AAC.. iTunes the only way?

[ElPapa]

I think I already know the answer, but if you want to rip to AAC and store them on the iPod, I'm guessing from what I've read that iTunes is the only way to do this. Correct?

[saratoga]

Not at all. Theres many other AAC encoders. Personally I use Nero since it has far more features then iTunes (like a cl encoder, AAC-HE support and VBR).

Theres also FAAC, compact, and others.

[ElPapa]

Interesting... But then how to you move the AAC files *onto* the iPod?

Thanks for the info.. I have Nero 6 here. Is that one of the encoders you have to pay extra for in order to use it with Nero?

[saratoga]

Depending which versio of Nero 6 you bought it might be included.

iTunes has series issues with any AAC files not encoded by it. Most likely it will not work, however Apple has a fix in the works. Fortunately the ipod itself works great, so I just use Ephpod to upload files for now.

My favorite part about Nero is its just a dll. You can use any front end you like to encode with it. Personally I use foobar2000 so that my output files have the volume levels adjusted via replaygain. That way i never have to adjust the volume on my Ipod.

[ElPapa]

You're right, the AAC ripper is included in Nero and it's *excellent*. I ripped an audiophile-quality track that was 2.2MB smaller than the equivalent MP3.

I hadn't looked at EphPod before.. Now that is *very* interesting. I like the ease of use of XPlay, but I'll definitely look at EphPod.

Can XPlay and Ephpod co-exist in the same machine? Or will they screw up/confuse/crash the iPod if they're on the same system?

Sorry.. I'm just trying to learn everything I can... Thanks for your input.. :)

[MOCKBA]

I found problems in AAC encoding done as iTunes as Nero. I didn't try FAAC yet. Some people told that the best quality gives QuickTime, but it's really slow.

[ElPapa]

From everything I've read I think I'll hold off on using AAC until XPlay supports it. I like using XPlay and want to continue to use it. And I don't mind waiting a bit for the XPlay update...

[Phoenix]

i saw that Winamp 5.0 is out w/ ACC ripping supported too.... anyone have used it?? any prob w/ iTunes?