Convert from AAC to Apple Lossless: audio quality improvements?

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Level 1

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Convert from AAC to Apple Lossless: audio quality improvements?

I have a library of iTunes music which I ripped from my CDs, converting it in the AAC format

I now want to take the existing AAC files and convert them into Apple Lossless (ALC) format, as I have started playing iTunes music into my High-End home system and need better audio quality

Does anyone know if the audio quality of an ALC is still highier when this is being created from an AAC?

No doubt ALC is better quality if I directly rip in this format from a CD... But how about those existing AAC files? Do they actually GAIN audio quality if I convert them into ALC? Or do I have to go back to my CDs and re-import them all over again, this time in ALC?

thanks
D

Message was edited by: Davidulo

Posted on Sep 9, 2009 9:57 AM

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Answer 1

varjak paw

Level 10

182,668 points

Sep 9, 2009 10:09 AM in response to Davidulo

Does anyone know if the audio quality of an ALC is still highier when this is being created from an AAC?

No. Converting from AAC to Apple Lossless, or any other lossless format, will achieve nothing other than to make the file size much larger. The quality will be the same as the AAC source file. Once you compress a track with a lossy compressor such as AAC (or MP3) the quality is lost (hence the term "lossy") and cannot be recovered.

If you want the quality of Apple Lossless, you will need to re-import your CDs.

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