> Are you buying hidef audio in flac tho or flac where the source is the cd after whatever compression and normalisation has been applied?
That would only be applicable if the two versions are mastered differently. Is there any reason/empirical evidence that's the case? I think the reasonable default assumption is that the recording studio just exports the same master for flac and cds, because it saves work. If they're going off the same master, then the only difference is 16 bit 44.1khz PCM audio for CDs, vs 16/24/32 bit 44.1/48/96/192khz audio for "hidef audio in flac" which is imperceptible.
Yeah, I concluded the same during my research into which physical medium to buy. Save your money. Turns out standard 16bit music CDs are all you're capable of hearing anyway.
Get one of those audiophiles and repeat a blind test 10 times ;)
Personally, I think hi def audio is nonsense, but I know some audiophiles who swear they can tell a difference.
Should you be one of those maybe the extra price is worth it ;)