[BTFbossman]

hey guys im really really new here to all these different forms i use itunes and i always try and get the highest bit rate possible because i can really tell a difference. But ive been reading and FLAC has a bit rate of 600-700?? It seems like it would sound SOOO much better. How do i get music in that form so it will have a higher bit rate? 
 
I really hope this makes sense to you guys..Thank you all 

 

[DaBomb77766]

Well, just because FLAC files are 2-3x bigger than a 320kbps AAC/MP3 file doesn't mean it's 2-3 times better.  Honestly, you probably won't find much, if any difference unless you have rather high-end gear.  But you can get FLAC files from the internet at places that probably shouldn't be mentioned here, or hdtracks.com, or you could just rip CDs and transcode the files to FLAC.  However, iTunes doesn't support FLAC files, though it does use ALAC, which is just Apple's lossless audio format.
 
But basically, FLAC is just a lossless audio codec, which means it compresses the audio without actually throwing out any of the data.  On the other hand, MP3s and AAC files can be smaller, but they throw away some of the data, permanently lowering the quality of the file, albeit only slightly if you use a high quality encoder with higher bitrates.
 
I'm really just guessing here that the "difference" you can tell is either placebo, or that you're comparing different tracks/recordings to each other.  Some recordings are just bad, and some are great.  The difference between lower (128-192kbps) bitrate MP3s to higher (320) isn't as drastic as you may think, but it can be very noticeable to the trained ear if you have a highly revealing setup.

 

[BTFbossman]

Quote:

Well, just because FLAC files are 2-3x bigger than a 320kbps AAC/MP3 file doesn't mean it's 2-3 times better.  Honestly, you probably won't find much, if any difference unless you have rather high-end gear.  But you can get FLAC files from the internet at places that probably shouldn't be mentioned here, or hdtracks.com, or you could just rip CDs and transcode the files to FLAC.  However, iTunes doesn't support FLAC files, though it does use ALAC, which is just Apple's lossless audio format.
 
But basically, FLAC is just a lossless audio codec, which means it compresses the audio without actually throwing out any of the data.  On the other hand, MP3s and AAC files can be smaller, but they throw away some of the data, permanently lowering the quality of the file, albeit only slightly if you use a high quality encoder with higher bitrates.
 
I'm really just guessing here that the "difference" you can tell is either placebo, or that you're comparing different tracks/recordings to each other.  Some recordings are just bad, and some are great.  The difference between lower (128-192kbps) bitrate MP3s to higher (320) isn't as drastic as you may think, but it can be very noticeable to the trained ear if you have a highly revealing setup.

i really can tell the difference between all my 128kbps files and 256-320kbps files the 128 is just terrible sound quality, i use shure 215's now im not saying they are amazing but they are good enough to be able to tell the difference
 

 

[JGOelfke]

I would agree...unless you have a fairly sophisticated setup, you won't be able to hear much difference between 320 kbps and FLAC. The FLAC files I have in my library I have either obtained through the internet or by purchasing CDs and ripping them into FLAC, which can be done with programs such as dbPowerAmp. And actually, I have some FLAC files that have a bit rate as high as 1400 kbps. In files such as those, I can hear a slight difference from 320, but nothing that really makes the sound quality improve to any large extent.
 
One thing to keep in mind with FLAC...iTunes and iPods actually cannot support that format. Apple released their own version of FLAC (ALAC) a while back (just another reason I don't like Apple ), which obviously is compatible. I switched to MediaMonkey a couple months ago and it is able to support FLAC, as is foobar2000.

 

[BTFbossman]

Quote:

I would agree...unless you have a fairly sophisticated setup, you won't be able to hear much difference between 320 kbps and FLAC. The FLAC files I have in my library I have either obtained through the internet or by purchasing CDs and ripping them into FLAC, which can be done with programs such as dbPowerAmp. And actually, I have some FLAC files that have a bit rate as high as 1400 kbps. In files such as those, I can hear a slight difference from 320, but nothing that really makes the sound quality improve to any large extent.
 
One thing to keep in mind with FLAC...iTunes and iPods actually cannot support that format. Apple released their own version of FLAC (ALAC) a while back (just another reason I don't like Apple ), which obviously is compatible. I switched to MediaMonkey a couple months ago and it is able to support FLAC, as is foobar2000.

so it really wouldnt be worth trying to find flac files instead of good mp3s? thanks guys really helped me out

 

[nyjets28]

the best thing would be to just listen to both and see if you can tell the difference. if you have a CD (if you don't, borrow one), just rip the tracks into flac and mp3 (320 kbps). if you can hear the difference, then you have a lot of work to do i guess (haha); if not, then you're fine keeping your music files in whatever they're at. 

 

[DaBomb77766]

Well, you could always look for some good FLAC files (actually, you can download a small sample album for free from hdtracks.com, I'd recommend you check that out) and then convert them directly to .mp3 with a good transcoder (LAME).  But really, I doubt you'll be able to tell much of a difference, if any at all, even with the high-resolution 24/96 tracks you'd get from hdtracks.

 

[FloconsDeMais]

Although you're better off using ALAC, you can add flac files to iTunes by wrapping them in ogg containers and installing the xiph ogg plugin.

http://www.xiph.org/quicktime/download.html

 

[Roseval]

Bitrate
Playing a CD is playing 2 channels with 16 bit word length and 44100 samples per second.
2*16*44100=1411200 bit/s or 1411 kbits.
If you play FLAC you see most of time a value between 700 – 800 as FLAC compresses 40-50%.
This is the bitrate of the compressed file.
However it is lossless so when expanded to raw PCM you have the full unaltered original 1411 kbits.
MP3 is lossy so 320 is the bit rate of the lossy file.

In other words the right comparison is between 320 kbits MP3 and 1411 kbits lossless (FLAC, WAV, etc)
 
Indeed MP3 is magic, even at high bitrate it throws out 3/4 of the information and we don’t hear a difference.

Now this is not completely true, the are audible artifacts but you do have to hunt for them e.g. music by Kraftwerk: http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?s=2e6083de4f9a9a7d17609111b8bdb3e1&showtopic=77128
 
The advantage of lossless is that you can convert to any other format without loss e.g. from FLAC to ALAC.
Concerting from MP3 to AAC will result in a cumulative loss.
Your best bet is lossless but a high bitrate MP3 won’t spoil your listening pleasures.
 

 

[must1123]

True, Shure SE215 have very nice price / quality rate, relatively good SQ with excellent build quality for the price. You can get them as low as 70-80usd. Brand new from dealer goes around 150