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I use a Phatbox for hard disk audio - great piece of (now obsolete) kit but I'd really like one of these new 7" pop out screen thingys for sat nav, audio etc.
I don't need or really want DVD.

Trouble is all my music is stored in FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) which the Phatbox supports (as does my Squeezebox at home) and I've not seen any head units that manage much other than MP3. I don't want to compromise quality by moving to MP3 and certainly don't want to run a duplicate music library just to have MP3 files for the car.


Anyone seen anything out there ?

I'd be amazed if you can hear the difference between FLAC and MP3 when used in a car (high background noise and an audio system designed down to a budget) - different matter in a good listening room though...

PetrolDave wrote:I'd be amazed if you can hear the difference between FLAC and MP3 when used in a car (high background noise and an audio system designed down to a budget) - different matter in a good listening room though...

I think you've missed the point Dave: "...don't want to run a duplicate music library just to have MP3 files for the car"

I don't think you've got any choice - as you said yourself "I've not seen any head units that manage much other than MP3".

I am gonna go out on a limb and suggest an in car PC.
http://www.cartft.com/catalog/il/770

Simply because you are not going to find any Pioneer/Alpine/Sony etc which will play FLAC to the best of my knowledge.
Your only other option for something newer would be to get an player that does support FLAC and get a headunit with an AUX input or similar. Or see if you can interface the Phatbox with a newer head unit?

Other suggestion would be to re-encode your collection to AAC which I believe the Squeezebox supports too and then get an Ipod capable head unit. Its still a "lossy" format though.

Final one I can think of is a headunit called the EMPEG but I think its as obsolete as the Phatbox now...

bobbler wrote:Your only other option for something newer would be to get an player that does support FLAC and get a headunit with an AUX input or similar.

The Audi II+ Generation radios (e.g. Symphony II+) and the RNS-E can all be setup to have an Aux In connection.

If you search the SLIM Devices forums, you will find that there is a utility which will automatically maintain an MP3 copy of your FLAC music library.

I have to say that I never had a concern about audio quality in the car, using 128kbps MP3 on the PhatBox. I really couldn't tell the difference from playing the original CD in the car.

The home audio system is a different matter, though - only FLAC is good enough to be indistinguishable from the the original CD played on my Arcam Alpha 9 CD.

peterb wrote:The home audio system is a different matter, though - only FLAC is good enough to be indistinguishable from the the original CD played on my Arcam Alpha 9 CD.

Exactly my original point ...

The automatic MP3 copy utility sounds a possible solution to me... after all keeping an MP3 library will then only be disk space (and disk space is so cheap now).