Poll: MP3 or WMA9?

[RaynorWolfcastle]

I get the feeling that WMA should be better, but I want to get an opinion before encoding. So what does ATOT say? Either will play fine on my portable and will have roughly the same file size.

No Ogg or AAC unfortunately since my Rio won't play them.

 

[JetBlack69]

MP3

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

256/vbr mp3 or mp4

 

[Excelsior]

I hate WMA, dunno why, just do. MP3.

 

[loup garou]

WMA

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt
256/vbr mp3 or mp4

mp4 won't play on my portable and anything above 192kbps squeezes me too much since I only have 320 MB of storage on my Rio

 

[Sid59]

mp3 ... ipod doesnt play wma.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Sid59
mp3 ... ipod doesnt play wma.

I don't have an ipod, so I have no reason to worry about what it does and doesn't play. If I did have an ipod I'd be encoding everything in AAC without asking.

 

[Shawn]

mp3

 

[Sid59]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle

Originally posted by: Sid59
mp3 ... ipod doesnt play wma.

I don't have an ipod, so I have no reason to worry about what it does and doesn't play. If I did have an ipod I'd be encoding everything in AAC without asking.

you'd re-encode your whole collection?

personally i rip to APE and then transcode to mp3 for my ipod

 

[Ameesh]

I ripped everything i owned to WMA Lossless and then if i need a lower bitrate i use that to transcode from. I like WMA much better then mp3, i find that it is higher quality at the same bit rates

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
I ripped everything i owned to WMA Lossless and then if i need a lower bitrate i use that to transcode from. I like WMA much better then mp3, i find that it is higher quality at the same bit rates

While APE, FLAC, or WMA Lossless would work, they just take too much hard disc space for the improvement in sound quality over 192kbps WMA9 or LAME MP3. I've found that 192 kbps is a good equilibrium where I can listen to music on my computer or portable and be satisfied with quality without taking up an outrageous amount of disc space. In other words, I'm personally satisfied with the transparency of these codecs at 192 kbps for my uses (as long as I have the full-quality CDs, in case I ever feel the urge to buy a $2,000+ set of speakers)

 

[Anubis]

mp3
alt preset extreme

 

WMA only fools people who are half deaf.

 

[loup garou]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
I ripped everything i owned to WMA Lossless and then if i need a lower bitrate i use that to transcode from. I like WMA much better then mp3, i find that it is higher quality at the same bit rates

That's exactly what I do...I transcode to 160 to transfer to my Karma. Works and sounds great.

 

[ViRGE]

WMA is a technologically superior codec as far as it and MP3 goes, so at the same bitrate, the WMA version will be of some higher quality.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: RaynorWolfcastle

Originally posted by: Ameesh
I ripped everything i owned to WMA Lossless and then if i need a lower bitrate i use that to transcode from. I like WMA much better then mp3, i find that it is higher quality at the same bit rates

While APE, FLAC, or WMA Lossless would work, they just take too much hard disc space for the improvement in sound quality over 192kbps WMA9 or LAME MP3. I've found that 192 kbps is a good equilibrium where I can listen to music on my computer or portable and be satisfied with quality without taking up an outrageous amount of disc space. In other words, I'm personally satisfied with the transparency of these codecs at 192 kbps for my uses (as long as I have the full-quality CDs, in case I ever feel the urge to buy a $2,000+ set of speakers)

Yeah, it depends what setup you are using. I'll tell you, my stereo isn't that great, but what I do not notice (other than the horrible shreeking) from my Dad's computer Klipsch 4.1 is quite appearant on mine.

 

[eplebnista]

MP3

 

[jagec]

MP3, while you may be able to play WMA fine on everything NOW, things can change...encoding in WMA is like buying a Mac.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: jagec
MP3, while you may be able to play WMA fine on everything NOW, things can change...encoding in WMA is like buying a Mac.

As a Mac owner, I resent that comment.

 

[randomlinh]

screw ms, mp3! that and i have an ipod

 

[Cerb]

lame.exe --alt-preset extreme

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: jagec
MP3, while you may be able to play WMA fine on everything NOW, things can change...encoding in WMA is like buying a Mac.

Well that's a stupid mentallity.


What is wrong with ripping into WMA if it is easily tanscodable?

 

[Cerb]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster

Originally posted by: jagec
MP3, while you may be able to play WMA fine on everything NOW, things can change...encoding in WMA is like buying a Mac.

Well that's a stupid mentallity.


What is wrong with ripping into WMA if it is easily tanscodable?

That unless you're ripping to a lossless format, you lose a bit with transcoding.

 

[Corporate Thug]

mp3