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CD vs MP3 and Other Questions

post #1 of 5
8/26/11 at 9:43pm
Thread Starter 

So, I'd like to settle this debate once and for all: are CDs truly superior in sound quality to MP3s? How do CDs compare to lossless formats like FLAC, etc.? Personally, I find that CDs do not sound as good when played back on a portable CD player (such as a Sony CD Walkman), and sound superior to MP3s when played back on good speakers. Also, do personal burnt CDs sound precisely the same as Factory Stamped CDs, or is there a difference? I would imagine so because burnt CDs are created using MP3s and other lossy formats. 

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post #2 of 5
8/26/11 at 11:12pm

Lots of issues here.

 

First, FLAC is is lossless compression.  It is exactly the same as a full quality wav from a CD.  In other words, the FLAC is of equivalent quality to the CD.

 

In terms of MP3 vs. CD - the CD will always have more information since MP3 is lossy.  The question is whether it's audible (in a lot of cases at a high bitrate it isn't).  There are some killer tracks that do cause MP3 encoders to have issues, though they are very rare.

 

In terms of burnt CDs - they can be burnt with wav files (lossless with zero compression).  They should sound and test identical to the stamped ones, ASSUMING there's no degradation of the "burned" dyes.

 

Hope this helps.

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post #3 of 5
8/27/11 at 1:12am
There's a lot of arguments about the different lossy codecs, like MP3. Some are good, some are hard to tell from lossless, and much else.

The point to keep in mind is that lossy codecs were developed to deal with limited/expensive storage space.

Today, a 1TB drive is something like $50. There's no point to trying to save space any longer.

Rip lossless and don't worry about the arguments. You'll be talking about a few dollars in storage space. In a few more years, the difference will be pennies in storage. Just rip lossless and forget the arguments.
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post #4 of 5
8/28/11 at 12:47am

When you personally burn a CD, you're just putting the file from your computer onto a CD so it will only sound as good as the source file. If I take a 128kbps MP3 and stick it on a CD, it will sound exactly like a 128kbps MP3 and most people would clearly hear the difference between that and the actual album on CD (which is the full 1440kbps or whatever it is).

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post #5 of 5
8/28/11 at 1:25pm

O/T if TS not running linux but i find Asunder really easy even for peeps jumping into say Ubuntu, etc for the 1st time to get started in archiving/digitizing one's CD collection into FLAC hehe Just thought someone would find it equally easy/fun tongue_smile.gif Also check out Tunapie internet radio : the reception/quality is awesome and i have expanded my musical tastes or simply finally found the title of a sweet song i heard but had forgotten all those years ago beerchug.gif


Edited by trog - 8/28/11 at 1:27pm
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