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Ooops... Bit Rates and Headphones

post #1 of 44
11/27/05 at 4:47pm
Thread Starter 
So yeah, most of my collection is made up of mp3's at 128 kbps. Now I know if I were to get really good headphones I would have a big problem here, but what about with PX 100's? Will I notice the bad quality of my music? If so is there any way at all I can fix this (without re-creating my entire collection)?
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post #2 of 44
11/27/05 at 4:55pm
It really depends on your ears, some people notice compression artifacts more than others. I don't really enjoy listening to 128 kbps mp3s even out of cheap $30 Logitech computer speakers; but I've never heard the PX100.

They're certainly not enjoyable on my SR-60 where the minimum I'd prefer to be listening is 192 kbps or --aps

If you actually bought the cds I'd just reencode everything at a better bitrate.
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post #3 of 44
11/27/05 at 4:59pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by J-Pak
It really depends on your ears, some people notice compression artifacts more than others. I don't really enjoy listening to 128 kbps mp3s even out of cheap $30 Logitech computer speakers; but I've never heard the PX100.

They're certainly not enjoyable on my SR-60 where the minimum I'd prefer to be listening is 192 kbps or --aps

If you actually bought the cds I'd just reencode everything at a better bitrate.
I'm hoping that I won't notice a difference, but I'm going to go to Circuit City to hopefully try them. If it's all grainy and crappy, then I'll either re-rip my collection or I'll stick with craptacular headphones.
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post #4 of 44
11/27/05 at 5:08pm
I can notice definite differences between bitrates when listening to my PX100. I wouldn't say however that it substantially deducts from the value of an upgrade from a poor headphone. Music is still easily more enjoyable. It looks like you have it worked out. It is always a good idea to test out headphones before purchasing them.

Regards,
Venio
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post #5 of 44
11/27/05 at 5:08pm
Rerip anyway. Anyhow even with much more expensive phones some streaming internet radio and albums sound decent at 128. When I sometimes get ahhhh music from friends, there's definitely been moments where I was surprised that the bitrate was only 128 (found out after listening to several songs). However it's certainly not ideal so I'd recommend bumping it up from here on out.
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post #6 of 44
11/27/05 at 5:17pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I just created a playlist with varying songs from 96 kbps to 320 kbps. It should be interesting to see what happens when I test them out.

Just listened to Nights in White Satin @ 96 kbps with my crappy Maxell NB-303 I can notice how it's unclear and choppy.

Walking in Memphis @ 112 kbps with NB-303 sounds ok, nothing spectacular but it's actually not that bad. It's a little choppy at some parts; especially at the end it's quite choppy. Not as unclear as 96 kbps though.

Money for Nothing @ 128 kbps (with a better bit rate and great headphones w/amp, I think I would have an orgasm with the beginning of this song) with NB-303 it sounds pretty good. A little fuzzy in some parts but for the most part it's clear and not choppy.

That's all I listened to for now, and already I can notice a difference between 96, 112, and 128 kbps, however, I have very little 96 and 112 bit rate songs. I think I'll be able to tell the difference between 128's and 160's, 196's, and 320's with the PX 100 but I don't think it will take too much away from my listening experience.
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post #7 of 44
11/27/05 at 5:20pm
Also make sure to run over to Hydrogen Audio to get good info in their forums. Above all though trust your ears (until you get better and better equipment ).
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post #8 of 44
11/27/05 at 5:27pm
If you're using a portable the latest HydrogenAudio standard for MP3s is the LAME beta + settings V-2 VBR new for mp3s that are near transparent.
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post #9 of 44
11/27/05 at 6:41pm
Why not just rerip the albums that you listen to most and leave the rest of your music as is?
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post #10 of 44
11/27/05 at 10:08pm
Unlike many here I don't think 128kb/s is un-listenable, it's ok when there's nothing better available. There's a loss of detail when it's compared to lossless on audiophile equipment though, so I'd say re-rip to at least alt preset standard/192kb/s using LAME, when you have the time.
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post #11 of 44
11/27/05 at 10:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by PingPongPay
So yeah, most of my collection is made up of mp3's at 128 kbps. Now I know if I were to get really good headphones I would have a big problem here, but what about with PX 100's? Will I notice the bad quality of my music? If so is there any way at all I can fix this (without re-creating my entire collection)?
The PX-100's will sound fine (maybe the koss lineup will sound better ). As time goes on and you decide to experiment with better rips/encodes, the improvement is there if you go looking for it.
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post #12 of 44
11/27/05 at 11:56pm
I listen to 128k MP3's with my HD 595 quite often. Anything below 128 isn't good but 128 isn't too bad. I can still enjoy the music even if it's 128, although 192 and up is ideal.
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post #13 of 44
11/28/05 at 12:09am
You will probably only notice a difference when you listen to the same songs at CD quality, and then go back to the 128 kbps. When I've never heard a better version of the song, 128 is fine. When I have, the difference is quite significant to my ears.
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post #14 of 44
11/28/05 at 12:11am
Storage space isn't an issue for me so I just rip everything at 320...maybe it's a mental thing, but it sounds better than anything else to me. I don't like 128, and 192 sounds good, but I still do 320...
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post #15 of 44
11/28/05 at 2:08am
back in 1999, I used to make fun of my roommate for being so anal about wanting his MP3s in a high bitrate. It was only in May or June 2005 that I learned the error of my ways: when I got my SR-60.

if you want to find an ideal encoding bitrate, try doing some abx testing on foobar. You'll be surprised. I was ripping stuff at alt-preset-extreme until I abx'd it against alt-preset-standard and found that I could hardly tell the difference. An ultra high bitrate can be a bad thing on portable players, where battery life and storage space are extremely important... especially if you can't really hear the difference.
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