[Xtralglactic]

IM now at a stage where my set up is pretty decent, with HD650's and Just Audio AHA 120's as my amp. IM finding now that the only thing not up to scratch is my music files, where its really apparent that my 128kbps files are no longer suitable. IM just wondering whether the music we buy at iTunes are of quality and what format are they actually? Any thoughts head fi?

 

[elvergun]

  IM now at a stage where my set up is pretty decent, with HD650's and Just Audio AHA 120's as my amp. IM finding now that the only thing not up to scratch is my music files, where its really apparent that my 128kbps files are no longer suitable. IM just wondering whether the music we buy at iTunes are of quality and what format are they actually? Any thoughts head fi?

 
You better go ask this question in the Sound Science forum also.  The answer you get there might be different from what people tell you here.

 

[KG Jag]

When you start hearing these files through former flagships like the HD-650 coupled to a good system, you will almost certainly not be happy with the result.  They are a long way from SACD, Blu-Ray or even DVD-A & HDCD quality levels.
 
That said, the best format can only do so much with a crappy recording.  It can even make it sound worse because it tends to reveal more of the flaws.

 

[superjohny]

i am kinda wonder the same question too, i am using se846/1+2 ubber <-dx100
 
hi-res formats are hard to find given the musics i listen to are almost Korean and Japanese....

 

[vkalia]

Most of my music is in ALAC with a bunch of high-res stuff.  I also have a few iTunes albums (which tend to be 256kbps MP3s), including a few "Mastered for iTunes".
 
I havent done an A/B comparison of the same album at ALAC vs 256kbps MP3, but I do know this - when i am listening to the music (as opposed to auditioning the equipment), I've never noticed any kind of significant let-down in sound quality when going from an ALAC album to an MP3.     And I have a reasonably decent set of kit.
 
I've never been listening to the music and gone "oh damn, i wish this performance had more details or whatever."   Which is not to say that there will not be a very, very marginal improvement in quality with going lossless/high-res - but to all intents and purposes, unless you are doing an A/B test, you are not missing a lot.
 
(On a side note - I have done an A/B comparison of a HDTracks 24/172k high-res file and the same file downsampled to 16/48, and i couldnt tell a difference.)

 

[kraken2109]

High res is pointless as the benefits are not audible to human ears.
I would aim for 320kbps mp3s or 256kbps AAC since they're generally transparent.