Where to Buy FLAC/320kbps MP3 Files?
Dec 4, 2009 at 6:13 PM Post #16 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif
No I did comparison between 256kps MP3 VBR and flac, they all picked out mp3 as worst sounding, first time, every time. All into music.

Also made a flac and high bitrate mp3 copy and played tracks back and forth on my speakers and could tell everytime.



That's great, then. For you and your friends, you will need to purchase the CD from here on out. Obviously, this will mean you'll end up spending more money and taking more time to rip it, etc, than I will.

We'll both still enjoy our music... you will enjoy your lossless FLAC and your extra hard drives, and I will enjoy my single hard drive and my backups and my high-bitrate lossy format.

So in the end, we'll both enjoy our music... probably just as much as each other... but I'll pay less for it.

Am I still a sucker?

Just because someone doesn't listen the same way as you doesn't mean they're a sucker. It might just mean they're different than you.

We can't all be listening gods, you know.
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 6:39 PM Post #17 of 65
Quote:

and I will enjoy my single hard drive and my backups and my high-bitrate lossy format.


All my music is on 1 HD. Exactly the same it if were on 64kps mp3. Also as to paying more I get CD's for £2 each original. As to ripping/encoding time lol are you joking? Takes a few minutes. Plus I have the original.

Also if you have a single hard drive, how do you have a backup? You must have another hard drive to make a copy to. So you've got one more hard drive then me. And you still don't have CD quality lossless/original.
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 7:54 PM Post #19 of 65
it doesn't matter to me if i can hear the difference or not, i'll never pay for lossy. you're paying for incomplete data, and that just doesn't make sense when the cd/lossless are available.
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 8:04 PM Post #20 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMorton /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Meh. I still enjoy the music.

And there are such things as USB drives and DVD-Rs. Those work too.



So you're backing up lossy audio. And I thought you don't have any other hard drives, just because it's USB doesn't mean it's not a HD.

I'd rather have my original audio CD's then crappy 256kps mp3 on DVD-R's. I've have a few DVD-R's go faulty, and you can imagine the amount of data loss on a DVD-R. And where would you go to retreive these lost mp3's? Oh yes rebuy them again. ROFL. If only you had the original CD.

What if you buy some higher end phones, you decide to do A-B comparison between your mp3 and flac, then notice just how bad mp3 is? You're stuck. If you had the original CD just delete all your mp3 and rip/encode to lossless. Simple.

Also you have proof of ownership, do you have proof of ownership with your MP3's?
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 8:21 PM Post #21 of 65
Great.

I'm happy with my decisions. Why are you so dead set on convincing me not to be?

If I want to remain ignorant, that's my own business, and it's my own right. Doesn't make me a sucker.

What's with the whole freakin' superiority complex you have "because you can hear the difference between lossless and lossy"?

Geez.... get a life... and this whole time we're wasting time on this poor OP's query in his search to find high quality lossy sound. Give him what he wants, instead of ridiculing the fact that he, and millions others, want it.

To be completely honest with you... I'm less likely to go out and get a lossless sound quality now, mainly because the people who seem to be such huge proponents of it sound like jerks. I'd rather enjoy my lossy music I purchased DRM free, proving my ownership with the confirmation email I received from Amazon, iTunes, eMusic, Zune, whatever, than join in solidarity with a bunch of pushy, stick up their a$$es "audiophiles".

Man, and just when I was beginning to enjoy this site.
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 8:37 PM Post #22 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Only suckers pay for lossy music.


If you can tell me in complete honesty that you can hear a difference that you are 100% sure is not psychoacoustics between 320kbps mp3s and FLAC/LAME, then I'll take this statement seriously.

There are people who can tell the difference between the types of batteries being used in portable amps who have told me that they can't tell the difference on most tracks (not all, very detailed music such as classical and very detailed metal he can tell the difference) using very high end audio equipment.
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 8:39 PM Post #23 of 65
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Dec 4, 2009 at 10:24 PM Post #24 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif
You're paying for DRM


itunes ditched the DRM
amazon mp3 never had DRM
all the smaller sites that offer mp3 downloads have no DRM

not sure about some of the others
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 10:32 PM Post #25 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by Necrolic /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If you can tell me in complete honesty that you can hear a difference that you are 100% sure is not psychoacoustics between 320kbps mp3s and FLAC/LAME, then I'll take this statement seriously.


For Hi-Fi, pretty decent system and speakers yes I can. Although if you mean 100% of my music, no as some isn't great recordings, but the best definietly and once you know what mp3 sounds like you can pick it out on rock also (high frequency) and with bassy music mp3 shows itself again, with mp3 it sounds like I've enabled bass boost - it sounds lumpy and one noted. But the CD or flac does not. I don't notice that with phones because phones don't go down as low as speakers/subwoofer.
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 10:48 PM Post #26 of 65
Also, sound quality isn't the main reason why you should archive your music in lossless.

The most important reason is that it is LOSSLESS. As time passes and techology advances, there will eventually be audio equipment that has enough definition to blatantly tell the difference between good and very good quality files.

Aside from audio equipment, audio codecs will also be advancing. So if you want to convert your music to a better codec, you can convert from flac to said codec without worrying about substantial quality loss. If you converted from mp3 or another lossy fomat however, you will substantially lose ALOT of quality. And when that music is played back through the advanced audio equipment, you will gag.
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 10:52 PM Post #27 of 65
There are a few places selling lossless audio downloads. The few places that do sell lossless downloads (legally) focus on classical music and audiophile genres. You aren't going to find much rock and popular styles of music for sale in lossless format yet. I suspect Apple and/or Amazon to jump into the lossless download game at some point, but I'm not going to hold my breath and I suspect the prices for lossless will be high enough to keep me buying used CDs.

Off the top of my head, I can think of HDTracks, Deutsche Grammophon, and Chandos Records as places that sell lossless downloads.

For now the best source of lossless digital files is to buy the CD and rip it yourself. A big advantage there is that you have a physical CD that you can later sell or trade. If you're lucky the CD may end up being collectible or appreciate in value when it goes out of print. Buying used CDs through Amazon and other online sources can be cheaper than the cost of a digital download. CDs are still the way to go and that's how I get almost all of my digital music.
 
Dec 4, 2009 at 10:54 PM Post #28 of 65
Quote:

OP's query in his search to find high quality lossy sound.


Oxymoron right there, no such thing as high quality lossy sound. You mean "lesser quality sound which can sound quite good but not quite as good as lossless" Vorbis wipes the floor of mp3 so if you have a choice I'd choose OGG. I use Q6 OGG for my DAP. And yes I've done comparisons, Vorbis sounds closer to the flac/CD then MP3. I choose vorbis over mp3 for lossy

Quote:

I'm less likely to go out and get a lossless sound quality now


aww diddums. You've got hurt feelings, so rather than be a adult and compare for yourself or think oh yes made some good points slam the door and go into your room.

Quote:

If I want to remain ignorant, that's my own business, and it's my own right. Doesn't make me a sucker.


Actually it makes you close minded not willing to accept new ideas or take advice and make a new informed decision. Sounds pretty ignorant to me. Worse actually nothing wrong being ignorant everyone is ignorant on something but what's worse if you don't take it it, for example if I'm building a firework and decide to use my backside as launch area and someone says "ooohh that's a bad idea going to burn your arse" and say "hey what do you know I wanna stay stupid" and do it anyway guess who's going to get burned? I think people who don't want to listen or willing to learn are complete fools. I'd rather teach someone with a low IQ and willing to learn.
 
Dec 5, 2009 at 1:05 AM Post #29 of 65
Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Actually it makes you close minded not willing to accept new ideas or take advice and make a new informed decision.


Yep. Drives you nuts, doesn't it?

Quote:

Originally Posted by iriverdude /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I think people who don't want to listen or willing to learn are complete fools. I'd rather teach someone with a low IQ and willing to learn.


Thanks for sharing.
 
Dec 5, 2009 at 2:59 AM Post #30 of 65
Not everyone has an obsession like you do irivier, but I do admire your ability to defend yourself..
 

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