Sound Formats
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Other music related lounges
Forum Name: Tech Talk
Forum Description: Discuss musical instruments, equipment, hi-fi, speakers, vinyl, gadgets,etc.
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11557
Printed Date: November 28 2024 at 03:35
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Sound Formats
Posted By: Chipiron
Subject: Sound Formats
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 07:42
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Perhaps this thread is not new, but I haven't found it ... I want to compare the sound quality of several audio formats: mp3, wma and aac. I know wma and mp3 but I've never used aac I will use the files for a portable device, so, I don't need a higher quality than 128 kbps wma or so. What would be the equivalent in aac? I know the equivalence is not exact but I need some orientation. Is there any good article on the subject on the web? Thanks a lot. ------------- [IMG]http://www.belderrain.es/GIFs/tora.gif"> |
Replies:
Posted By: oliverstoned
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 08:04
| The higher the compression, the harsher the sound. |
Posted By: Lindsay Lohan
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 08:13
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NEVER USE WMA...the f**king files is encrypted with DRM wich makes them unplayable on other pc's....I am currently having the trouble of my life crackin this DRM protection...as for MP3'S you should atleast concider 192 or even 256kbps because 128 is quite awfull to listen to... ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Fjuffe/?chartstyle=sideRed - [IMG - http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif - |
Posted By: Chipiron
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 08:21
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I've never had trouble changing files from one PC to another device... I use my own CDs as a source. Maybe that solves the problem? ------------- [IMG]http://www.belderrain.es/GIFs/tora.gif"> |
Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 08:26
Not exactly true, you can configure the Windows Media Player to encode the files unencrypted. ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to: 
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maidenrulez wrote:Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 08:29
My opinion is that all these formats sound pretty much the same. They are all highly optimized, and perhaps WMA 64kbps and AAC 64kbps have a little advantage compared to mp3 64kbps ... but who would want to listen to that anyway? With 128kpbs, I can hear no differences. BTW: Depending on the quality of your portable device, encoding in 192kbps can make a HUGE difference. I use mp3 64-192kbps VBR ... this results in files with 160kbps avg. ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to:
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Posted By: GoldenSpiral
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 08:44
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From my experience, having used all 3 formats, mp3 is still the most
versatile. both wma and aac get slightly better quality at lower
bitrate, but aac was annoying to me because it could only play in
itunes, and I couldnt find a reliable file converter to change them if
i wanted to use them elsewhere (i.e. burn a data cd for use in an mp3
compatible CD player), and the same goes for .wma. Technically
they are better for sound quality, but most devices nowadays are
compatible to mp3 files, but not all 3. so, my recommendation is to use mp3's but rip at 192kbps. 128 is awful. 256 is nice but takes up a good deal of space, which is a problem when you have a large collection. ------------- http://www.myspace.com/altaic" rel="nofollow - http://www.myspace.com/altaic ALTAIC "Oceans Down You'll Lie" coming soon |
Posted By: Chipiron
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 10:10
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Thank you all! I've read that both wma and aac claim to get acceptable quality at 64kbps. I've checked that it's false for wma, and it seems to me that, following your advice, it's false for aac as well... ------------- [IMG]http://www.belderrain.es/GIFs/tora.gif"> |
Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 10:15
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^ that's entirely subjective. 64kbps can be sufficient with really crappy headphones ... but even then you hear the compression quite clearly. ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to:
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Posted By: Lindsay Lohan
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 11:21
No f**king way...i ripped some stuff from cd's to wma files on a old machines and backed up the wma files...Now on my new machine it wont play on any kind of media player because it says it needs the liceneces from the old machine...but i dont got the f**king licensces and you cant f**king turn them off f**kING MICROSOFT MEDIA PLAYER ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Fjuffe/?chartstyle=sideRed - [IMG - http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif - |
Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 11:29
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^ Right beneath the dropdown in the options where you can select the format of the ripped files, there should be a checkbox to enable/disable copy protection. Of course this decision has to be made when the files are created ... once encrypted, they can only be decrypted with the appropriate keys. ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to:
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Posted By: Lindsay Lohan
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 11:48
ah i thought the copy protection was something else but its too late blah...i guess i have to use my hacking skills to try to decrypt the code it is pretty old it was encryptet in DRM Ver2 so i guess that will make it a bit easier ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Fjuffe/?chartstyle=sideRed - [IMG - http://imagegen.last.fm/sideRed/recenttracks/Fjuffe.gif - |
Posted By: oliverstoned
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 15:27
Mike, how can you listen to Rammstein? 
For sure, you can listen to it over compressed on a PC. |
Posted By: goose
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 18:29
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Don't use CBR, use a good VBR model for the best quality relative to bitrate.
Have a read of http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Main_Page#Audio_Formats - http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=Main_Page#Audi o_Formats and indeed a search through http://www.hydrogenaudio.org - www.hydrogenaudio.org for a comprehensive answer.
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Posted By: MikeEnRegalia
Date Posted: September 15 2005 at 19:37
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I listen to http://www.last.fm - www.last.fm radio player ... sometimes a track is played and when I'm at work I 'm busy and can't skip it fast enough ... ------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Mike" rel="nofollow">Recently listened to:
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Posted By: Fitzcarraldo
Date Posted: September 16 2005 at 22:50
Chipiron, You might find the following threads useful. Some of them discuss the various formats MP3/WMA/OOG/AAC/FLAC etc. and also give URLs for sites which have audio comparisons and further details. There is also discussion on the SACD vs DVD-A debate and the vinyl vs CD debate, with some interesting comments. It's worth reading through them all - you'll probably learn quite a bit. http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4034 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4034 http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=990 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=990 http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1795 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1795 http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=716 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=716 http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=864 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=864
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Posted By: Chipiron
Date Posted: September 17 2005 at 04:01
Thank you, Fitzcarraldo! I'm going to study a lot!!! ------------- [IMG]http://www.belderrain.es/GIFs/tora.gif"> |
Posted By: oVerCaffeinated
Date Posted: September 17 2005 at 11:11
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I'd use Ogg Vorbis if I was doing low bitrate encodes.
------------- Remain calm, there is a dog in the vents. |