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Topic: Does 256 kbps sound better than 128kbps with Classic and good set-up???
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#1
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Junior Lounger
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: East Coast
Posts: 62
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I have the Classic and 5th generation IPODs. Plenty of room. I typically import CDs at 320 or so and get good results --- I use a good headphone (say, the Grado 60 or better), a headphone amp such as the Emmerline SR-71, and line-out to bypass the IPODs circuitry and to play at whatever volume I choose. Songs sound great --- a tribute to the quality of the IPODs.
So...I am considering the purchase of some iTunes songs/albums but am dismayed at 128kbps. I've read that some songs can be purchased at 256kbps. How? With iTunes plus? If so, how do I choose iTunes plus? I looked and could not find it as a preference. For those in the know out there, is 256 meaningfully better than 128 as I expect --- or is the difference very modest? Tx! |
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#2
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Reclined Lounger
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Toronto
Posts: 367
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256 is double the bitrate of 128 so there is a difference, but some people may not notice it if they aren't picky listeners. You sound like you value a good setup so you ought to go with Plus. The way iTunes Plus works is that if an album is available in plus, thats the only way you can get it, so you don't have to choose one or the other. They will have the plus icon next to the song, or they won't. At least that's how it works in the Canadian store.
3G iPod 20GB, iPod Classic 80GB, 5G Nano 16GB |
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#3
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Insanely Sarcastic
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 6,997
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My goodness, you have a Grado+amp and yer asking if 256 sounds better than 128? <gasp> Hope that expensive equipment was a gift... YES, a resounding YES. If they don't have 256, I'd stop being so impatience and buy the CD and rip at their maximum fidelity 'coz otherwise u'd be wasting racing a Ferrari on an island.
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#4
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Junior Lounger
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: East Coast
Posts: 62
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![]() Indeed, I expected to notice the difference between 256 and 128 --- that's why I ripped my CDs at 320 and use a line-out. I bet you know this :-). But there are some great songs on hard to find CDs or on lousy CDs (only one good song or poorly recorded CD whether it's AAD or DDD or whatever). Bit rates are important but the song is the most impt --- a good song is a good song. I was wondering how much I would "lose" by going to 128kbps as I have not done that before. "Heartbreaker" by Led Zeppelin (great guitar work) is not on their greatest hits CD. Should I buy the song at 128kbps rather than buy a whole other "album" for just one song? ($0.99 vs. at least $9.99 and a trip to the mall.) Maybe I should. Or skip it altogether? That is my question --- as I'm sure you know; you had me at first. Good one. :-) |
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#5
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Senior Lounger
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 164
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the only way you'll ever know if you hear the difference between 128kbps and 256kbps is through a blind listening test.
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#6
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Junior Lounger
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: East Coast
Posts: 62
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Indeed, dirtpeach. I think a magazine out now did a blind listening test with individuals of different ages on an IPOD using different bit rates. I'll have to take a look --- I heard that the results were a bit surprising.
Tx. |
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#7
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Senior Lounger
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 164
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these days, most modern encoders are very close to being transparent at 128kbps based on this test.
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#8
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Veteran Lounger
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: King George VA
Posts: 1,511
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1st - do an ABX test (the blind listening tests mentioned earlier). This is much easier that it used to be.
2nd - BUY the Led Zep on CD. There are no bad songs on a Led Zep CD! ![]() |
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#9
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Reclined Lounger
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Toronto
Posts: 367
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I have an extremely hard time believing most encoders are transparent at 128kbps. Actually, I'd never believe it.
3G iPod 20GB, iPod Classic 80GB, 5G Nano 16GB |
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#10
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Geek
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 182
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Buy Led Zeppelin II- it's a great album. You won't regret the purchase.
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#11
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Senior Lounger
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 159
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I use a setup similar to yours and 128 CRB mp3 files is unacceptable. I'd say go for at least 256.
BTW, what headphones do you use with this setup? And what is your LOD ... ? Ipod Classic 160GB black, Ipod Nano 2nd gen. 8GB black, iPhone 16GB, Iriver H340, Iriver H120 and Cowon A2 30GB. Chestnut Hill George Ipod Speaker ... |
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#12
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Veteran Lounger
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Chengdu, China
Posts: 1,760
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I have heard very few people who can actually tell the difference in double blind testing.
If you want to do it with your current set up it is easy. Make three files from a track you know well.... One Apple lossless One 256 k, One 128 k. Put something in the track title that reflects the bitrate. Put them in a playlist and shuffle them on repeat, without looking at the screen.. You will not know which is which. Now pick which it is, before the end of the track. Write it down, before you look at the screen. Make a table like this... Guess Really 128 256 lossless 256 etc. Do this until you have 10 of each track in the Really column. If you can guess better than 50/50 when it is 128k then 128k is not transparent to you. Otherwise it is. (This assumes three tracks, so chance would have you picking 33% correctly anyway and I think this should be enough for a statistically significant result). Better is to use something like Foobar 2000 on your computer, which will let you do it in a better fashion and do the stats for you. If you claim that you can pick the difference, without some kind of blind test, some people will think you are talking out of an unusual orifice. h 160Gb Classic, iPhone 4, Ultimate Ears TripeFi 10, 15,000+ songs
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#13
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Reclined Lounger
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Toronto
Posts: 367
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That orifice isn't so unusual, everybody has one.
3G iPod 20GB, iPod Classic 80GB, 5G Nano 16GB |
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#14
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Veteran Lounger
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: King George VA
Posts: 1,511
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Quote:
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#15
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Junior Lounger
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Maryland
Posts: 62
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I did the pepsi challenge between 128 and 192 and could tell a difference, mostly heard it in percussion instruments, it was an audible difference. Somewhere between 160 and 192, the audible stuff started to disapear. I can't tell the difference between 192 and 256. Mostly use 192 for standard stuff and 256 for songs a really like.
iphone 3G classic->Etymotic hf2 iphone 3G->Er4 Wife's setup nano->Honda Music Link->Honda S2000 i open up my wallet and it's full of blood -gybe |
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Topic: Does 256 kbps sound better than 128kbps with Classic and good set-up???
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