MP3 bitrate
 

what do you guys use for high quality mp3's? or does it even matter?

i use to use 192, but i hear theres 320. is it any better?

The higher the better.... if your using decent quality speakers to listen to music you will notice a difference. That being said if your low on space on your ipod or something you probably won't notice a difference between the 2 in sound but it makes a huge difference in the space it takes up.

Berz out.

I get 192 or VBR. 256 and 320 files are usually like 8 - 15 mb.

For a great explanation of MP3 audio encoding, including a bitrate overview: http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index....commended_LAME

I use the V0/apx encoded mp3s. IMO best quality vs file size ratio. I'm willing to go as low as V2 if I can't find a V0 rip. Very rarely do I download 192 and lower. The quality downgrade is audible. On the flip side, 320 is too big and I can't tell the difference from V0. If I wanted archival quality audio, I would rip in lossless. However, I don't have the hard drive space to have my entire collection encoded in FLAC

http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/images...me-chart-2.png

ok thx for the explanation.

at 192 the file size was 6mb
at 320 the file size was 10mb

most people wouldn't be able tell the difference between anything over 192. Even above 192, it starts to depend largely on your headphones.

try this out.. one is 320 and one is 128

http://mp3ornot.com/

(Theres a better site that has more options and more samples, but i can't find it right now)

320 is the best more it's more clear

In the car, I can get away with 192.
With my headphone setup, 256 or 320 work fine.
I still prefer using the Uberstandard variable bit rate though.

relative to a 128 shitty winamp rip? Yes. Relative to a properly ripped V0? Well, I can't tell the difference. And I can't justify the file size increase over V0.

320kbps is for the most part the highest bitrate for standard MP3s, and is the best if you have unlimited space. Meanwhile v0 isn't too far behind, and most people aren't able to tell the difference between the two. Not to mention space saving.

Let your ears decide which one is for you. And of course, it also depends on your source and your headphones/speakers. I for one own a Cowon S9 + UE triple.fi 10, and cannot really tell a difference between 320kbps vs v0. I do keep an archive of all my songs in FLAC though for transcoding purposes.

i go 320 or next highest i can find.

Most of my songs are 192 for space reasons, but there are songs that I've picked up that were naturally 320.

I always rip @ 320kbps, no less. And if I ever download MP3s, I try to find ones that are 320kbps.

If you have a trained ear, you can really hear the difference.

An audiophile friend of mine uses 192 or 320 for his Zune HD, but when he listens to music at home, he's got high-quality headphones (as in full-ear ones), and rips his music in FLAC.

ok thx for all the replies.