slowth 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2008 what about converting an mp3 to aac? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Absolute0 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2008 It's the same. These conversions are termed 'transcoding', which inevitably results in data loss when one lossy format is converted to another, even if the file size or purported bitrate increases. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowth 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2008 so jist of the story is to just listen to lossless? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chesterqw 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2008 just listen from CD or from lossless e.g. WAV, FLAC... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phuque 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2008 I think you should listen and see if you really here a difference with your own ears before deciding on wasting space with lossless or swearing off MP3 players for audiophile beliefs. It is easy to "go with the crowd" and listen to placebo effects. Indulge in all the ways of the purist if it really improves your listening experience, but not for the sake of just gearing up. Having a friend helping with real blind tests where possible will surprise you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Absolute0 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2008 My sentiments as well, phuque. It's ok to go with lossy - the differences with lossless might be subtle depending on your gear, hearing, external factors, etc. - but encode directly from CD or a lossless format (e.g. WAV, FLAC, apple lossless, etc.). Transcoding is definitely a no-no as it serves no purpose except to increase the file size or to convert to a format compatible with your DAP. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slowth 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2008 ok so transcoding is off limits.... got it!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
feesh 0 Report post Posted May 9, 2008 okay let me share with you in my perspective. hopefully, its clearer this way. hehe. now pretend that music is like pictures. every pixel (box) represent 1kB. say we are ripping a cd into a 320kBps mp3 file. the left box represents the cd. it has an unlimited amount of pixels. this would equate to the highest quality, which is CD DAT quality. now when we convert to mp3, the computer cuts down the data into smaller pieces, hence the picture on the right. in this case, the 320kbps mp3 file adds up to, 141kB. As you can see, most of the quality is retained. lets see what happens when we encode a 128kbps mp3 file into a 320kbps file. now we already have a 128kbps music file, which is the box on the left. At this bitrate, the file adds up to 1kB. now when we encode this file again into 320kBps, what the computer does is that it splits up this file into more boxes, creating greater "resolution". In this case, it becomes 120kB. But when you look at both boxes, they show exactly the same picture! so the extra 119kB is "wasted". hope this helps!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pikachu 0 Report post Posted September 26, 2008 I would recommend wav or apple losses Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aloozer 0 Report post Posted October 9, 2008 uhh..so since wav is lossless, its better than mp3? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
habba 0 Report post Posted October 9, 2008 mp3 is a compressed file, while lossless, is lossless. nothing compressed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
heady 0 Report post Posted October 9, 2008 mp3 is a compressed file, while lossless, is lossless. nothing compressed. Sorry, habba. There are lossless formats which are compressed, eg. flac. There are no bits loss during the compression and on decompression, in theory, every bit of data is restored to original. It's like a zip file, that's also lossless compression. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aloozer 0 Report post Posted October 11, 2008 how about wma lossless? that's 1 example of lossless compression right? is it advisable(or at least OK) to rip from CDs in that format? in terms of cons or shortcomings Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kdidobeboi 0 Report post Posted October 15, 2008 (edited) erm i tink it's alrite..however depends on wat u use for playback..mp3 player? ps3? or ur desktop/laptop as wma lossless might not be supported..for me i experience tt wif my mp3 player...cheers Edited October 15, 2008 by Kdidobeboi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites