Are you an audiophile?

Originally Posted by www.sega.co.jp

For anything 320 or higher, I'd just go with lossless, the extra space lossless would use would not be that much more than 320kbps mp3s (320kbps is only 1/4 the size of CD quality source material).

Agreed. Above 320kbps, lossless or a hybrid like WavPack would be the best choice.

Use pure lossless if you don't mind bitrates of 640kbps+.

As for myself, I can tell the difference up to about 192kbps with some effort. Above that, I just can't.

Since I don't download music all that often, I go for the highest quality I can get. That way I can shrink it down if absolutely necessary for my MP3 player, and the quality is still tolerable.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Cal

Audiophiles are music lovers.

AUDIOPHILES, however, are indiscriminate consumers prone to autosuggestion with impeded critical thinking skills who get hung up on bullshit distinctions such as lossy versus lossless.

I laugh at AUDIOPHILES who pay $200 for "special" cables.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Anyway, all this bitrate talk isn't all that relevant. A 160kbps LAME MP3 can sound better than a 320kbps Blade MP3, for example.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by lightgem

OK, I have a few questions for audiophiles.
1st - Let's say you got a song from the internet, or downloading or whatever, but definitely NOT from ripping CD. You don't like the sound quality of it because it's 128 (or lower) and is CBR. What would you do? I'm asking in the case that you really love the song and do not want to toss it away. My question is you would not convert it to VBR or even lossless or FLAC, would you? WHat I'm guessing is since its quality is "not good", you cannot convert it to a higher standard to make it "good", right? Just like you cannot burn a 128 mp3 to CD and make it sounds like a real CD, isn't it? What would you do in case you're a hardcore audiophile and you just want everything high birate?

Well, the best possible thing you can do for the quality of most downloads is to leave them as they are.

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2nd - Putting hardware aside, will sound effect plug-in from soundcard program or music player affect your judgement between ... say 128 and 192? With the EAX program come with the Creative Audigy deluxe that I own and winamp's equalizer, I can pimp a 96 sounds nearly as good as a 160 or around that. I can't tell the difference between 128 and 300 if I leave all my setting on.

Some of these filters will make it easier to tell apart MP3's, some will make it more difficult. It depends on what the filter is doing. For instance, a lowpass will make it more difficult to tell, but using an EQ to boost the high end will make it easier.

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3rd - The one above leads me to this one. Do you leave your sound effect setting the same with every song you listen to? For the home system, some people prefer real equalizer to make sound the way they like. But, will audiophiles (who have equalizer) come and change the setting as songs go? I think it must be a pain.

I generally leave settings the same. Generally on PC this means no settings at all and on my stereo it means just a simple bass boost - but only because it sounds downright anemic without it.

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I have an opinion about lossless or FLAC and the likes. I'm against the whole "everything lossless" thing. Let's say I have an OST CD of a video game from the previous generation. Its sound quality is already "not good" eventhough it's professionally recorded. Any PS1 OST or any portable system's games (hell, even PSP) will work my point. Some people are obsessed with ripping music from games. Those ripped music will never have good sound quality. It goes the same for the old music. Akkk... I don't wanna make all of them lossless. It's space and time killer while doesn't make the quality goes any higher.

Agreed. For anything older than N64/PS1, I'd use either the native sound format (e.g. SPC, PSF) or MP3... and for anything newer, I might use lossless.

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