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Where can I get legal MP3s at 256 kbps or 320 kbps?

c627627

c627627

Golden Member
Please no overseas sites or comments about illegal downloads.

I would like to pay for specific songs that can be playable on regular portable MP3 / CD players that use CDRWs / CDRs. Is there a legal US site that offers legal MP3s at 256 kbps or 320 kbps.


If you know a US site, do you know what quality their MP3s are or if they even offer MP3s instead of other formats.
 
AFAIK no service that includes major-label music offers this yet. Joe Consumer has decided that 128kbps WMA and AAC are good enough for his portable player, and Apple et al don't care about the small number of audiophiles that demand better.

<-- used FLAC lossless to rip my CDs (900 so far, 300 to go), it's about 600-900 kbps.
 
There is no legal US site/service that offers mass-market music in MP3 form for sale. The only thing you'll find is indie.
 
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
AFAIK no service that includes major-label music offers this yet. Joe Consumer has decided that 128kbps WMA and AAC are good enough for his portable player, and Apple et al don't care about the small number of audiophiles that demand better.

<-- used FLAC lossless to rip my CDs (900 so far, 300 to go), it's about 600-900 kbps.
Click to expand...

damn....
 
Originally posted by: Ketteringo
Why would you want them that high? There is no noticable difference over 192kbps.
Click to expand...

I can hear the difference between 192 and 256 using a HeadRoom Bithead external USB soundcard/amplifier and Etymotic ER-6 in ear headphones. can't tell any higher though. I'm sure people with better equipment (ER-4S) can hear even more. It's not even something I have to listen hard for..just casual listening, the 256 sounds cleaner and more precise
 
Why US sites only? The Russian sites kick ass; 320kbps VBR Lame alt-standard.
 
Others may have high quality, expensive audio equipment, when you say 'there is no noticable difference', you mean for those poeple too or just for us using cheapo MP3 CD players?

Besides, what do you mean there are no US sites, how about

Originally posted by: DashRiprock
If you buy the Pro version (19.95), you can convert their RAX files to secured MP3 files. I've used Walmart Online Music, Napster (legit), iTunes, MusicMatch and now Real. IMHO it appears that Real has a much larger variety of music and more older titles (along with the latest). And for .49, it's a great deal. Don't know how long this price will last.
Click to expand...

Quote taken from this thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=40&amp;threadid=1376949
 
should just settle for mpc, mp3 cuts out the 'air'.. I can't really find a better way to describe. oh well.. try ed2k 🙂
 
They're talking about music files that can only be played on your own computer because of additional data associated with them that identifies your system on which these files can be played only, so as to prevent you from sharing them further...
 
Cheapest method:
Pawn shop... buy CD's... encode them yourself... pawn shop... sell CD's lather, rinse, repeat
 
Originally posted by: Supercharged
If you want to pay for them why not just by the cd and rip the songs yourself?
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Because I want one song off of albums on which all other songs are crap.

20 songs that come from 20 albums containing just one decent song, geddit?
 
Originally posted by: Ketteringo
Why would you want them that high? There is no noticable difference over 192kbps.
Click to expand...

Anyone who claims this is a fool. Just because your frequency-inept ears can't tell the difference doesn't mean everyones can't. With my Monsoon flat speakers (detailed highs and mids) I can EASILY tell between 192 and 320kbs.
 
There is no place you can get mp3s legally in the US, barring approved mp3 releases by certain bands. One of the requirements that the RIAA has stated for digital sales of music is that it have a Digital Rights Management layer. mp3 has no such capabilities, and as such is not used by legitimate sites in the US.
 
What format does itunes/ipod use then?

I was always under the impression that it did MP3
 
Originally posted by: pulse8
mp3 and AAC, I believe.

AAC being the DRM enabled format.
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itunes is kinda funny. if you want your songs in MP3, you need to burn your AAC files to a CD (wav) and re-import them, all from the itunes software window. You don't even have to rename the files. :beer:
 
Originally posted by: apac
Originally posted by: Ketteringo
Why would you want them that high? There is no noticable difference over 192kbps.
Click to expand...

Anyone who claims this is a fool. Just because your frequency-inept ears can't tell the difference doesn't mean everyones can't. With my Monsoon flat speakers (detailed highs and mids) I can EASILY tell between 192 and 320kbs.
Click to expand...

lol... you realize you're bragging about Monsoon speakers? 🙂
 
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