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Can I Transfer ALAC Files from iTunes to a Portable Player?

Al Griffin  |  Nov 17, 2016

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Q For years, I used iTunes to rip my CDs in the Apple Lossless Audio Compression (ALAC) format and load them onto a 160-gigabyte iPod classic. Now that iPods are no more, I would like to switch to one of the new hi-res-capable portable players but want to avoid having to rip all of my CDs again. Do any of the new players support ALAC so I can continue using iTunes? Also, is there some way to use iTunes to load files from my computer to a new portable player? —Mark Hoornstra / Maryland

A Apple left a gaping hole in the audiophile universe when it retired its 160-GB iPod classic back in 2014. The good news is that a wide array of portable players, many with hi-res playback capability and greater storage capacity than the 160-GB iPod classic, have since popped up to fill the void. More good news: Most of the new players from companies like Astell & Kern, FiiO, Sony, and Questyle support the ALAC format.

Now for some bad news: None of the new players is compatible with iTunes. (No shock there given Apple’s traditional tight control of its products and intellectual property.) While the lack of iTunes compatibility will make it a chore to transfer files from the iTunes library on your computer to any new player you buy, it can still be done. The procedure varies from player to player but in most cases involves plugging the player into your computer’s USB port and then using drag-and-drop to copy files from the PC’s file system to folders in the player’s internal storage.

With a Mac, things get a bit more involved. Here’s how I went about doing it with an Astell & Kern player. First, download the Android File Transfer application from android.com. Next, plug in the player, launch Android File Transfer, and drag files over from the iTunes Music Library on the Mac to the player’s file folders in the Android File Transfer application window. After that, I could browse and listen to tracks from my iTunes library on the player, ALAC-encoded ones included.

COMMENTS
mtymous1's picture
Submitted by mtymous1 on November 17, 2016 - 8:49pm

Mark Hoornstra wrote, "For years, I used iTunes to rip my CDs in the Apple Lossless Audio Compression (ALAC) format and load them onto a 160-gigabyte iPod classic. Now that iPods are no more, I would like to switch to one of the new hi-res-capable portable players but want to avoid having to rip all of my CDs again. Do any of the new players support ALAC so I can continue using iTunes? Also, is there some way to use iTunes to load files from my computer to a new portable player?"

Use JRiver Media Center instead. Learn more about its Sync features here:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Sync_Handheld

...and all of its other features here:
http://www.jriver.com/

Head_Unit's picture
Submitted by Head_Unit on November 18, 2016 - 8:49pm

I don't know why someone with a huge iTunes library wouldn't just replace a dead 160GB iPod with a solid-state 128GB iPod Touch. THAT is the simplest solution! Now, if iTunes has become annoying then transcoding and a different front end could be the ticket. Personally, I just drag and drop to an old Sansa Clip Zip, never open iTunes, it got way too clunky and slow.

mtymous1's picture
Submitted by mtymous1 on November 19, 2016 - 8:00pm

Let me get this straight... You are suggesting a 128GB Touch that has:
- 32GB LESS than the 160GB model he's replacing.
- only works with whyTunes
- AND costs $399???

C'mon man.

Besides, the original post states, "I would like to switch to one of the new hi-res-capable portable players."

A Fiio X5 WITH 256GB of storage would cost less, and have more features than AAPL could even comprehend.
http://www.fiio.net/en/products/41

Head_Unit's picture
Submitted by Head_Unit on November 22, 2016 - 9:02am

...the iPod touch IS the only "plug-in" kind of replacement, not requiring a bunch of transcoding or fiddling around learning new stuff. So it is still worthy of at least consideration due to convenience-$399 might not be so expensive if you value your time much. 128GB can still store a lot of stuff to listen to; I don't think that's a deal breaker. Personally, I love to just drag and drop, but don't know if any of the high res players can operate like that without a software front end.

mtymous1's picture
Submitted by mtymous1 on November 22, 2016 - 9:51pm

...a 160GB Classic is a stretch... That's frayed.

Remember, the original Q expresses the user's desire for a high-res-capable player. Clearly, no relevant AAPL product meets that. (Side note: in fact hardly ANYTHING in the entire AAPL catalog meets that. Only a select few >2013 Macs do: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202730)

The value proposition of the 128GB Touch becomes non-existent when compared to any of the feature-rich, high-res portables available on the market. (I only listed one of many in my last post: the Fiio X5.)

Fixed storage is passé, hence one of many reasons the why-would-anyone-Pod is on life support. Almost all of the noteworthy high-res players support cards, which of course we all know can be easily managed through applications (whether they are native to the OS, vendor-supplied, or even 3rd party).
(You even commented on your Sansa as an example in your first post!)

Additionally, there are many other applications out there that support sync and transfer functions directly to the portable without having to swap out cards. Assuming he already has a growing list of high-res content -- and why wouldn't he since he now wants a high-res-capable player -- he may already have JRiver Media Center which does a MUCH nicer job of managing content and syncing than whyTunes.

Given all the headaches associated with it, I don't see how whyTunes is convenient. Recall this little ditty: http://on.wsj.com/1AhpzgJ. I certainly wouldn't consider that kind of design to be very convenient or time-saving.

If you're still toting a Sans Zip Clip and touting an iTunes/Pod combo, I highly encourage you to read up and invest in a Fiio X5 and 256GB of storage: http://www.fiio.net/en/products/41. You can thank me later.

P.S. For only $100-$200 more than your 128GB suggestion, you could even get a high-res player with at least one ESS Sabre® 32-bit/192kHz DAC. Check out the XDP-100R and DP-X1 http://www.crutchfield.com/g_158150/Portable-High-res-Music-Players.html.

Head_Unit's picture
Submitted by Head_Unit on November 23, 2016 - 1:13pm

The thing about the Clip Zip is it is ultra light. 0.56 ounces is CNET's spec. For running, this is significantly light; far lighter than even the skinny iPods or their $20 latter-day clones. The Clip Zip just clips onto my running shorts and unlike any other player does not bounce due to the low mass. And I have no interest in arm straps for a player, and with some cheap headphones I stumbled on sounds quite good with good material. Mostly I use this rig to listen to bootlegs, so while another player might excel sonically (and other headphones surely would) this setup is quite enjoyable. At one point it seemed the battery was dead and I almost cried-the newer Sansas are not as good; I think you can't go BACK in the menus and other issues I forget by now.

As for the iPod touch, the only reason to get that is to avoid making any changes and avoid spending the time transcoding masses of music. If that is not bothersome, then yeah, there are other players out there for sure.

Myself, I quit using iTunes because I would want to grab music on the fly, but it would take FOREVER to load my huge library. I guess I could have just left it open all the time...don't remember why I didn't.

mtymous1's picture
Submitted by mtymous1 on November 24, 2016 - 8:30am

...would you need to transcode masses of music?? I don't know of any high-res player that doesn't play MORE file formats than any iPod.

Head_Unit's picture
Submitted by Head_Unit on November 25, 2016 - 4:41pm

The thread starter has all his music in Apple Lossless. Nothing will play that except Apple devices. So he can either spend for an iPod touch, or buy possibly superior and/or cheaper players BUT have to transcode all his music. If you have a huge library, that is a big investment of time, so many folks might decide an iPod touch is a simpler way to go, despite possible superiority of other players in some aspects.

mtymous1's picture
Submitted by mtymous1 on November 25, 2016 - 9:26pm

"Nothing will play {ALAC} except Apple devices. So he can either spend for an iPod touch, or buy possibly superior and/or cheaper players BUT have to transcode all his music."

That is absolutely incorrect. All three of the exemplary high-res model numbers I provided (X5, XDP-100R, and DP-X1) in my previous posts play ALAC files. (Quite self-evident that you didn't click any of the links.)

So if at stake is a "...a huge library, that is a big investment of time..." all the MORE reason to move to a high-res player -- many of which play ALAC files.

Julio PR's picture
Submitted by Julio PR on November 23, 2016 - 7:14pm

I use a freeware called Floola. It allows to manage your Ipod and export your whole library from the Ipod

www.floola.com

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