# Best USB Flash Drive for Flac Audio?



## cdaburnerb (May 29, 2019)

This is a bit technical so I think this is the right section. Thumb drives vary in many ways, read speeds, write speeds, and many other technical aspects. So what flash drives are the best for storing very large amounts of FLAC audio files so our head units can access them quickly and efficiently?

I am thinking of buying this Patriot Memory 256GB Supersonic Rage 2 flash drive. It has some decent reviews, but it also has quite a few bad review that touch on things I am simply not familiar with.

I have a very large collection of Flac audio and I want to be able to access it all on my car, so is this a good flash drive for that purpose?

https://www.newegg.com/patriot-model-pef256gsr2usb-256gb/p/N82E16820220928?Item=N82E16820220928


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## Ripkon (May 9, 2019)

What hu are you using


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## cdaburnerb (May 29, 2019)

Ripkon said:


> What hu are you using


Pioneer MVH-1440NEX


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## naiku (May 28, 2008)

Had no issues with a 128GB Sandisk Cruzer and 64GB Fireblade.


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## Hillbilly SQ (Jan 26, 2007)

All I use is the Sandisk Cruzer. Not "fast" by any means but very reliable. Never a single hiccup out of them unlike PNY.


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## cdaburnerb (May 29, 2019)

So this one? I need two, one for hip hop, one for everything else.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EHG3GVM/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_7?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&th=1


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## tRidiot (Jun 29, 2006)

No, that is a 2.0 flash drive. Read/write speeds will be lower.

I, too, have used many flash drives and keep coming back to Sandisk. The Cruzer Ultra is what I have used and I have measured a notable difference in speeds both read and write through USB 3.0 ports in the higher-quality drives. It is worth the extra cost, if you ask me, your Pioneer headunit will read them faster and less likely chance of poor performance. I have had the same experience with SD and SDXC cards in my Pioneer headunits.

Get the fastest you can afford within reason.


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## cdaburnerb (May 29, 2019)

tRidiot said:


> No, that is a 2.0 flash drive. Read/write speeds will be lower.
> 
> I, too, have used many flash drives and keep coming back to Sandisk. The Cruzer Ultra is what I have used and I have measured a notable difference in speeds both read and write through USB 3.0 ports in the higher-quality drives. It is worth the extra cost, if you ask me, your Pioneer headunit will read them faster and less likely chance of poor performance. I have had the same experience with SD and SDXC cards in my Pioneer headunits.
> 
> Get the fastest you can afford within reason.


Awesome, exactly what I wanted to know because I've had a few different flash drives and one was noticeably better at loading songs on the head unit than the others.

So I don't mean to sound like an idiot but Sandisk makes soooo many different models. Can you please link which one I should buy? I put it into amazon but got back quite a few different results, I am in need of 256gb sticks.


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## tRidiot (Jun 29, 2006)

Personally I would get one of these:

256GB Ultra - $30 - 130MB/sec 
https://smile.amazon.com/SanDisk-25...r+extreme+256&qid=1562525277&s=gateway&sr=8-2

or 

Sandisk Cruzer Extreme Pro - 490MB/sec - $70
https://smile.amazon.com/SanDisk-SD...r+extreme+256&qid=1562525345&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Sandisk Ultra 256 - 100MB/sec - $40
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00YFI1A66/ref=twister_B07DKXF2FN?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Those are some options.

While you have to be careful believing the hype about speeds, the better name brands I have had good luck with when testing their drives - for sure Sandisk. PNY wasn't as fast as they claimed but was still decent.

The big thing is make sure you get one that is USB 3.0 or 3.1 or you will be sitting waiting ALL DAMNED DAY for your files to transfer. lol


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## naiku (May 28, 2008)

tRidiot said:


> The big thing is make sure you get one that is USB 3.0 or 3.1 or you will be sitting waiting ALL DAMNED DAY for your files to transfer. lol


So true. I've only had to fully reload my primary flash drive a couple times, but it's USB 2.0 and takes forever. If I remember correctly, the Nexus 7 won't read USB 3.0 anyway, which if why I run a 2.0 drive. Curious now if the Kenwood I have on the way to replace it will read 3.0.


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## Ripkon (May 9, 2019)

I have a Pioneer HU and building a Flac Library. Im using an 1tb External HD format NTFS and works amazing


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## LBaudio (Jan 9, 2009)

Some players that work with different types of Flash cards, need cards that are fast enough to work properly,....I can check what kind of cards I run for one of my digital players when I get home


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## Stycker (Jan 31, 2018)

Ripkon said:


> I have a Pioneer HU and building a Flac Library. Im using an 1tb External HD format NTFS and works amazing


I just purchased a Pioneer HU. What external HD are you using?


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## Ripkon (May 9, 2019)

Stycker said:


> I just purchased a Pioneer HU. What external HD are you using?


This one. I purchased years ago

https://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canv...scsubtag=b710ec90-a1ab-11e9-adef-0f5c0fafc07b


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## Stycker (Jan 31, 2018)

Ripkon said:


> This one. I purchased years ago
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canv...scsubtag=b710ec90-a1ab-11e9-adef-0f5c0fafc07b


That will be great. I'm going to place that in my cart. I have been using 256 gb flash drives and thats not enough. Also, my factory headunit that the Pioneer will be replacing has a 5000 song limit per card. I have two USB slots so, 10,000 songs total. I have to toggle between the two to access the entire library. I know, first world problems.


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## Ripkon (May 9, 2019)

Stycker said:


> That will be great. I'm going to place that in my cart. I have been using 256 gb flash drives and thats not enough. Also, my factory headunit that the Pioneer will be replacing has a 5000 song limit per card. I have two USB slots so, 10,000 songs total. I have to toggle between the two to access the entire library. I know, first world problems.


I just started building my .flac library and the size adds up fast. The quality of flac is amazing.


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## gijoe (Mar 25, 2008)

Ripkon said:


> I just started building my .flac library and the size adds up fast. The quality of flac is amazing.


You will probably be surprised to find that a 320kbps MP3 file will be indistinguishable from a lossless FLAC file, and a whole lot smaller. I rip to FLAC for archiving, and MP3 for on the go use. 

Give this test a try, if you can consistently tell 320kbps apart from lossless then you've got some great hearing, but I can't even tell the difference with pretty nice (Beyerdynamic 770pro) headphones, let alone in a car. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality


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## Stycker (Jan 31, 2018)

gijoe said:


> You will probably be surprised to find that a 320kbps MP3 file will be indistinguishable from a lossless FLAC file, and a whole lot smaller. I rip to FLAC for archiving, and MP3 for on the go use.
> 
> Give this test a try, if you can consistently tell 320kbps apart from lossless then you've got some great hearing, but I can't even tell the difference with pretty nice (Beyerdynamic 770pro) headphones, let alone in a car.
> 
> https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality


I agree with this too. Anything under 250kbps starts to degrade. Its all in the quality of the mastering and engineering. I still like to buy from HDtracks because they usually start with the best recording they can get their hands on. I had a couple of CD's from Fleetwood Mac, same album (Rumours). One sounded good and the other sounded like crap. Then I got he same album from HDtracks and it sounds superb. I am not chocking that up to the higher resolution. I think HDtracks obtained a better recording from the master tapes.


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## cdaburnerb (May 29, 2019)

gijoe said:


> You will probably be surprised to find that a 320kbps MP3 file will be indistinguishable from a lossless FLAC file, and a whole lot smaller. I rip to FLAC for archiving, and MP3 for on the go use.
> 
> Give this test a try, if you can consistently tell 320kbps apart from lossless then you've got some great hearing, but I can't even tell the difference with pretty nice (Beyerdynamic 770pro) headphones, let alone in a car.
> 
> https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality


That test is flawed because I don't know any of those songs to begin with. It's hard to distinguish differences in songs you don't even know, but take a song you've heard a hundred times before, then listen to it on good quality speakers in lossless format and it will really pop in your ears. 

When I crank up the songs in my car I know I'm listening to the best possible recording of that song (that I know of) and I feel the difference in the way the instruments are played through the speakers. There's so much more presence in the recordings.

I remember when I got my KRK Rokit 8's with 10" sub and it spoiled me. Ever since then I've craved quality recordings because it really does make listening to music that much better.

That being said there is absolutely nothing wrong with 320KBS MP3's. Funny enough when I was young I was big into making MP3 CD's because they allowed 700MB's of data, so I would rip my CD's to 128KBS to squeeze more songs on them. I even ripped some down to 92kbs or something like that... I remember it sounding ****ty, and I never did that again, but back then size was a big issue.

As far as that Toshiba portable hard drive goes... does that run off a single USB wire? I mean it powers the drive to browse all the files? How do you have that drive hooked up to your car stereo?


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## Ripkon (May 9, 2019)

cdaburnerb said:


> gijoe said:
> 
> 
> > You will probably be surprised to find that a 320kbps MP3 file will be indistinguishable from a lossless FLAC file, and a whole lot smaller. I rip to FLAC for archiving, and MP3 for on the go use.
> ...


Yea I love flac and space isnt a issue. I have the AVH-2330NEX which the manual says 1.5a on the usb port. It only has 1 usb port. No external power just right off the head unit


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## ckirocz28 (Nov 29, 2017)

I'm gonna second the usb external hard drive idea. It doesn't matter what usb stick I use, an external hard drive ALWAYS leaves it in the dust. Even better, use an external ssd.


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## crackinhedz (May 5, 2013)

tRidiot said:


> 256GB Ultra - $30 - 130MB/sec
> https://smile.amazon.com/SanDisk-25...r+extreme+256&qid=1562525277&s=gateway&sr=8-2


☝ This.

As good as most flash drives work, I learned my lesson and avoid any of the flash drives that slide (in/out of its casing). I had 100+GB of music lost because the soldering inside of the flash broke from being accidently bent (pushed in too hard, family member careless pushing in/out etc).

The micro flash are safest bet, in my opinion. They dont stick out far enough to get bumped wrong. Flash drives are cheap nowadays, but recovering lost music on a broken usb is a huge pain.


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## crackinhedz (May 5, 2013)

ckirocz28 said:


> use an external ssd.


definitely, if needing lots of space. Just ensure you can power it properly.


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## vinman (Feb 5, 2013)

Samsung T5


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## cdaburnerb (May 29, 2019)

Well the USB on my Pioneer is 1.5A as well, so is that enough to power an external hard drive or external SSD?


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## Ripkon (May 9, 2019)

I'm not 100% sure depending on the drive. If its 2.0 compatible you should be fine


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## karmajack (May 9, 2017)

cdaburnerb said:


> Well the USB on my Pioneer is 1.5A as well, so is that enough to power an external hard drive or external SSD?


Yep. That's more than enough to power something like the T5. 
Those SSD drives are designed to be powered off a labtop port that is actually more like .5a on average.

I've been wanting to convert to SSD for a while myself. Actually, I'm waiting on my 500GB T5 to arrive any day now.

Currently I use a couple SanDisk Ultra Fit CZ43 64GB drives with my Pioneer 6100NEX. Those do USB 3.0 speeds - up to 150MB/s read. I use one for music, one for movies. They do quite well for music. Mostly flac files. I can't really complain. Though they've gotten full, and I need more room. Load times aren't horrible. The processing speed of the head unit itself seems to equally contributes to any slowness. Give the head unit about 30 seconds after first turning it on, and it's snappy enugh after that. 

I've had some issues with some heavy action movie files getting sketchy. Though I haven't fully taken the time to diagnose whether it was crappy file, speed, or other capability conflict. 

I look forward to having the T5. It will be a peace of mind. I'll have the comfortable space and headroom I desire. It's one of the fastest SSD's out there. That satisfies any possible worries on that end. If there's a problem after that, it's likely the file or the HU. It's very compact. I'll likely put some velcro on it, and put it in my glove box. 

It's also rather cheap. I got it from Amazon for $87. I bet those two SanDisk drives cost nearly that (combined) when I bought them 2 years ago. 

SSD is the way to go these days. Costs slightly more, but it's faster and non mechanical.


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## Zardnok (Feb 21, 2019)

I am using the Samsung Fit Plus drive. I wanted something short that I could leave plugged in without worrying if it would break off. I did some research and learned the Samsung Fit Plus drives scored very well. I have had no problems with it being recognized, unlike some older generic drives I was throwing music onto.

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-MUF-256AB-AM-Plus-256GB/dp/B07D7PDLXC


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## Calibrr (Jul 8, 2021)

gijoe said:


> You will probably be surprised to find that a 320kbps MP3 file will be indistinguishable from a lossless FLAC file, and a whole lot smaller. I rip to FLAC for archiving, and MP3 for on the go use.
> 
> Give this test a try, if you can consistently tell 320kbps apart from lossless then you've got some great hearing, but I can't even tell the difference with pretty nice (Beyerdynamic 770pro) headphones, let alone in a car.
> 
> How Well Can You Hear Audio Quality?


BAHAHAHA the test is flawed because the uncompressed WAV takes forever to load compared to the others.


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