iTunes Questions

[Chriscross3234]

Hello, I just ordered a new iPod and I'm unfamiliar with iTunes...

Is there a sound quality difference from 192kbps MP3/WMA (regular CD) formats to 128kbps AAC (iTunes) format?

Does converting these formats make songs lose sound quality?

When I download songs/albums off of iTunes, will I be able to burn a CD that is playable in a car stereo or CD player? Or will I have to convert the files and lose sound quality?

Thanks for your time, Chris

 

[MrChad]

Is there a sound quality difference from 192kbps MP3/WMA (regular CD) formats to 128kbps AAC (iTunes) format?

First off, 192 kps MP3 is far from "regular CD" quality. AAC is not a bad format, but you will only need to convert your WMA files to AAC to play them in iTunes. MP3 files are supported natively.

Does converting these formats make songs lose sound quality?

Converting between any lossy formats results in a loss of sound quality. I usually rip my CDs using Exact Audio Copy and the LAME MP3 Encoder. These give me great sound quality and iPod compatibility. Because it's in MP3 format, I also have more flexibility of the players and devices I can use.

When I download songs/albums off of iTunes, will I be able to burn a CD that is playable in a car stereo or CD player? Or will I have to convert the files and lose sound quality?

Yes, iTunes lets you burn music CDs from downloaded songs. The conversion from AAC to CD audio won't result in sound quality lost (you're just decompressing the file, essentially), but since AAC is a lossy format to begin with, it's not going to sound as good as an original CD.

 

[Chriscross3234]

Alright man thanks a ton. From what your telling me, it seems better to buy CDs and rip them using EAC rather than downloading AAC files from iTunes because of sound quality. 😉

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: Chriscross3234
Alright man thanks a ton. From what your telling me, it seems better to buy CDs and rip them using EAC rather than downloading AAC files from iTunes because of sound quality. 😉

If you're picky about sound quality, then yes, that's the better route. Of course, iTunes is incredibly convenient and not too expensive, so that may sway your decision in the other direction.

 

[keeftea]

Good sound advice, but if u r tech savy, use winamp instead of itunes, i prefer it.

Lossy sucks, but i am an auidophile, so its flac n shn for me tO wavs, As a gen rule if the aud quality sucks from the beg, will always suck. Its the bitrate that matters.

Btw, apple is all proprietary formats, not acceptable in trading community.... I hear the words do not dither/resample. And Do not sell or buy. Imo, itunes is not the greatest b/c as mrchad said, when u buy from them, why cant u buy the lossless ALAC.

Trade Live Music Freely

 

[HomerSapien]

Honestly, you are going to have to try it out yourself. I do not buy cds anymore. I really like having the option to only buy the music I like. I dont have the best sound system in the world and definitely not an audiophile, but the only way that i can notice a difference between aac and cd is if i know which type is playing or I hear the same song in both formats back to back. Other than that, i am enjoying it.

Many people dont like apple on this forum, but who cares its your own personal preference.

Edit: Oh yeah, if your car has a cd changer input, you can buy a cable that lets you plug in your ipod directly to the stereo. Then you dont have to worry about making cds. They range from $20-ridiculous, but some of the kits control the ipod for you and some just provide a set of rca inputs for your cd player.

 

[Chriscross3234]

I guess I'm confused now, because it seems you can also import songs using an MP3 encoder at 192kbps that iTunes provides. Its under preferences->advanced->importing, but I thought you could only download songs from iTunes that are AAC 128kbps files, therefore, only allowing those songs to be played on an iPod. 😕

Edit: Nevermind, little note on the bottom - "These settings do not apply to songs downloaded from the iTunes Music Store" bleh

 

[Slogun]

I like itunes for managing my music, but abhor it for purchases.

Music purchased through itunes is encrypted in such a way as to limit it's use for you.
In a sense, you do not really "own" it.
You can't share it with anyone and you can only "authorize" a certain number of computers to play each file.
If your computer hard drive gets erased, you cannot re-download the music from itunes.

Unlike a CD collection, good luck playing those downloaded itunes files 15 years from now...

 

[Bateluer]

You can choose the level of quality that iTunes DLs music in, Wav and Lossless are options, but thats a hefty download.