while still obviously quite popular, i assume mp3 isn't the best lossy audio encoding option...by "best" i mean highest quality output (for audio snobs) for the lowest file sizei generally use(d) mp3 VBR with a range of 32-320kbps (because 320kbps for silence at the beginning or end of a song is just dumb) but i don't know if that's a good choice or notmy lossless go-to is flac
10/13/2010 10:39:41 AM
I too am interested in this.
10/13/2010 11:59:53 AM
Wma pro is better. Thats the only one I know of that has better quality with a lower filesize
10/13/2010 12:10:21 PM
^ How universal is compatibility?My guess is that it's not worth talking about something that won't play on an iPod.
10/13/2010 1:05:05 PM
After some reading, it looks like I'm going to re-rip all my CDs in FLAC and then transcode to AAC. It's hard to walk away from the ubiquity of MP3, but there are more technologically advanced codecs out there.
10/13/2010 2:22:41 PM
^ i was thinking about going the AAC route, as well...while both my car deck and my sansa both support wma, my wife's ipod doesn't, so that's a big deterrent...most everything i have is in flac right now
10/13/2010 3:50:17 PM
other than file space, how pointless is it to encode my mp3s to AACs?
10/13/2010 4:53:17 PM
completely pointless.
10/13/2010 5:00:35 PM
^^^ The iPod should play AAC. Check for a firmware update if it doesn't.
10/13/2010 5:06:53 PM
^ yeah, it should...i was referring to wma not being playable on her ipod^^^ i wouldn't bother...i care because my car deck accepts microSD cards and all of mine are 2gb and 4gb...saved space means more on each card
10/13/2010 5:16:01 PM
Sorry. That was a reading comprehension failure on my part.
10/13/2010 5:32:01 PM
AAC is better than MP3. 128 kbps AAC typically has the same quality as 160 or 192 kbps MP3.I use 128 kbps AAC VBR on iTunes for most music. 192 kbps AAC VBR for classical.
10/13/2010 5:48:47 PM
only coming from the original source or FLAC though... transcoding from mp3 to aac is pointless you won't "gain" any quality.[Edited on October 13, 2010 at 5:57 PM. Reason : /]
10/13/2010 5:57:19 PM
I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but IF iPod/iPhone playback is mandatory, AAC is the way to go.It's better at every encoding level than WMA9 or MP3.http://soundexpert.org/encoders-320-kbpshttp://soundexpert.org/encoders-192-kbpsIt looks like 192kbps is the best middle ground for quality vs. size. If you aren't tied to Apple, then WMA Pro is a better codec than AAC or MP3. You can go download Expression Encoder 4 for free that will encode to WMA Pro 10. If you are encoding your stuff at 192kbps+, it's better than AAC. And everything Microsoft supports it (Zune, Xbox, Windows Phone 7, Win XP+, MacOSX)Another thing to keep in mind is that the format you choose affects battery life (though this has more to do with the encoding software and source than it does the format itself).For instance, DRM'ed audio content (AAC or WMA) will drop your playback time by 10-20%. Using the NeroAAC encoder fixes this problem for AAC content and using any WMA encoder will avoid this problem (individuals cant author DRM'd WMA content anyway).Also, depending on the device, formats will have different battery life times. If your portable has a built in mp4/h.264 hardware decoder then it doesn't matter, otherwise you may see a 5-10% variance.
10/13/2010 6:15:30 PM
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10/13/2010 7:56:39 PM
^^ missed that one!^ not as much as you!
10/13/2010 8:06:59 PM
i did it anyway so i can cram as much music that i can on my iphone
10/13/2010 8:10:56 PM
10/13/2010 9:04:07 PM
i use dbpoweramp reference
10/13/2010 10:08:34 PM