FLAC is Coming to the UK!
Free Lossless Audio Codec or FLAC is, well here’s the description from a site not well maintained recently but still top of the Google search lists as it is still pretty entire. The site is source forge and the chap called Josh Coalson who made it said, ‘FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, an audio format similar to MP3, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favourite player (or your car or home stereo) just like you would an MP3 file’ The point being that whilst taking up massive room versus a normal resolution MP3 file or AAC file, FLAC sounds flac-ing brilliant. Clean, uncompressed, dynamic, snappy and detailed. And we can have some pretty huge storage in many carriers these days.
And Talk Audio is the ONLY place on the ‘˜net where you can click from a banner to buy FLAC music files in either awesome Bass Mekanik Records FLAC low frequency, system-stretching phatness via BANDCAMP, or from Bowers & Wilkins’ Society of Sound, curated by Peter Gabriel and the London Symphony Orchestra as well as Real World recording studios.
Josh Coalson gives a list of compatible FLAC playback devices via a link on his FLAC site although this only goes up to 2009. Of course, there are many home audio devices that support it, yet there is only one car headunit up to now that actually supports it and that is a mad rare Russian-made item from URAL Electronics that has a site here cdd ru Google Chrome will translate if you use their browser. It is a product of the fact that the Russians have a thriving mad-end posh car audio market and there is this item called a CDD or Customisable Digital Device that has a bonkers specification and arrives in an aluminium flight-briefcase. So even if it still exists, I reckon it’ll be a costly thing.
So it is with utter delight that I can reveal that a MAJOR Japanese manufacturer and Talk Audio Site Associate is to be releasing a FLAC capable head unit. And better yet, I shall be getting my mitts on one very early on to Beta-test the system!
I cannot even tell you which maker it is at present and won’t be drawn on any kind of reply as to whom it is as yet but if you are a heavy FLAC user and a Talk Audio toff, then PM me and we might even get you involved in the process of checking this all out and being part of making sure the system is ready for the Real World!
You read it here first. FLAC is finally coming to car audio in the UK!
The URAL CDD Never seen in the UK