[yepimonfire]

also i never said they were identical. mp3 does discard data, but at high bitrates it is inaudible data.

 

[peskypesky]

Quote:

also i never said they were identical. mp3 does discard data, but at high bitrates it is inaudible data.

not if you have these:
 

 

 

[eric0531]

Quote:

hmm. with itunes you can just tell it to fade from one track to another....
 

 
Yeah, but crossfading and gapless playback are different things.  FWIW in my experience iTunes handles gapless playback just fine, as have iPods for a number of years now.
 
 

 

[Skarecrow77]

In an attempt not to derail this thread into a flame war, I highly recommend you try it with a piece of music exhibiting complex dynamics, transients, and complex sound signatures, especially artificial ones. Sine waves are about the easiest possible request for an audio encoder.
 

 

[sridhar3]

Quote:

In an attempt not to derail this thread into a flame war...

 
Too late.

 

[peskypesky]

so no one liked the photo?

 

[yepimonfire]

I will do just that (regarding the type of music recommended for testing)

 

[tk3]

Quote:

above 256kbps mp3 sound the same as a lossless file. as ive stated before you will never hear a difference even with the best phones on the planet.

 


Quote:

oh really? do some real research? do you even know WHO you are saying that too????

 


Quote:

I'm currently listening to MP3 320 kbps on some flat studio grade speakers in an acoustically dampened room with no external noise sitting right in the sweet spot using a marantz av receiver with a 32/192 DAC, 108dB SNR, .008% THD  and i still cannot hear the difference...... if i could hear one it would definitely be with this setup, it brings EVERY imperfection out. DBT is the science i am referring to, nobody on the face of this earth in a DBT setting has been able to tell a difference between high bitrate mp3's and lossless codecs.

Just because you can't hear the difference doesn't mean no one can, the world doesn't revolve around you.
There was a lossless vs mp3 ABX test awhile back, and some people, albeit a very small minority, were able to consistently get correct results.
 
And lol, e-credentials. <3
Please do enlighten us, who exactly are you and what have you accomplished that makes you an expert in this field?
 

 

[VanCitySound]

Quote:

so no one liked the photo?

sheesssh...  didn't you know that everyone that is seriously into audio compression is completely asexual

 

 

[Thommohawk]

The point of the topic, the question of if you listen to mp3 does it make sense to listen to $100 headphones, I would have to say honestly that it absolutely DOES make sense - IF - providing you want expanded soundstage and better instrument separation things like that which are features of the headphone itself. Or if you game competitively or for immersion where the actual quality isn't all that important but the afforementioned soundstage and instrument stuff is. 
 
BUT
 
Ultimately what it ALL boils down to, from top to bottom, is what you personally can A) justify the outlay cost of, and B) your personal enjoyment of what you get in return, C) how happy you are with your current audio setup - and finally - whether or not the curiosity of something better than what you currently have is worth the 100+ down to find out....I will say this though, when you get a pair of decent headphones it's a real eye opener. You think you know what things sound like through cheaper or free equipment - but you don't lol. You do miss out on so much detail. For me the difference between mp3 and lossless is quite subtle at best but definitely noticeable....however the difference between a decent proper headphone in the $100 or above price range vs lesser equipment is staggering - think the difference between SDTV compared to HDTV and you have a similar idea. It might take you a while to appreciate the difference on both counts but it's there. 

 

[peskypesky]

Quote:

sheesssh...  didn't you know that everyone that is seriously into audio compression is completely asexual

 

 
wait. there was something sexual in that photo? all i noticed was the headphones. lemme look again.
 
 

 

[jman1503]

I agree that there is little to literally no perceptual difference between 320 mp3 and uncompressed.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

OP: Is it worth getting better headphones for MP3's? Of course. Better headphones will sound better, no matter what format. Considering how damn close good mp3s are to lossless, that shouldn't be a reason to dissuade you from getting better cans.

Tk3, bearer of the Soul Eater rune, I love your avatar. Suikoden ownz.

 

[tribestros]

Let's just blow this thread up and forget it ever happened.

 

 

[peskypesky]

Quote:

Let's just blow this thread up and forget it ever happened.

 

what? why? i found it very useful, and since i started it, that means its a successful thread. no reason to blow it up.