[utdeep]

Is there a real tangible loss with MDLP LP2 on minidiscs? I've been encoding all my CDs with it, and I want to make sure I'm not losing any real information.
FYI, I'm using a Sony MZ-R700 Minidisc Recorder with Etymotics ER-4P eaphones. What differences do you all notice with LP2 vs. SP mode?
Is LP2 still better than 256 bit rate MP3s?

 

[Vertigo-1]

I would actually rank LP2 slightly above 128kbps, because in a quiet environment I can still hear those swirly wishy washy sounds that a person's voice picks up at low bitrates. I'd say 192kbps MP3 is better than it, and maybe even 160, in that those swirly sounds are not present in a voice.

 

[MacDEF]

I have to disagree with Vert. In my experience, LP2 is as good as any 192k MP3 I've heard. I feel that LP2 is comparable to 192k, and even comparable to some poor-quality encoder 256k MP3s.

ATRAC is superior to MP3, bitrate-for-bitrate. ATRAC is simply more mature than MP3, and ATRAC especially gets the midrange right. Whereas MP3 often gets that "swishy" sound there, ATRAC really shines in the midrange.

The other think to keep in mind is your listening environment. If you're sitting at home in a quiet room, and you have good ears, you'll be able to hear the difference between LP2 and standard MD on your Etys. However, if you're walking around, or you're in an environment with ambient noise, the reality is that you probably won't hear the difference.

 

[utdeep]

Walk around with Etys?

is that even possible?

I'm currently encoding a few CDs in SP mode to see if I can notice a difference. I'm shocked at how different everyone's experiences are with LP2. I honestly have a cheap CD player with optical line out and all I did was encode straight from it to my minidisc in LP2 (I never even listen to the portable CD player which is a Sony DE-551 with 15mW+15mW headphone jack... whatever that means. It only cost $50 new from amazon). I'm going to go ahead and make sure that I'm not missing out of anything.
Curiously, what music do you listen to Vertigo-1? Perhaps that could be the key. Dangit, this revelation means that instead of having 148 mins on a minidisc, I can only get 74 in order to make the most of my Etys....

 

[Vertigo-1]

If you're on the move, than yes what MacDEF said is absolutely correct. There's no way you could hear the difference between a LP2 MD or a SP MD. Heck on the road you probably couldn't even hear the difference between an SACD and a 128kbps MP3.

But in a quiet room, the differences in LP2 show up versus SP MDs, and that's when I start hearing those swishy sounds in voices. I don't require Etymotics either to hear those sounds. I listen to mostly vocal and instrumental music. You were asking what differences exactly were audible, and well, if you're looking for them, that's the difference. I didn't even have to listen very hard, that audiophile side of me just kicked in and and told me "hey, those swishy sounds you hear in 128kbps MP3s are in LP2 MDs". It's so annoying sometimes being able to recognize good and bad sound, it just ends up ruining the music.

 

[leon]

My $0.02 here... because, yes, I did walk around with my ER-4 all day while I was in college.

I did some (relatively) critical comparison while I still had my Sony R900.. My feeling is that LP2 keeps the "fidelity" intact, loses some "oomph" and "pizzazz" against SP. Based on Mike Walker's explanation, it's probably a difference in midrange... I didn't like the difference myself, so I dumped all my LP2 recordings and went back to SP. But I'd say it's all up to how your ears feel about LP2.

You might also want to factor in how everyone's MD equipment might sound different. I felt that the R900 sounded "thin" regardless of the compression mode, but it may be different on, say, the MT770.

 

[Voyager]

I feel that LP2 on the road will sound very similar to SP mode, though at home the differences are very easy for me to hear. When I'm home though, im using a CDP and RS-2 rather than a MDP and senn mx-500s, which even in SP mode, don't come close to my RS-2s and good ole' CD