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AIFF vs Apple Lossless Ripping

I have a large music collection that I have ripped using Apple Lossless and error correction turned on. I have recently seen several postings saying that AIFF (with error correction turned on)is the way to go. Would anyone care to address the superiority of AIFF vs Lossless, and if possible, explain why one would potentially be better than the other? And, if AIFF results in a larger file, approximately how much larger (percentage). I'm trying to decide if it's worthwhile to re-rip a 1400 cd collection.
rabco

Showing 2 responses by herman

herman
2,216 posts
 
AIFF files do not have "more information" than lossless, there is no "missing information" in a lossless file, hence the name lossless. The data is there, it just compressed similar to a zipped data file. As stated, you can convert back and forth with no loss or errors.

Some people claim they can hear a difference and attribute this to the process of decoding the lossless file as the music is playing. I agree you should convert some and give it a listen to decide whether it is worth the effort.
herman
2,216 posts
 
One reason you may not hear a difference is that the Mac sends everything to the Airport as Apple Lossless. It converts the AIFF file to lossless and then the AE converts it back to SPDIF for your Dac. There is also a fair amount of jitter coming from the AE which might mask differences if there actually are any.
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