I recently installed a higher quality audio system in my car, and I am realizing that a lot of my MP3s don't sound as good as some CDs.

My question is, are the WAV files you can purchase from Beatport higher quality then an audio CD? If I purchase a CD, and then rip it as a WAV file, am I pretty much getting the best audio quality I can get?

At what bit rate would an MP3 have to be to be indistinguishable from CD quality?

Any idea what bitrate the mp3's are encoded at? Anything below 192kbps & the drop in quality becomes noticeable.

Initially I was always told that 192kbps was "CD quality". That then moved to 320kbps. Now I'm told that WAV is the only acceptable format.

To be fair I wouldn't buy mp3 at less than 320kbps. I think probably only audiophiles in perfect test conditions could tell the difference between that & WAV. Having said that, maybe if anyone here plays in clubs they could tell us if there's any difference on a huge club system?

i'm into hifi,

rule of thumb,

192 on your protable mp3 player

320 at home if you got a good rig, virtually indistinguishable from cd quality

wav or on macs aiff for playing out in clubs,

the speaker system in clubs has a lot of wiring, use the highest file quality you can get to retain a good sound in club environments

Good info people, thanks. Now my question is, if I buy a CD in a store or online and then use Winamp to rip it as a WAV file, is that pretty much the best sound quality I get (good enough to play out in clubs)?

Wav files would be the best quality yeah, something like 1411 kbps (not completely sure). For me, when I had a wav version and a 320kbps version of a song, the wav version seemed ever so slightly brighter sounding...but the difference is very small.

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Another question. How about WMA files? Is a 192kb/s WMA file same quality as 192 kb/s Mp3? I thought it was different, don't know for sure though.

a 192kbps mp3 should be fine sounding, they only sound shit if the encoder doesnt know what hes/shes doing

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quote:

Originally posted by DJ Nickazz Another question. How about WMA files? Is a 192kb/s WMA file same quality as 192 kb/s Mp3? I thought it was different, don't know for sure though.

Its just Microsoft's version of an encoder, they all differ in quality depending on the accuracy of the acoustic model programmed into them. Its all down to perception by the individual.

We did a shedload of testing for a 3rd year assignment and Ogg Vorbis came out the best at lower bitrates. Shame it doesnt play on a Pioneer!

WAV files you purchase are exactly the same as the wav files found on a CD..

As for quality. WAV rocks... but i really dont think its worth the extra money to purchase them (seeing they are nearly double the price). Unless you have a kick ass system 320 is more then enough detail.

My two cents

quote:

Originally posted by DeepSix Good info people, thanks. Now my question is, if I buy a CD in a store or online and then use Winamp to rip it as a WAV file, is that pretty much the best sound quality I get (good enough to play out in clubs)?

Ripping it to wav won't improve the sound quality so you're wasting your time. Wav format is only better if you directly purchase it as a wav file from a download store.

Wav > CD > 320kbps mp3

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Originally posted by Aquarian Wav > CD > 320kbps mp3

that's total rubbish,

a wav is a perfect digital copy of a cd,


rest assured that beatport etc will be ripping wavs from cds, :-)

quote:

Originally posted by pvdclubber that's total rubbish, a wav is a perfect digital copy of a cd,

it's a perfect digital copy of anything because it's the highest quality format. Obviousely if you copy it from a low quality source it'll be low quality.