"iTunes" which is the best quality setting

AAC
AIFF
Apple Lossless
MP3
WAV


me thinks "Apple Lossless" ?


cheers

I don't have an answer for you (although AIFF would probably be up there if not the best) but you are going to have to weigh the benefits of sound quality versus size. AIFF and other lossless files are going to be huge (30 - 50MB a song) compared to compressed and lossy formats.

EDIT: Also, if you are converting from a lossy to a lossless, sound quality won't improve but the file will be much larger.

I have about 600 cd's to copy and then i can sell them as i need the space !!

either that or i just use "spotify " . But it only seems to have 'tribute " bands now ?

Using some rough calculations, if you went with AIFF, you would need approximately 176GB of space (assuming 10 songs/cd and 3 min/song which is obviously a conservative estimate). Don't go lossless unless you absolutely need the highest of all quality. MP3 or AAC should be fine.

Another thing to consider is that some formats do not support ID tags which hold things like song name, artist and other info. Of course I don't recall which ones those are.

if you want cd quality then just get a higher bit rate when importing them, it shouldnt be much of a difference

Real question is can you even tell the difference in quality between all of them?

iTunes default I believe is AAC. Now I can't even tell the difference between 128 or 192 encoded MP3 or a AAC file. Most people can't.

Apple lossless will give you original cd quality for minimum space. (providing you're ripping from original cds and not lossy copies).

Also depends on what your source is. If you have 5$ headphones or a crappy amplifier you may be playing these on then you won't notice a difference. Where as for me i play them on a tube amp with Totem acoustic speakers I do notice a big difference. I personally use the apple lossless for most of my cds. If you're going to be throwing away the cds I would start with the best quality and you can always downgrade the bitrate after if need be.

Dad2b said:

I have about 600 cd's to copy and then i can sell them as i need the space !!

either that or i just use "spotify " . But it only seems to have 'tribute " bands now ?

Click to expand...

When you say sell them, obviously you mean put then into storage, right? ;D

If you're ripping them for archive purposes, go for the highest bit-rate you can afford space wise. If you want to then listen to them on an iPod, especially one with limited space, you should be more considerate.

256kbps AAC is almost indistinguishable from a native CD, even on modelstly high-end equipment. If you have a $10,000 amp and $25,000 speakers, you may disagree, but otherwise it's good enough. IMO, AAC sounds better than MP3 at the same bit-rate.

Zoolook said:

256kbps AAC is almost indistinguishable from a native CD, even on modelstly high-end equipment. If you have a $10,000 amp and $25,000 speakers, you may disagree, but otherwise it's good enough. IMO, AAC sounds better than MP3 at the same bit-rate.

Click to expand...

I would have to say I agree with this completely. If you have REALLY good high end hearing and don't mind a bit larger files size, Apple Lossless is outstanding. For normal people though 256k AAC should be all you would need.

dtravis7 said:

I would have to say I agree with this completely. If you have REALLY good high end hearing and don't mind a bit larger files size, Apple Lossless is outstanding. For normal people though 256k AAC should be all you would need.

Click to expand...

well last "proper" hifi included "Audionote" , "Quad" "Michelle " and "Micro mega" .......so yes my ears are good !

But now its all going through a Denon TV,DVD one box set up. which is "wife and kid" safe !! and sounds ok. also we are moving to South east asia soon and i want ti keep it all down to a mac mini and hard drive . the price of CD's is crashing daily....so want to sell them whilst they still have some value !!

cheers

luke

You and I may differ greatly but why not keep the CDs? What if the HD dies and you don't have a good backup? Better yet, why not keep them for the nostalgic value down the road? They could be worth a lot of money down the road if they are good CDs. For instance, Led Zeppelin II LP - $1,000 (and an offer had been made).