAC vs. VBR MP3? Was this album a poor choice?

-- What frequencies benefit the most (low/mid/high)?

-- Honest now: if I played the two side by side, how hard would it be for you to pick the FLAC version consistently?

-- Anything else?

Kind of bummed. - Dave