There are benefits to lossless audio.

With a usb-snd kernel module and something like the Headroom Total Bithead (a portable amp), it should be possible to output digitally perfect sound to a HIGH QUALITY pair of headphones, earbuds, or even a home entertainment system (with the appropriate amp). Once you've listened to high quality audio, there's no going back to iPod-grade earbuds!

There are other types of audio that generally suffer from lossy compression. I frequently listen to binaural beats, which contain frequencies outside of the consciously perceptible spectrum of sound, but are apparently still 'heard' by the brain. I've read that compression tends to eliminate these frequencies or distort them sufficiently for them to lose effect. This is why I *need* FLAC/WAVE for certain types of listening.

Individuals looking encrypt data into an audio stream may also run into new challenges with a lossy format.

Also, I have noticed that lossless audio has a less harsh effect on my system. For some reason I find MP3's mentally draining to listen to after a while (even if I can't hear the distortion, which I often can), but a well amplified lossless format is a different story: it's softer somehow. For my favorite tracks/albums, FLAC is must. Generally half the size of WAVE and all of the quality.

One last benefit is computational cost. FLAC is supposed to be very computationally light to compress and decompress (eg. stores predictable functions in the codec for quick decompression). It's less of a benefit when compared with specialized hardware used to handle common lossy computations, but it's still is nice to know that it requires few cpu cycles. Of course, the larger file size equate to more drive seeks, so this isn't an intuitively reliable measurement of implied battery life conservation.

Here's a link to the FLAC FAQ which has a very comprehensive breakdown of the format.

Of course, for casual listeners, the mp3/ogg/aac/etc formats are quite acceptable. But for those that listen a lot, I recommend you to find a good audio setup and have a listen. You may be jolted (like me) out of low quality audio country, into pure listening bliss!

Maybe then FLAC may seem just a bit more appealing!


}:^)~
YARR!

Long-shanks Corrupt