3 ms·
This test reinforced what I've found in the past: 1. I can reliably tell the difference between 128kbps mp3s and higher-quality files 2. I can not tell the di
by JohnBooty 11y ago
This test reinforced what I've found in the past:
1. I can reliably tell the difference between 128kbps mp3s and higher-quality files
2. I can not tell the difference between 320kbps CBR mp3s and uncompressed originals. (Or between ~256kbps VBR mp3s, 256kbps iTunes Plus mp4s, and uncompressed originals... though those weren't a part of this test)
- stordoff 11y agoAbout the same as what I've AXB'd in the past as well. Most tracks at ~256kbps AAC are the same to me as the uncompressed version (some doesn't compress that well so still arifact, but are rare). Around 128kbps is fine, but I can pick out which is which. Lower than ~100kbps is awful - the arfiacts are instantly obnoxious and I hate listening to it. It doesn't really apply to streaming, but I keep my music as lossless files despite that. It removes any questions of "Could this sound better?" and I can transcode to a device-appropiate format without compounding the quality loss (desktop has lossless files, laptop has a 256kbps copy, mobile devices have a 128kbps copy)