perfect example of why 128kbps AAC for iTunes Store is not enough...

Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
...IF you were willing to spent a buck to hear it for yourself, go buy and download Simple Plan - Perfect from the iTunes Music Store. It's so damn "warbly" on the guitar and cymble crashes it gives me a headache.

IIRC, AAC is inherently VBR/ABR, which is probably why the Winamp iTunes AAC plugin shows it coming up as 133kbps.

In any case, I imagine that it's probably not any better with other media stores. Anyone know of any media stores that offer higher bitrates? Though it's a moot point because I'd rather just go and buy a CD from BB. I got an iTunes Store gift certificate for Xmas which is why I downloaded this one song in the first place...guess I'll need to listen to the previews more carefully to pick out songs that won't be so warbly.
 

VTEC01EX

Senior member
Mar 8, 2002
315
0
0
I don't know what the deal is with the AAC 128 format... some of the songs I've downloaded (out of about 10) sound great, and I've got a few that sound like 112K MP3's. It's a shame, the distribution method is just about perfect.
 

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
I could have told you that.

In a blind test with good headphones (Grado SR-60) I can tell the difference between WAV, 320 VBR MP3, and 320 VBR AAC/MP4.

128K anything is a joke.

Viper GTS
 

Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
Originally posted by: VTEC01EX
I don't know what the deal is with the AAC 128 format... some of the songs I've downloaded (out of about 10) sound great, and I've got a few that sound like 112K MP3's. It's a shame, the distribution method is just about perfect.

I can't imagine wm9 being any better, but it is a shame that while 9/10 songs will sound just fine, there's those few that dont.
Simple Plan - Perfect and Outkast - Hey Ya! (I heard this one on a friend's pewter) come to my mind.
 
Jan 31, 2002
40,819
2
0
Originally posted by: Viper GTS
I could have told you that.

In a blind test with good headphones (Grado SR-60) I can tell the difference between WAV, 320 VBR MP3, and 320 VBR AAC/MP4.

128K anything is a joke.

Viper GTS

I start to blur the "line" around 224kbps myself. 128kbps just sounds like utter ass. Unfortunately I don't have the space to rip lossless, so I use 320 VBR MP3.

- M4H
 

pulse8

Lifer
May 3, 2000
20,860
1
81
I'm not paying a comparable price for songs online until they are lossless.

I can't see the benefit in paying $9.99 for sound files of lesser quality that I have to jump through hoops for when I can buy the CD for not much more and do just about anything I want with it.