[flamerid]

Currently I have two libraries, a lossless FLAC library and my itunes 128 bitrate MP4s for my portable audio devices. I can't stand the way my itunes library sounds, but the FLACs are way too big. Are there any audiophiles that know of a magical audio format/bitrate I can use? I'll go 320 bitrate MP3 if I must, but I would like to make the most of my space if possible. 

 

[carlchip78]

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[andrewberge]

I've seen this asked a few times before, and the answer that's usually given is this: only you can find out.
Why? Because not everyone has ears trained to notice artifacts, and not everyone will notice them at the same level.
 
Some people can do a blind test and hear the difference between lossless and 128kbps mp3. I know i can't.
You need to do some testing. Compress a few of your favorite songs to several bitrates, and see if you can tell any difference at each level (ABX testing is best for this).
If you want to be absolutely safe (or don't want to go through the trouble), mp3 v0 is totally transparent, and takes up less space than 320kbps.

 

[flamerid]

The easiest way to put a track's quality on blast is to play it through a home theater system. 128 bit tracks will sound like they're being played from an old TV and higher quality tracks will sound the way they're supposed to. Lossless and Bluray audio will sound like they're supposed to 'and' have sound stage separation, which is extremely obvious in a home theater setup. The rest is up to the quality of your headset and how high you have to turn it up to hear it. Lossy tracks tend to not upscale well at high audio levels and the distortion hurts my ears.