WAVE 64 PCM Encoding

I have nearly 3000 CD’s and have ripped them all with a great product called EZ CD Audio Converter. I’ve always used 24|192 FLAC. I was researching converting or re-ripping to DSD and saw that this program will write a file called Wave 64 PCM a .w64 file. So i jacked up the settings to 32|384k just to see what happens and whether Roon can play it. WOW, first I was surprised that it played and had all the catalog info but damn it sounds good.

My question is, does anyone know anything about this file type or encoding style and why don’t we use it?

I’m not 100% regarding EZ CD file formats but pretty sure you’re creating RF64 field, or 64 bit Broadcast Wave Files (BWF). The BWF format was created by the European Broadcasting Union and added support for things like standard metadata and time codes. RF64 extends BWF to provide support files larger than 4GB.

Are the official specifications. The main reason these aren’t used outside of broadcadting and audio archives is they’re not usually compressed, although they support forms of compression, and the files are large.

Excuse the re-editing am on the phone interfaces with a finger splint…

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Sorry for being blunt, but why would one rip 3000 cds into a non-bitperfect format? I assume you like what you hear, but why not let the playback software (or DAC) do the upsampling?

I’m totally with you on the excellent EZ Audio Converter though, have used it for many years and it is one of the best maintained and evolved piece of software i’ve ever paid (pocket money) for! :slight_smile:

Hahaa Guess I wasn’t clear. I ripped all of my CD’s as FLAC. I was looking at the EZCD software to see if it did DSD (does not) when I saw the WAVE 64 PCM option.

So I ripped the MFSL GOLD CD of Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon just to see what it sounded like. Didn’t know it wasn’t bit-perfect, that’s why I was asking about the format on here. Songs are over 3,000 kbps and nearly 1.5-2GB file size, it did seem to sound rather nice though.

What you have written here is what i’m talking about! :slight_smile:
When ripping a CD the only bitperfect format is 16bits 44.1Khz files, in a variety of formats, such as AIFF, WAV, ALAC or FLAC.

If you convert them to either 24/192 or DSD you have no way of converting them back to the bitperfect original 16/44.1…

Sorry man, but you need to re-rip your 3000 CD’s!!! :smile:
(Not saying they sound bad, but they are not bit perfect)

OK Gotcha. I assumed, apparently wrongly, that a higher bitrate was better and really only ripped a select group of MFSL and Direct-to-Disc discs. So re-ripping would only be on 100 or so.

So if this is the case, as you state, then why are some Tidal and Qobuz discs labeled as 24\96? Did they too wrongfully create bit-imperfect streams and why do people in this board not talk about the issues this causes?

You are not wrong per se, the higher bit rate files may very well sound better in your setup. And by converting the files to higher rez formats using EZ Audio Cnv you are basically trading CPU horsepower for network bandwidth. By that, i mean that Roon could perform your upsampling for you, in real time, while you keep your bit perfect CD rips unmolested.

Converting files as your examples, would need a lot more disk space for storage, as you mention, and the network bandwith needed when streaming them (if you use a network path) increases significantly. However, there is no cpu processing necessary to upsample on the fly, as if Roon were to do this for you.

Regarding the files from steaming services and high rez download sites, they are not necessarily sourced from CD rips, more likely digital master copies from the mixer desk. So they may be “more bitperfect” than your CD actually.
(Say, a recording digitized in 24/96, and mixed/mastered in the same resolution, then resampled into 16/44.1 to be compatible with CD, thats actually a lossy process, and definently not bit perfect)

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Great stuff. Thanks for the education