Have your say & ask the experts

I use a Sony player (mp3 player)  it converts mp3's to ATRAC and they sound very good

http://www.sony.net/Products/ATRAC3/special/atrac.html

 

ATRAC,FLAC,ALAC,MP3,WMA

what do you use ?  which is the best ? as far as I know ALAC and FLAC are the best formats...

mihaipopm8:

I use a Sony player (mp3 player)  it converts mp3's to ATRAC and they sound very good

http://www.sony.net/Products/ATRAC3/special/atrac.html

 

ATRAC,FLAC,ALAC,MP3,WMA

what do you use ?  which is the best ? as far as I know ALAC and FLAC are the best formats...

1. Any conversion from lossless to another lossless will (probably) be slightly worse than the original lossless...(due to different algorithms)...ie MP3 decides it can lose one set of data, ATRAC, another...so if it converts MP3 to ATRAC, then slightly more of the original signal will have been lost...
2. Any true lossless formats sound identical to each other , and the WAV (seeing as the file played is in fact identical)

I use FLAC, as it is a completely free, open format and supported natively by my Squeezebox.


(So there is no best 'sound', only best 'supported', or best 'compression ratio' etc.)

Too many formats! 

I think 320 kps MP3 sound pretty good although you know it's been compressed, a bit like Jpeg and RAW on Camera file. 

Thaiman:

Too many formats! 

I think 320 kps MP3 sound pretty good although you know it's been compressed, a bit like Jpeg and RAW on Camera file. 

Thaiman, I would love you to do some personal testing on EAC/LAME ripped 320 MP3s. IMO they are in most cases indistinguishable from the original. People too often equate MP3 with the rubbish pirated 128 KBPS rubbish, and stuff ripped in 60 seconds on WMP, and understandably reckon they aint hifi.

MP3 can be hifi. My own MP3s sound far better through my squeezebox and Harmony DAC, than my old Arcam CD 7SE player playing CDs...

I've been a fan of ATRAC compression for a long while. Having used MP3, AAC and WMA, ATRAC is still my preferred choice (never tried FLAC so can't comment) its just a shame you can no longer buy ATRAC downloads. To my ears it seems to retain a level of detail that keeps the recording 'interesting'...I seem to listen to MP3 and begin to wonder whats missing.

fr0g:

Thaiman:

Too many formats! 

I think 320 kps MP3 sound pretty good although you know it's been compressed, a bit like Jpeg and RAW on Camera file. 

MP3 can be hifi. My own MP3s sound far better through my squeezebox and Harmony DAC, than my old Arcam CD 7SE player playing CDs...

Are you Ashley James in disguised? 

I admit that MP3 is not as bad as I first thought but using Yamaha Musicast  playing both formats, I can hear the different.  The different then become massive when Sugden Masterclass cdp is playing tunes...un-comparable really.

Thaiman:

fr0g:

Thaiman:

Too many formats! 

I think 320 kps MP3 sound pretty good although you know it's been compressed, a bit like Jpeg and RAW on Camera file. 

MP3 can be hifi. My own MP3s sound far better through my squeezebox and Harmony DAC, than my old Arcam CD 7SE player playing CDs...

Are you Ashley James in disguised? 

I admit that MP3 is not as bad as I first thought but using Yamaha Musicast  playing both formats, I can hear the different.  The different then become massive when Sugden Masterclass cdp is playing tunes...un-comparable really.

...Uncomparable literally.
You can't compare 2 different formats for quality comparison through different DACs

A bit perfect WAV or lossless file through a no cost compromise, high end DAC is as good as any CD player.
An MP3 (high quality) through the same will be close, and certainly as good as any sub £1K CD player.

The DAC is the more important thing.

With a highly revealing system (especially speakers IMO), you can hear the difference (between MP3 and WAV)...BUT play a good quality MP3 through your old Stello, and play the CD through (for example, a Naim CD5i, or a Rega Apollo, or an Arcam CD192, or a Creek Evo etc etc, and I can bet you the MP3 will be better. )