Have recently for the first time, downloaded a few tunes off Itunes. I notice that all their tunes are in AAC format 128kbps.

Does anyone know how this compares to say a 192kbps or 320kbps mp3. Whislt the few i downloaded sounded okay, the speakers i was using aren't really that great, so its harder to make comparisons.

Any info would be great.

Cheers

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320 is average
192 is crap
128 sounds like shit

I have a very good system so I can tell the difference. The higher the compression is, the crappier the sound is. 24 bit / 192 KHz will pwn mp3, the sooner the better.

A simple test. Run the same song at 320,224,192,128, and below. If your system is crap, you won't notice.. Now run the 320, then go at 128.

Enjoy

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A 128 kbps AAC MP4 from Itunes should be very similar to a 192 Kbps MP3. 320 Kbps MP3s are really good IMO, esp for dance music, as most sites feature them. I would say they are above-average, as 192 has typically been the average bitrate for music, esp for listening, 320s give it that extra boost for playing out..mixing with them. Only a few sites have WAVs, and i've noticied, it's not really worth the extra money, esp if your just a hobbyist, to buy them. They take a long time to download, even on DSL because they are big files like 80 or 100 MB a track. I would only get 128 kbps AAC MP4s from Itunes for listening though..if you need dance music, it's Beatport, AudioJelly, DJDownload or TrackItDown.

Cheers for the replies. So Spirit 5, you're saying that aac 128kbps is equal to 192kbps mp3 but higher mp3 bitrates are better. Anyone else have any knowledge to share? Mmanu thanks for replying but you misunderstood my post. I understand that in any given format, the higher the bitrate the better the quality but I was asking specifically about AAC against MP3.

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quote:

Originally posted by G-Con Cheers for the replies. So Spirit 5, you're saying that aac 128kbps is equal to 192kbps mp3 but higher mp3 bitrates are better. Anyone else have any knowledge to share? Mmanu thanks for replying but you misunderstood my post. I understand that in any given format, the higher the bitrate the better the quality but I was asking specifically about AAC against MP3.

AAC/MP4 is a more advanced, newer encoding format. The files are smaller, and can sound better at smaller bitrates than the MP3s at the same biterate. So really a 128 kbps AAC/MP4 file from ITunes will sound like a 192 Kbps MP3, and about the same size. A 256 or 320 kbps MP3 will sound better, however. I don't know the exact technicalities about this, but it does have something to do with the encoding technique, and the fact it's a newer format. MP3s have been around since the mid 90s I believe, MP4s have been around since the early 00s.

A 192 Kbps MP4 will sound about the same as a 320 Kbps MP3...like the files you get on Beatport, i've downloaded both..compared...there is no difference. So the same with a 128 kbps AAC/MP4 from Itunes...they sound about as good as two bite-rates up from 128, so 192, and two up from 192 is 320. Thats how you can kind of think of it...

quote:

Originally posted by G-Con Have recently for the first time, downloaded a few tunes off Itunes. I notice that all their tunes are in AAC format 128kbps. Does anyone know how this compares to say a 192kbps or 320kbps mp3. Whislt the few i downloaded sounded okay, the speakers i was using aren't really that great, so its harder to make comparisons. Any info would be great. Cheers

AAC isn't better than mp3. To explain it: there are different versions around: AAC, AAC+ (AAC+v1 and AAC+v2). The original AAC that iTunes is using isn't better than mp3 in general. Compared to a very advanced mp3-encoder (recent lame versions) its sound quality is just horrible.

AAC+v1 and AAC+v2 aren't much better than AAC at bitrates higher than 128kbps and still more worse than lame encoded mp3. With other words, your "great" 128kbps iTunes AAC tunes aren't that great.

But AAC and aac+ haven't been designed to be much better than mp3 at high bitrates - these codecs should deliver good sound at bitrates of 96kbps and below. And that is where these codecs are MUCH better than mp3, at bitrates of 48kbps-80kbps where a normal listener still thinks that the music sounds good.

But again: MP3 is better than iTunes AAC for 128kbps tunes !!!!

Ok. Thanks. By the sounds of it, Itunes isn't the best for downloading dance tunes then. Shame cause at 79pence a track, its great value

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Listen to and download all my tracks at www.gregnicot.bandcamp.com