AAC-LC compression is better than you think it is. You can cut those bitrates in half, using the right encoder and settings, and not hear the effects. In my ABX testing AAC goes transparent at less than ~128kbit/sec using true vbr & highest quality with the latest Quicktime encoder (outside of Quicktime). You should try it and see.
Be a part of the community.
It's free, join today!
Recent Reviews
-
Even better than UM3XRC, Best Headphone I audited so far
-
Wasn't sure what to expect out of the box because of all the mixed reviews. By mixed you would see 9 that love and totally swear by Ultrasone but then there was always one troll hating on em and...
-
This is a review of a pair of free IEM's I recieved from DUNU as part of a give away contest they recently held here on Head-fi. When I recieved my package the first thing I notices was...
-
Best closed headphones I had heard - very flat response, almost no midrange distortion, very easy to drive (good for portable), good soundstage (definately better than K240), good isolation, but...
-
Overall excellent buds, very good sound quality, especially for their price, the medium set of tips fits exactly in my ears and provides a near perfect seal. Bass is very detailed, but not...
Head-Fi Sponsors
Audio Quality - Page 3
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next »
- Austin Morrow
- Trader Feedback: +1
-
- online
- 2,401 Posts. Joined 2/2011
- Location: Washougal • Washington • USA • Earth • Galaxy
- Select All Posts By This User

AAC-LC compression is better than you think it is. You can cut those bitrates in half, using the right encoder and settings, and not hear the effects. In my ABX testing AAC goes transparent at less than ~128kbit/sec using true vbr & highest quality with the latest Quicktime encoder (outside of Quicktime). You should try it and see.
That all depends on the individuals ears, my friend. 
- ohhgourami
- Trader Feedback: +5
-
- offline
- 575 Posts. Joined 4/2010
- Location: San Diego/Los Angeles, CA
- Select All Posts By This User
Very true. I was truly stunned when I wasn't able to pass the ABX test using my portable setup (HM-602 + eQ-7). I thought my hearing just wasn't good enough but I can definitely pass the ABX test with HE-6.
On my portable, I try not to bother with anything lower than V0. I will prefer flac and 320 CBR. 320 CBR still takes up relatively little space. Even then I can load up on flac as I only put a limited amount of songs when I'm out anyway
I've been listening to the same song, multiple times a day for the past 3 or so months. I'm such a boring guy.
- Austin Morrow
- Trader Feedback: +1
-
- online
- 2,401 Posts. Joined 2/2011
- Location: Washougal • Washington • USA • Earth • Galaxy
- Select All Posts By This User

Very true. I was truly stunned when I wasn't able to pass the ABX test using my portable setup (HM-602 + eQ-7). I thought my hearing just wasn't good enough but I can definitely pass the ABX test with HE-6.
On my portable, I try not to bother with anything lower than V0. I will prefer flac and 320 CBR. 320 CBR still takes up relatively little space. Even then I can load up on flac as I only put a limited amount of songs when I'm out anyway 
Totally agree. All of my portable systems just don't work well for that sort of testing. I can hear a difference running FLAC vs lossy on the HD800's so clearly. Everything sounds like a muddled mess on the HD800 when playing anything but lossless files.
I realize that. Feel free to post up your ABX results.
- lee730
- Trader Feedback: +9
-
- offline
- 5,361 Posts. Joined 1/2011
- Location: Hawaii
- Select All Posts By This User

I rip all my music to lossless (FLAC). I do it mostly because I don't want to re-rip to get the files into another format in the future. That and HD space is relatively cheap. However for putting music on a portable music player I have no problems with lossy compression. It's not the devil most people make it out to be.
I completely agree with this but when using boutique audiophile players I do not. These types of players are very revealing and I want the best audio experience I can get with them (Lossless). On basic DAPs like my Sansa Fuze or iphone4 there is no reason to use Lossless as it is just a waste of space for minimal sound improvement.
Hmm but thing is I listen to Dubstep and the artists don't sell CD's of any sort.
I just usually find my music on Youtube and such.
As I have never heard the real thing (since I've only heard it on Youtube), will it not contain some important aspects of the audio such as Bass? will it be a lower quality bass?
A very substantial amount (most, more than iTunes or Amazon) of dubstep (and other EDM) artists sell there music here. And you have your choice of 320kbps MP3 or WAV (albiet expensive, $1 more per WAV)
Edited by Coolzo - 12/29/11 at 8:46pm
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- Next »
- Audio Quality
Recent Discussions
- › Back to the drawing board I guess... ~$500 budget, which headphones? 16 seconds ago
- › Best headphone under 350$ 19 seconds ago
- › Brief Odac impressions 30 seconds ago
- › AKG K701 vs. Beyerdynamic DT880 1 minute ago
- › Galaxy Nexus+Amp? 1 minute ago
- › ++RECOMMENDATIONS THREAD++ i.e. Don't start a new thread: ask for... 1 minute ago
- › Widest Soundstage? 3 minutes ago
- › [REVIEW] TDK Life in Record's EB950, BA100, BA200, and ST700 -... 3 minutes ago
- › Advice about picking a new pair of closed headphones 3 minutes ago
- › Concise Multi-IEM Comparison (TDK EB950, BA100, BA200 added, June... 3 minutes ago
Recent Reviews
- › Shure SRH1840 Professional Open Back Headphones (Black) by jackrabbitslim0
- › Ultrasone HFI-780 S-Logic Surround Sound Professional Headphones by DemonFox
- › Dunu DN-18 Hawkeye by dweaver
- › AKG K 270 Studio by AmarokCZ
- › Sennheiser CX 870 ear canal phones by AndrewHume1
- › AKG K141 (Silver) by Captain Magenta
- › Skullcandy 50/50 - Headset ( in-ear ear-bud ) - white, chrome by shimrra
- › Sennheiser HD 449 Headphones Black by kstuart
- › Aiaiai TMA-1 by DE Nefta
- › TEAC PD-H600 Reference 600 Series CD Player by gonkulator
New Articles
- › iBasso DX100 FAQ by DoctorHeadz
- › DIY Cable Info and Resources by Pingupenguins
- › Asr Head-Fi Threads Compendium by Asr
- › Headphone Buying Guide by keanex
- › Fostex T50RP modification summary LINKS - wiki by jgray91
- › Comparisons of the LCD-3 and the LCD-2 Rev. 2 by MacedonianHero
- › Posting Guidelines by Currawong
- › Comparisons of LCD-2 Rev. 1 and Rev. 2 by MacedonianHero
- › Membership Levels, Badges and Custom Titles by Currawong
- › Sennheiser Hd4 8 Modding For Newbies by koolkat
About Head-Fi.org | Join the Community | Advertise
© 2012 Head-Fi.org is powered by Huddler Tech | FAQ | Support | Privacy/TOS | Site Map






