Setting Up An ABX Test + Simple Guide to Ripping, Tagging & Transcoding

[tonally_challenged]

Regardless of if you can hear the difference I don't understand why you would bother transcoding today with 128GB microSD cards available cheaply.

 

[Brooko]

Because here in NZ if I want to take my entire library with me in FLAC I’d need about 300GB (all my music is legally paid for too) - which would set me back 300-400 NZD. Or I can put it on a single 64Gb sdxc card in aac256 - and if I transcode properly I can’t tell the difference.

That leaves me more money to buy music

 

[amirm]

16/16 means you can completely differentiate between 2 samples right?

Since most of my flac files are only 16/44.1, and they don't even have high bit rate (just 300-1000 kbps), should I start from 320 kbps to lower and lower quality, or the other way round?

VBR vs CBR please?

Thanks

No. If you want to learn to hear differences, start at very low bit rate and work your way up. That way you will hear the artifacts clearly and then know what to listen for in higher bit rates.

Alas, think about whether you do want to learn to hear artifacts as they will stay with you forever. What didn't bother you before, will now.

As to CBR vs VBR, always use VBR unless your player can't handle the peaks that VBR creates. This used to be a problem years ago but should not be this day and age. With VBR, the codec is free to raise the bit rate as much as it needs to keep quality constant. With CBR quality varies while the bit rate is kept constant. In this day and age, there is little reason to use CBR.

 

[guisess93]

No. If you want to learn to hear differences, start at very low bit rate and work your way up. That way you will hear the artifacts clearly and then know what to listen for in higher bit rates.

Alas, think about whether you do want to learn to hear artifacts as they will stay with you forever. What didn't bother you before, will now.

As to CBR vs VBR, always use VBR unless your player can't handle the peaks that VBR creates. This used to be a problem years ago but should not be this day and age. With VBR, the codec is free to raise the bit rate as much as it needs to keep quality constant. With CBR quality varies while the bit rate is kept constant. In this day and age, there is little reason to use CBR.

my player currently is my laptop. Can it handle VBR?

 

[HungryPanda]

Of course it would with any audio software

 

[amirm]

my player currently is my laptop. Can it handle VBR?

With ease. Computers have infinitely more horsepower than say, a portable audio player. They have been able to do so for some 15+ years so you are good even if your computer is very old.

The way you know it can't handle it is if it stutters in the middle of playing the content reliably. That is, if it happens once, play it again as sometimes your computer could be too busy due to other reasons.