

can you actually discern 320 kbps mp3 and lossless?

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  3. can you actually discern 320 kbps mp3 and lossless?
2 years ago#11
Need some better headphones in order to discern this.
2 years ago#12
Yes I can... but I've been mastering music since I was 15 (so over 10 years); so I'm kinda trained in it.

Anyways, 320 really isn't that bad. Unless I plan on using for recording/sampling/video production/etc., I rip and encode my CDs in 320 mp3, as mp3 is more versatile than FLAC, OGG, or WAV, and the difference, though there, isn't exactly as big as say 128 vs lossless. It's a viable format/bitrate and is more than adequate for most uses.

The real difference you have to look out for is Digital vs. Analog. And just like Digital, Analog has it's inferior formats (eg Radio, Cassettes) and it's superior formats (eg Vinyl, Reel-Reel). But there's a huge difference between Analog and Digital that can't be understated. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and certain instruments sound better on one format verses the other. Overall, Digital has certainly come a long way, but if I were to buy a rock album, or an Orchestra album, I'd want it on Vinyl. While if I were to pick up a Hip-Hop album, I'd probably go digital.

However, this is strictly from a musician/producer's point of view; and the average consumer should be more than happy with 320 mp3 as a standard.
J.O.B. Squad 4 life
2 years ago#13
Yeah, probably because I worked in audio for a few years.

That being said, I'm perfectly content listening to 320 kbps mp3 most of the time, the main exceptions being good recordings of solos, ie Chopin's nocturnes or Bach's cello suites or something.
2 years ago#14
320 is still great, but the jump to CD is immediately obvious on even a mediocre setup. It depends on what genre you listen to. Jazz/Metal/Post rock hybrid band? Absolutely. 80s recording of Metallica? Probably not.
2 years ago#15
yes. it's fairly easy to tell the difference between 128 and 320kbps, bit harder but with good ear phones and an ear for music (far to many years in chorus for me) you can pick up the difference between 320 and lossless. things like drums really stick out when you are comparing the two.

quick google search brought me here if you want to test it yourself.
Baka wa shinanakya naoranai.
2 years ago#16
yes with my beats detox LE's lossless is the only audio option anything else is sin
2 years ago#17
I've tried a couple times, and I can't honestly tell a difference. I have a decent enough audio setup, with a Xonar Essence STX, Beyerdynamic DT990 headphones and Audioengine A5+ speakers, so if even higher grade equipment than that is required, it's not really worth it imo. I can, however, easily tell the difference between 320 kb/s and lower mp3s.

At this point, I'm under the impression that flac is simply ideal for storing music in a lossless format, with no real advantage for listening enjoyment. Even self-proclaimed audiophiles need graphs to tell if something is truly in flac and not just upconverted. I know there's a troll practice of upconverting files to flac and putting them in a torrent just to hear a bunch of people fall for the placebo.
2 years ago#18
I can tell the difference between 128 Kbps and 320 Kbps in a blind test with my JVC HA-RX700. Not sure about anything higher/closer together.
Steam: Sydite
2 years ago#19
I've had a pair of the HA-RX700s, those are some pretty boss headphones for the price.

Actually, I use a pair of HA-RX500s for my "beaters" around town, and the 700s as a second reference for producing.
J.O.B. Squad 4 life
2 years ago#20
320 to lossless? Doubt it... 128 - 320 Probably fairly easily. The biggest problem with these formats is quite often people 'upscale' their horrible quality versions into something better and think that it helps. Go from cd quality to 320 in one conversion and I honestly don't think I could tell the difference and what little there is probably wouldn't be worth the extra hdd space imo.
Steam: DV8ing1
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  3. can you actually discern 320 kbps mp3 and lossless?

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