[WaxMan]

I have been downloading some stuff from Itunes Plus, anyone have thoughts on these recordings? Sound quality? It definately sounds better than the regular quality stuff you get on Itunes. Just wondering what all of you thought.

 

[krmathis]

I think it still sucks.
As I am not willing to pay top price for lossy encoded music. Period!

Its a move in the right direction though.
* Upping the bitrate from 128 to 256kbps.
* Removing the DRM protection.

 

[oicdn]

Well, it's not really top price...but it is pricey.

SQ is good, and personally, don't think most anybody here can hear the difference between the lossy and lossless version. Because frankly, most recordings today suck to begin with, so the "crap" you're listening to probably has nothing to do with the compression.

 

[flargosa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think it still sucks. As I am not willing to pay top price for lossy encoded music. Period!

Why do you say it sucks? 256kbps sounds very close to CD? I would guess that most people will not be able to discern the difference.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oicdn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, it's not really top price...but it is pricey

Ok, maybe not top price. But certainly expensive.
Here in Norway an album in iTunes Plus cost NOK 80, while a physical CD cost ~NOK 160. 1/2 the price, but only 1/5 of the bitrate (256kbps vs. 1411kbps). Not all that great deal imo...

Quote:

Originally Posted by flargosa /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why do you say it sucks? 256kbps sounds very close to CD? I would guess that most people will not be able to discern the difference.

Simply because its lossy encoded.
If I buy an album from iTunes Store I obviously don't have the same CD. Hence there are no way for me to test if there are any audible loss.

"Close" to CD is simply not good enough for me.

 

[oicdn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by krmathis /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ok, maybe not top price. But certainly expensive. Here in Norway an album in iTunes Plus cost NOK 80, while a physical CD cost ~NOK 160. 1/2 the price, but only 1/5 of the bitrate (256kbps vs. 1411kbps). Not all that great deal imo... Simply because its lossy encoded. If I buy an album from iTunes Store I obviously don't have the same CD. Hence there are no way for me to test if there are any audible loss. "Close" to CD is simply not good enough for me.

Yeah...makes sense. And iTunes CD here is $9.99, whereas the physical CD ranges from $15.99 to 18.99. So it's ALMOST half as expensive, which makes it somewhat of a deal...

But you're right...if you're looking for reference...there are better venues...

 

[sschell]

I'm satisfied with iTunes+ on an iPod.

Attach a quality amp and a high-priced pair of headphones and maybe then you'll start noticing flaws.

I'm with everybody else though when it comes to preference of having a physical CD copy (I received an iTunes giftcard as a gift, hence the above).

Magnatune is a good download site that offers their catalog in a number of lossless/lossy/open-source file types. The selection is fairly eclectic, and for the most part, not at all mainstream, so YMMV.

 

[monolith]

Not worth it.

Remember that when you pay for music, you have the right to download a copy of it. Buy what you want from wherever is cheapest, then get a lossless copy from a good torrent site and encode it however you want. You don't have to stick to the quality they impose on you.

Better yet, buy CDs.


Quote:

Originally Posted by oicdn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah...makes sense. And iTunes CD here is $9.99, whereas the physical CD ranges from $15.99 to 18.99. So it's ALMOST half as expensive, which makes it somewhat of a deal... But you're right...if you're looking for reference...there are better venues...

Also bear in mind that the audio files aren't all you're paying for when you buy a CD.