Any reason to rip to flac instead of 320kbs MP3s for car listening?

Well your only choice is MP3. Or get a car stereo that plays CDs

Rip em to 320.

3rd option that I frequently use is a streaming service in normal mode. I also have data cap at 2gb and I really don't use all my data.

 

Yea, I feel ya. My car definitely plays CDs, even DVD Audio discs, this was just a bit of an impromptu trip that I couldn't really plan for so I was left thinking, 5 hours of FM Radio? Dear god. Point is, even at 320 kbps in a car, transcoded to a phone then sent to my stereo through bluetooth, sounded pretty darned good for a car. In other words, you won't want for much with this kind of setup

Forgot to note - my library consists of a lot of downloaded content from HDTracks and the like. No CD to find anywhere.

 

That's worth learning how to master your own DVD-A discs from HDTracks..

 

Oh I've done it.... not necessarily using HDTracks but just kicking around the Internet figuring it out. It's very good, don't get me wrong, but this is a case where I need to be pragmatic based on how I listen to music. I like to skip around to different genres and performers moreso than would make most people comfortable. For me in particular, unfortunately this method just isn't practical

 

Ah you're a shuffler.

 

Drives my wife nuts. I've even been known to skip to favorite parts of individual tracks. I'm all about transparency, even if I come out looking like a dolt in the end

 

Unless you have a really top of the range system in a very well-insulated car, I doubt you'll hear the difference while driving. 320 mp3 or 256 AAC should be fine

 

Speak for yourself, please.

 

I have a very good stock system (as far as stock systems go) in a well-insulated vehicle and I also posted a similar observation. Which part of his observation do you disagree with? The top of the range comment or the well-insulated part?

 

I just did

 

That you (everyone) won't hear a difference. That's fine if he doesn't hear it, but he cannot speak for everyone.

 

No, you didn't.

 

We'll have to agree to disagree. Peace brother

 

I keep my main library as Apple Lossless, and I let iTunes auto-convert to AAC256 on-the-fly when syncing to my iPhone. I don't have to bother with maintaining two libraries, and I cannot hear any difference at all while driving. In fact, I think it sounds quite wonderful!

(I notice the OP asked about ripping to FLAC vs MP3 -- I would not, under any circumstances, rip to a lossy format. Rip to lossless, set all of your tags and artwork correctly while doing so, and then convert to a lossy format only for those appropriate uses.)

 

Slightly off topic, but on the subject of car listening, I have had access to sat radio this week and I'm not particularly happy with it cutting in/out so frequently where I'm vacationing.

For similar reasons, I'm unlikely go ever go the streaming route, and much prefer to have my music files on my phone or DAP regardless of whether it is lossless or lossy! Continuous is just as important - LOL!

 

As others have said, I agree that the best option when ripping for any reason is to rip to lossless, and then convert as needed to whatever format you desire. The primary thing is to rip from the physical media once... why waste time re-ripping if you want something different later?

Storage is cheap, time is valuable.

 

This thread is a very good reason to NOT play your CDs in the car. My selection and ease of playability on a flash drive will beat your selection and ease of playing CDs ANY DAY of the week.

 

Nope...No screwing around with flac or mp3. Just pop the cd in and enjoy.....Physical Media is pretty much the reason to read this forum. If I want ultimate portability for the car I just put on Spotify on my phone. Good enough for the car.

 

Why is that?

 

CD is still a fast and easy way to play music in a car. Start making those mix CDs

 

A decently encoded mp3 should be fine unless you're super uptight, but remember this:
V0 MP3 > 320 MP3

 

Well I don't see anybody selling or buying your FLAC's in the classifieds.

 

And, there are those of us where the format does make a difference in the car because we can hear the difference, even in today's later-model cars and their factory systems. Factory car systems in the average car have come a long way in terms of the sound they can deliver. And, many are constructed better to isolate outside noise.

So, since this is my reality, I can indeed hear the difference between lossless and lossy in my car.

 

Putting music on a smartphone or USB allows one to hold a hell of a lot more music than a CD! And, it's reusable, and won't get scratched or ruined by sun exposure.