I have not done extensive comparisons, but .wav and flac seem to be a wash in terms of inherent sound quality due to format alone. The difference is what is done with teh format, ie how well the recording is made and how well delivered during playback. Just like CDE, vinyl or any other format, recording quality will range from very bad to very good.
The main considerations are compatibility with your gear and how you will handle metadata/tagging.
flac is better for flexible metadata and tagging over time, if that is something you really want to spend time doing. Personaly I do not. I mostly use .wav and make sure the metadata is correct before ripping. This approach works well ripping with Windows Media Player (good quality rips possible and is included with most WIndows computers) and using Logitech MEdia Server (formerly Squeezeserver) as the music server for Squeeze or other compatible devices . The caveat is thatyou cannot change metadata tags (artis, album, title, etc.) once ripped with .wav. You have to redo the rip with new metadata to make a change, which is pretty easy assuming you actually have access to the original CDs ripped when needed. I recommend keeping your CDs as archived versions of your music and for reference as needed. Do not rip and then get rid of the CDs. You might regret it later.
You need to pick another program to rip .flac, but once you do, then that format works well for editing tags when needed and also sounds good with the Logitech/Squeeze system.
Beware of any conclusions drawn about sound quality differences between formats based on a limited test sample. any results are possible. In teh end, I believe the format to be essentially a wash in regards to how good it can sound.
The main considerations are compatibility with your gear and how you will handle metadata/tagging.
flac is better for flexible metadata and tagging over time, if that is something you really want to spend time doing. Personaly I do not. I mostly use .wav and make sure the metadata is correct before ripping. This approach works well ripping with Windows Media Player (good quality rips possible and is included with most WIndows computers) and using Logitech MEdia Server (formerly Squeezeserver) as the music server for Squeeze or other compatible devices . The caveat is thatyou cannot change metadata tags (artis, album, title, etc.) once ripped with .wav. You have to redo the rip with new metadata to make a change, which is pretty easy assuming you actually have access to the original CDs ripped when needed. I recommend keeping your CDs as archived versions of your music and for reference as needed. Do not rip and then get rid of the CDs. You might regret it later.
You need to pick another program to rip .flac, but once you do, then that format works well for editing tags when needed and also sounds good with the Logitech/Squeeze system.
Beware of any conclusions drawn about sound quality differences between formats based on a limited test sample. any results are possible. In teh end, I believe the format to be essentially a wash in regards to how good it can sound.