[AudiOw]

Greetings! New here and very impressed so far. I need help with some questions
 
I have thousands of music files (MP3, FLAC, m4a and other types) that I need to write details of (name, artist, album, year and artwork). I'd rather do so manually, despite the big effort. What is a way recommended to do so? I know with Windows I can insert details like the name and artist, but not the artwork of the file. I read online that programs like mp3tag may damage the quality of the music file and/or even trim bits from the file and so I am very afraid to use those programs. Can an expert on this please shed some light?
 
Supposedly the first step in becoming an audiophile is headphones. Those I will be using with my smartphone mainly, to which I would transfer all my music. What is recommended with budget of about 120$?
Can Bluetooth headphones stand to quality as much as other headphones, in terms of music listening on the smartphone? If not, should I consider those as well?
 
Thanks in advance. Glad I found this place!

 

[H20Fidelity]

MP3tag is absolutely fine, basically a must use program across the majority of all Head-fi members. Download it, use it and ignore that nonsense you read about. Live happily ever after.

 

[AudiOw]

MP3tag is absolutely fine, basically a must use program across the majority of all Head-fi members. Download it, use it and ignore that nonsense you read about. Live happily ever after.

Haha well that's calming. It really frightened me to read that it might drop the quality of the music file.
 
Can you please help me with the other thing too? And thanks for the quick reply by the way!

 

[H20Fidelity]

  Haha well that's calming. It really frightened me to read that it might drop the quality of the music file.
 
Can you please help me with the other thing too? And thanks for the quick reply by the way!

 
Personally, I don't use Bluetooth headphones and haven't really tried any.
 
The reason is I still think using a cabled earphone/headphone sends a much better quality signal if you want to get serious. While Bluetooth may be perfect for the on the go listener I think anyone wanting to get serious about personal audio should stick to cabled headphones for the time being. If you want to try a nicely priced headphone check out the Shure SRH440.
 
Keep in mind this bluetooth/cable talk is purely just my feelings. So, IMO.

 

[cel4145]

+1

Bluetooth uses compression to send audio. Bluetooth AptX technology apparently works very well with little audio loss. But for best sound quality, go wired. Plus, the built in receiver, DAC, and amp the headphones have to have built in costs money, so you can generally get better quality wired headphones for your money. With $120 budget, stick to wired.

These AKG K553 headphones on Massdrop are a very good deal: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k553-pro-studio-headphone

 

[AudiOw]

+1

Bluetooth uses compression to send audio. Bluetooth AptX technology apparently works very well with little audio loss. But for best sound quality, go wired. Plus, the built in receiver, DAC, and amp the headphones have to have built in costs money, so you can generally get better quality wired headphones for your money. With $120 budget, stick to wired.

These AKG K553 headphones on Massdrop are a very good deal: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k553-pro-studio-headphone

Considering it's for the phone, can I expect those to have a microphone, should I receive a phone call? And if not those then generally, are there quality headphones with microphone? Or should I just go with in-ear?

 

[cel4145]

Most wired full-size headphones do not have microphones.

 

[AudiOw]

Most wired full-size headphones do not have microphones.

Are there in-ear (with microphone) that can deliver quality sound, or is that impossible?

 

[HipHopScribe]

Brainwavz HM9's come to mind as full-size headphones with an inline mic. They're within your budget. Haven't heard them personally, but my understanding is they're fairly bass heavy but not too bad for clarity

 

[headjelly]

I would recommend to look for a pair of used Sennheiser HD598. Those are about $145-150 new, they are really sturdy and comfortable and you don't need an amp to drive them.

 

[cel4145]

Are there in-ear (with microphone) that can deliver quality sound, or is that impossible?

Sure.

For example, research the Soundmagic E80. Well in your budget range and there is a model with a mic.

 

[AudiOw]

Sure.

For example, research the Soundmagic E80. Well in your budget range and there is a model with a mic.

I've found online B&O H3 for 170$. I may be able to stretch my budget to 180$. Are they an improvement, or should I stick to the E80? Or with this budget, are there even better in-ear headphones with a mic?

 

[cel4145]

There are lots of good IEMs. Certainly you could probably find better then the E80s. Check out this list: http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-249-iems-compared-final-audio-fi-ba-sb-and-fi-ba-sa-added-08-03-12