[Sweet Spot]

I didn't bother to sift through 6 pages , but wonder if anybody has said this: I put FLAC files on my iRiver H120 because when I do my needle drops, that's how I encode them for archival purposes, and it's also how I play them when I go from the line out of my iRiver to my Outlaw Audio receiver. Mmm, mmm... Audio goodness right there. Well, that's what mama says...

 

[wanderman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot /img/forum/go_quote.gif Judging sound quality by file size is like judging audio equipment by its price. See ya Steve

you mean to say they go hand in hand?

 

[Orcin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wanderman /img/forum/go_quote.gif you mean to say they go hand in hand?

I think he is saying that bigger is not necessarily better.

 

[manaox2]

I definately go MP3 on shuffle unamped, lossless on the iMod amped. If your not using an amp or have less then 30 gbs of storage onboard your portable, I don't see a reason for lossless. I often compress the albums I find no difference between the formats to save space even on the iMod. I only compress though as I need space really. Otherwise, its just a waste of time and something extra to be concerned about with the quality.

Also, I don't go lossy on classical, the effect on size is usually minimal because of the repetative patterns unless your are using WAV or another form of lossless that doesn't use file compression on the data.

 

[wanderman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orcin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think he is saying that bigger is not necessarily better.

preposterous.

 

[tjumper78]

i would go
lossless for storage and home listen,
lossless for imod which has to be amped,
lossy(V0 or 320kbps, properly encoded) for ipod(and other DAPs) whether amped or not, even when used with LOD.

 

[Pangaea]

For me its just a matter of picking a format- and sticking with it. I am most comfortable with encoding everything with apple lossless and its not worth my time to recode for portable listening especially when my ipods are 18GB, 60GB and 180GB. I resync at least weekly so lossless does not really hurt me.

 

[wanderman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pangaea /img/forum/go_quote.gif I resync at least weekly so lossless does not really hurt me.

except for your battery life.

 

[Pangaea]

^ again, I don't see the issue here. I have never run out of batteries, but then again I am not crossing the globe with my DAP either. I guess it is lifestyle specific and for me its not an issue. Nor have I ever had a battery completely die on me prior to me just upgrading to another DAP.

 

[Skylab]

Yeah, the whole battery life thing is really overblown. I get 12-16 hours playing lossless files on my 160GB iPod Classis. That's PLENTY.

 

[Aaron5604]

Alright, after playing over a Faith Hill song over and over and over again, I think I might be able to distinguish a frequency difference somewhere (I'm guessing) around 4-8 khz using a 320 and 1411.2 kbps file @ apx. 55-67 (C-weight) db's. It tends to stand out most when the guitar is strung, though I almost feel as it's constantly lingering in the background as well throughout the entire song. It's annoying because you sense a difference more then actually hear it. It's definitely a higher frequency, though I'm not sure it's as high as most ear splitting cymbal (clash) types.

I wish I had better speakers/software/equipment (as well as the know-how) to confirm it, though I guess those who do, could test it and see

 

[ILikeMusic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pangaea /img/forum/go_quote.gif For me its just a matter of picking a format- and sticking with it. I am most comfortable with encoding everything with apple lossless and its not worth my time to recode for portable listening especially when my ipods are 18GB, 60GB and 180GB. I resync at least weekly so lossless does not really hurt me.

With Apple Lossless you are not only sticking with a single format, you also have to stick to a specific player manufacturer. I would not standardize on Apple Lossless any more than I would on Cowon Lossless or Creative Lossless.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILikeMusic /img/forum/go_quote.gif With Apple Lossless you are not only sticking with a single format, you also have to stick to a specific player manufacturer. I would not standardize on Apple Lossless any more than I would on Cowon Lossless or Creative Lossless.

That is simply not true. Apple Lossless is fine for archiving, and can EASILY be transcoded to any other format, including its ability to be transcoded losslessly to WAV or FLAC using dBpoweramp (and other utilities).

 

[mark_h]

Quote:

Originally Posted by monolith /img/forum/go_quote.gif You should use LAME's V0 setting instead of 320. Same quality, three quarters the size (at most).

Thanks I will give it a go!

 

[ILikeMusic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif That is simply not true. Apple Lossless is fine for archiving, and can EASILY be transcoded to any other format, including its ability to be transcoded losslessly to WAV or FLAC using dBpoweramp (and other utilities).

I didn't say that it couldn't be transcoded... anything can be transcoded if you have the space and time. I was just suggesting that if one used a non-proprietary format you wouldn't be faced with having to transcode your entire library if you happen to change player brands.