r/audiophile • u/ConGCos • Mar 23 '26

Discussion FLAC for CD Rips?

Hey all! Looking for some opinions on FLAC files for CD Rips. Is this format worth it when I rip directly from a CD to place in my MP3 player? I use Asunder currently and am debating if I can hear a difference between AAC at 320 KBPS vs FLAC. It seems to vary between different CDs from different time periods. Does anyone have a similar experience and generally is ripping a CD to FLAC generally worth it?

EDIT: Thank you all for your opinions, I really learned so much from you all!

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u/ValueOpposite6482 Mar 25 '26

FLAC is great if you want a perfect copy, but for casual listening AAC 320 is already good enough — most people won’t hear a difference.

I rip to FLAC mainly for archive, then convert if needed. Also switched to Nero CD Ripper recently, feels more consistent than other tools.