[mdh994]

Hey guys just wondering, is it a bad thing to convert a low quality mp3 (192kbs) to 320kbs, I have a program on my pc which can do this, I have trailed a couple of songs, they dont seem distorted, and the quality seems to have improved, is this a bad way to do it, if so what other options are there? 

 

[appsmarsterx]

this is like upscaling a low quality jpeg to a higher resolution.

 

[PleasantSounds]

Well it's not illegal and if you're seeing benefits then why do you need anyone's approval?
In my view this process cannot really improve quality, and the penalty is higher disc space usage. 

 

[mdh994]

so should I just find 320kb/s versions of the songs on the internet instead?

 

 

[thatBeatsguy]

 

so should I just find 320kb/s versions of the songs on the internet instead?

 

As long as you don't download them illegally (i.e. iTunes Store or Amazon Music), you should be fine. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

@mdh994
 
Ideally, you should get the CD or lossless download, then convert it to whatever format you need.
 
You will not gain any quality by converting a file to a higher bit rate. The only reason I can think of for doing so would be if you need a different file format, like for a specific player. In this case, you should convert the lossy file to lossless. This way, the new file will at least be the same quality as the old one. However, if you convert either of those two files to a lossy format, there will be a loss in quality, albeit not necessarily audible.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Hey guys just wondering, is it a bad thing to convert a low quality mp3 (192kbs) to 320kbs, I have a program on my pc which can do this, I have trailed a couple of songs, they dont seem distorted, and the quality seems to have improved, is this a bad way to do it, if so what other options are there? 

 
Download my profile photo, then convert that to an 800x600. What does it look like?
 
It will be the same with music. Any benefits you hear are placebo and it will just take up more space. Not even the "reconstructive" algorithms like Alpine's Bass Engine Media XPander can actually restore what mp3 compression shaves off - it just guesses based on mp3 algorithm what must have been removed, but with no due consideration to whether that was actually there in the first place. So when using Media XPander on for example mostly vocal tracks you're likely to end up with very loud and distorted bass as it is basically EQ-ing in more bass that wasn't even there in the first place. 

 

[mdh994]

Thanks for the replies guys, all of this makes sense, I should have known the answer. but I am new to this, I have been geting a couple flac albums lately, they sound heaps better, i dont notice it much with my m50xs and shure 215, but with my 5.1 surround system, the bass sounds so much tighter and everything just sounds better.