[MalVeauX]

Hey all,
 
Was wondering if anyone used the Pandora One internet radio service for music discovery and if so, how's it sound for it's 192kbps bitrate? Decent? Or does it sound compressed and nasty on your HiFi gear?
 
Very best,

 

[lbj]

It sounds pretty good, though when I listen to Pandora One I'm not listening critically, just searching for new music.  Much better than I remember basic Pandora sounding.

 

[bradhyper]

The 192 is just high enough that nothing sounds bad. It's much better than the standard quality pandora (which is horrible on super low-fi gear let alone higher end equipment). It's the only internet radio I use; but I enjoy it, so why change a good thing?
 
I use it all the time to hear new music. If you like how something sounds get the FLACs and enjoy.

 

[BigBallinGPR]

The above two critiques are right on point.  I just recently got introduced into the professional world (o cubes how I despise thee) and within the first month, I came to the realization that I needed something to get me through the workday.  Pandora One was the solution, and I've found a lot of great new artists that I thoroughly enjoy because of it.  If your main goal is like mine, then it will serve your purpose.  If, however, you'll be at home and have some decent cans at your disposal (I currently listen to Pandora One with some crap, old earbud Skull Candies

) it doesn't live up to what you're used to from FLAC or other lossless.  Just trollin the occaisonal youtube video here at work when I'm tired of pandora, I can tell that I get higher quality out of some of the 1080p videos. 
 
All in all though, I say you should try it out.  Everyone has their own tastes and even if it doesn't suite your music needs from a quality standpoint, it may surprise you with some great "What, why haven't I heard of this artist before" moments 

haha.  And in reality, $36 for a year subscription is a pretty reasonable price for what you get. 
 
-Cheers
Ballin.