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Topic ClosedLoseless vs Lossy?
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Mr ProgFreak View Drop Down
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Points: 5195 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 15 2009 at 01:21
http://www.heise.de/ct/Der-c-t-Leser-Hoertest-MP3-gegen-CD--/artikel/124391

They used high end gear (B&W Nautilus 803, Marantz CD14, Marantz PM14, Straightwire-Pro cables, sonically perfect room), but still most contestants (many of them audio professionals) could not tell the original (CD) apart from 256kbps MP3.

My recommendation: Go for MP3 instead of lossless ... but only at a discount. The MP3 should cost significantly less than the full CD. You can get reasonably priced MP3s at eMusic.com and Amazon.com, for example.
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stonebeard View Drop Down
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Points: 28057 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 15 2009 at 00:32
There doesn't seem to be a point in going lossless if you can get a 320 kbps mp3 of the song, so long as you don't have somewhat high end equipment. But if you're thinking of lossless vs. 120 kbps songs and nothing in between, uh, hell yeah go for it. But go for FLAC for sure. Nothing plays APE files holy crap they're almost useless.
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Evan View Drop Down
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Points: 98 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 14 2009 at 23:53
Originally posted by Shot.By.His.Own.Son Shot.By.His.Own.Son wrote:

Yeah I realized after I posted it that it was in the wrong spot, and I have yet to listen to a lossless track so I have no idea how they sound.


Have you listened to an album on a purchased CD?  If so, you've essentially listened to a lossless track.  Try ripping a CD you know well to an mp3 file and play it alongside the CD and see if you can tell the difference in a blind test. 
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Shot.By.His.Own.Son View Drop Down
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Points: 14 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 14 2009 at 23:44
Yeah I realized after I posted it that it was in the wrong spot, and I have yet to listen to a lossless track so I have no idea how they sound.
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cobb2 View Drop Down
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Points: 415 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 14 2009 at 22:38
If you are asking this, then you can't tell the difference, by listening?

If this is the case what diff does it make. All I would be asking is- do you have the resources to hold them all as lossless. If not opt for 320kbs mp3.

also- this will get moved shortly
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Evan View Drop Down
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Points: 98 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 14 2009 at 21:52
If space isn't an issue, go with lossless.  If your short on space, try getting at least your favourite albums in lossless.  With a good speaker system, and especially on decent headphones, you can tell the difference.  It shows most clearly on certain sounds - acoustic guitar passages, cymbol crashes - but all and all there is a marked increase in quality.  Granted, just because a lossless file will have 10 times the bit rate of a lossy mp3 doesn't mean it will sound 10 times better - the difference is of course marginal. 
Also, remember that the #1 factor in quality is always what occurs upstream.  A poorly produced or engineered album will never sound pristine.  Conversely, very well produced albums (Crime of the Century, Aja) sound great even when compressed. 

Lossless files are the same quality as CDs.  Ever thought your CDs sounded better than your digital downloads?  Go with lossless.  Can't tell the difference?  Many people can't, and if thats the case you may be perfectly happy with mp3s, especially those 192kpbs and up.  However, i believe there is to some extent a placebo effect here - just having files in lossless makes you think they sound better.

Another bonus to lossless files is that you can convert them around to other formats and burn the to CDs with no decrease in quality.  Messing around with mp3s is like making a photocopy of a photocopy. 
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stonebeard View Drop Down
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Points: 28057 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 14 2009 at 21:47
Vs. Flossy.


THOSE WHO DONT UNDERSTAND HAVE AN INDIE/ASIAN-SHAPED HOLE IN THEIR HEARTS


Edited by stonebeard - July 14 2009 at 21:48
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explodingjosh View Drop Down
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Points: 507 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 14 2009 at 21:32
Depends on what you're playing the tracks with. If you're playing on a small 16 bit mp3 player with little ear buds, then Lossless is a waste of space.

If you're playing on a big, wide, 24 bit stereo system with top of the line equipment, then, there will be a difference.


Beware though, most "audiophile" equipment is extremely over priced and the expected performance is advertised using pseudoscience.


Edited by explodingjosh - July 14 2009 at 21:34
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Shot.By.His.Own.Son View Drop Down
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Points: 14 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 14 2009 at 21:13
Is it really worth having my songs in lossless format? Is the sound really much better or is it just a waste of space?
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